Google Home Mini appears to be an Amazon Echo Dot equivalent

Thanks to Droid Life, we've been given a first look at the Google Home Mini. It looks like a smaller, more modest version of the Google Home voice-controlled smart speaker and, you could say, the brand’s answer to Amazon’s Echo Dot.

MORE: Smart speakers – everything you need to know

Like its bigger sibling, the Home Mini will undoubtedly feature Google Assistant, which allows you to perform a variety of tasks, including taking and making calls, asking questions and playing specific playlists. However, given its size, you'd expect it to have fewer microphones and drivers.

We found the Google Home's sonic performance second-best to the Amazon Echo, so while the Mini is geared more towards functionality than sound quality, we'd still hope it can be competitive on that front.

The image appears to confirm three colour finishes – Chalk, Charcoal and Coral – and suggests that it will be mains powered. The three dots on top of the speaker are presumably lights to indicate when you’re interacting with the Google Assistant.

The Google Home Mini is expected to retail at $50 (and probably £50), but we expect confirmation and further details from Google early next month. The tech giant is also expected to announce a Pixel 2 smartphone at an event in San Francisco on 4th October.

Image credit: Droid Life

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Becky Roberts

Becky is the managing editor of What Hi-Fi? and, since her recent move to Melbourne, also the editor of Australian Hi-Fi magazine. During her 10 years in the hi-fi industry, she has been fortunate enough to travel the world to report on the biggest and most exciting brands in hi-fi and consumer tech (and has had the jetlag and hangovers to remember them by). In her spare time, Becky can often be found running, watching Liverpool FC and horror movies, and hunting for gluten-free cake.