The new Echo 4 Dot arrived, wow what a bargain at £28.99, placed them side by side, the Dot oozes quality and well thought out design, raised buttons for visually impaired, a visual light you can see from any angle, actual function buttons and Aux 3.5, the dust collecting cheap looking plastic top on the HomePod mini which shows fingerprints if you have the black top doesn’t exist on the dot, sound wise the dot is louder and I find it hard to compare sound difference but the mini did sound slightly tinny, at the end of the day these are cheap budget speakers so can’t expect too much, they aren’t going to win any hifi awards, the dot trounces the mini in functionality overall, the mini wins in Apple eco system integration but you are going to be very lonely and miss out on the huge wider outside world connectivity functionality that the Amazon dot offers, it really makes the mini seem archaic with no real understanding or interest in connecting with the bigger world.
Conclusion: The HomePod mini is being returned, my home is fully automated and runs flawlessly on Amazons system, I bought the HomePod to put in my motorhome hoping to benefit from linking my Apple TV’s to it but lack of any other real functionally killed it off, Amazon are King and this new bargain dot will now be a great addition.
£99 mini v £29.99 dot? The dot is an absolute steal at the current offer price!