The Apple HomePod Mini and Echo Dot are two of the best smart speakers of 2023. They both cost less than $100, offer attractive designs, and give you the versatility you’d expect from a premium smart speaker. But which speaker deserves a place in your home more?
Before you pick up a HomePod Mini or Echo Dot, you should do some research. It’s hard to go wrong with either product, but one might be a little better for your household. From price and compatibility to sound quality and more, here’s everything you need to know about these two smart speakers.
To shape
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Both HomePod Mini and Echo Dot are spherical smart speakers. Measuring 3.3 inches tall, 3.9 inches wide, and weighing 0.76 pounds, the HomePod Mini is available in white and space gray. The fifth-generation Echo Dot is almost identical in dimensions to the HomePod Mini. Amazon’s speaker is 3.5 inches tall, 3.9 inches wide, and weighs 0.67 pounds. The Echo Dot brings more color options to the table than the HomePod. Choices include Charcoal, Deep Sea Blue and Glacier White. You can even get a version that shows the clock on the front (though it’s a bit more expensive, coming in at $60 instead of $50).
In terms of button layout, the HomePod Mini uses a touchpad on top of the speaker for play/pause, track skipping and other commands. The Echo Dot is for a more traditional button approach. Buttons include volume up/down, microphone on/off, and an action button. Neither speaker is designed for wall mounting.
Sound quality
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The HomePod Mini uses a full-range driver with dual passive radiators to deliver some of the best sound from a compact speaker — not to mention Apple’s custom acoustic waveguide and computational audio features. These are calibration tools (powered by Apple’s S5 chip) that help balance the sound at different volume levels. Jargon aside, the HomePod Mini delivers crisp and clear mids and highs without much compromise on bass. Apple’s tiny speaker does a more than good job of delivering sound on par with some of the larger smart speakers on the market.
The new Echo Dot uses a single 1.73-inch front-facing speaker. Due to its spherical design, the speaker is louder and brighter than previous Dot iterations.
Controls and notable features
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For the HomePod Mini, Apple’s Siri takes center stage. One of the biggest perks for Apple fans is the affordable, lower-priced Apple HomeKit device. Once connected, your HomePod Mini can control your smart home devices, set and create schedules, search news and weather, and access popular streaming services such as Apple Music, Pandora, Prime Music, etc. You can interact with the smart speaker using voice commands. commands preceded by “Hey, Siri” or through the Home application on your iOS device.
One of our favorite HomePod Mini tricks is the ability to broadcast speakers in iOS. It goes like this: Let’s say you’re walking past your Mini and you like the song it’s playing, but you’re on your way out. iPhone users will be able to place their phone near the Mini, which can start playing a Mini song on their phone. This feature also works in reverse. If you happen to have two HomePod Minis in the same room, you can pair both speakers together for stereo sound.
Echo Dot users will see the return of Alexa as Amazon’s voice assistant. Like the HomePod Mini, Alexa lets you stream music, check the news and weather, control smart devices, and more. Voice commands are preceded by “Alexa” when interacting directly with Dot, and mobile controls are handled by the Amazon Alexa app on your mobile device.
While not exclusive to the latest Echo Dot, Amazon’s Alexa Guard feature is one of our favorite Echo features. When enabled, your Echo speaker will monitor sounds like smoke alarms and breaking glass. After your Echo hears a sound, you’ll receive a notification on your phone. Alexa Guard Plus (the paid version of Alexa Guard) includes additional features such as access to an emergency phone line, tracking footsteps and other burglary sounds, and emitting siren and dog sounds to defend against intruders.
Both HomePod Mini and Echo Dot also have intercom functionality (though Alexa is a bit more advanced). With the HomePod Mini, you can send audio messages to HomePods throughout the home. The Echo Dot version of this feature is called Drop In. Once permissions are enabled in the Alexa app, Drop In will let you talk to your friend through their Echo speaker (and vice versa).
Price and guarantee
The HomePod Mini retails for $99 and comes with a one-year limited warranty, along with 90 days of free technical support. For an additional $15, you can add AppleCare+ to your Mini. This gives you an extra two years of accidental damage protection. Please note that you are only allowed two accident claims per year, both of which are subject to a $15 service fee and taxes.
The Echo Dot (5th generation) is currently $50 and comes with a 90-day limited warranty. As mentioned above, you’ll also find an Echo Dot with a watch available for $60 — though both products are often on sale for much less.
Judgment
We call this a draw. Apple fans will love the HomePod Mini for its dedicated iOS functions and audio technology supported by the Apple S5. But aside from some niche audio features, the Echo Dot can do just as much (if not more) for $50 less than the competition. Then again, if you’re looking for the cheapest way to start a HomeKit network, the HomePod Mini is an ideal way into Apple’s smart ecosystem at a relatively low price. Plus, you’ll have a crisp-sounding smart speaker to play with.
For an individual breakdown of each smart speaker, check out our in-depth reviews of the HomePod Mini and Echo Dot (5th Gen) with Clock.
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Categories: GAMING
Source: newstars.edu.vn