This year’s Made by Google event came chock-full of new product announcements, including the unveiling of the new, second-gen Nest Mini. The smart speaker replaces the Google Home Mini from 2017, which received much love as an easy entry into Google’s smart home ecosystem. The new Nest Mini looks almost identical to its predecessor, but it hides a few new tricks inside its compact shape. Is it worth the upgrade? /124260794/.2_6924.3_phonearena.com_tier1 In the box:Google Nest MiniPower cable Quick Start & Warranty GuidesDesignPut the Google Home Mini and Nest Mini side-by-side, and you’d be hard-pressed to find any significant difference visually. Like the older model, the new smart speaker is a round, almost-4-inch puck covered with fabric and outfitted with LED lights that light up when active. One subtle difference is in the fabric – Google says the new fabric is made completely from recycled plastic bottles. The plastic base is also made partially from recycled plastic (at least 35...

Improved audio; Still great design and value; Faster Google Assistant with local processing; Better mic setup;

No significant new features; Limited connectivity options;

The Google Nest Mini is a future-proofing update rather than a radical change. Sure, it sounds a little better, the controls are improved and the wall-mount is nice. But it is the improved machine learning chip within it that is the real upgrade – and one that is likely to be of larger benefit as we...

good sound for the money; wall mount; made of recycled plastic; Google Assistant; Bluetooth 5.0; native BBC radio playback

No 3.5mm input; privacy concerns of a smart speaker; not quite room-filling sound

The Google Nest Mini remains a smart and enticing entry-point to Google Assistant in the home, with this update bringing the improvements where they matter the most.

Improved sound quality; More sustainable build; Built-in wall-mount; Power of Google Assistant; Physical microphone mute button; Improved on-device controls

No audio jack; No clock like new Echo Dot; Not really an upgrade if you own Google Home Mini

With improved sound, touch controls and a wall mount, the Google Nest Mini is louder and cleverer than ever and will only improve over time

Great price; Improved speakers and mics; Wall mount is handy; Google Assistant is always learning; Voice Match allows for personalised answers

Better Google Home only £40 more; Not loud enough for music at a party; Machine learning is US-only for now

“Google's Nest Mini makes an already good device even better and remains the go-to pick among affordable smart speakers.”

Quick responses; Adjusts sound based on background noise; Eco-friendly materials; Affordable price

Max volume could be louder; Same look as the previous model

The new smart speaker costs $69

The added microphone helps the Nest Mini better hear you.

The improved bass performance sounds a little muddy.

If you live in Google’s world (and let’s face it, most of us do) then the Google Nest Mini is the best, cheapest way to get into the smart home game alongside the £45 Echo Dot with Clock. If you want close integration with your Google calendar and apps, then the Nest Mini wins out. It’s worth considering that the better-sounding Google Home is only £40 more, but if you want a small smart speaker to stick in the kitchen, you get a radio, encyclopaedia, recipe book and timer all in one. The fact it works just as well in every room in the house is an excuse to fork out for several. If you’ve read this far then you won’t mind about the fact you give up your data for the convenience – the Nest Mini is great value for money.

Great price; Improved speakers and mics; Wall mount is handy; Google Assistant is always learning; Voice Match allows for personalised answers;

Better Google Home only £40 more; Not loud enough for music at a party; Machine learning is US-only for now;

In 2016, Google showed off its first smart speaker, the Google Home. A year later, its puck-size sibling the Google Home Mini ($40 at Best Buy) arrived. Small but mighty, this speaker came with all the smarts of Google Home but at an affordable $49.

If you're a fan of the Google Home Mini, the Nest Mini offers a very similar experience with a handful of improvements and new features at the same affordable price.

Google added several new features and improved sound quality to its second-generation smart speaker.

You still can't connect the Mini to larger speakers via auxiliary cable; and there's no digital display like Amazon's newest Echo Dot has.

The Nest Mini is far from an overhaul of the Home Mini. If your house is already kitted out with the originals there’s no real reason to swap them out for the newer model. But for anyone looking to add Google to more rooms, or get the Google Assistant for the first time, the Nest Mini is the new best, and cheapest, way to do it.