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.

“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

Google's tiny speaker makes improvements where it counts

On-device controls, Good sound, Easy mounting option

No audio jack, Hover feature doesn't work, Dangling wire a major design flaw

A slight improvement over the original speaker, the Google Nest Mini is a gentle evolution. We love the new wall-mount option, giving you more options of where to place the smart speaker, but the new touch controls are only of minor use. Improved bass response makes this speaker sound better than the original Google Home Mini but it's still not ideal for listening to music and this is very much a smart speaker first. If you've got the original Mini there's little to warrant you upgrading here; for new customers, this is the best small Google Assistant speaker.

Wall mount option; Simple touch controls; Speech sounds better thanks to better bass;

Few improvements over the original; No 3.5mm audio jack;

Its great for playing music,A bit gimmicky though.

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 new smart speaker costs $69

The added microphone helps the Nest Mini better hear you.

The improved bass performance sounds a little muddy.

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;