Google’s Home Mini is a fluffier, friendlier Echo Dot

One of Alexa’s best features has long been its Echo Dot, which is still one of our favourite tech bargains. But now the Google Assistant family (which we hope it calls the ‘G Force’) has fought back. The Home Mini (£49, shipping from 19 October) is its shrunken voice assistant, giving you access to Google’s wealth of knowledge and hands-free home control in a charming little button. It comes in three colours (charcoal, chalk and, er, coral) with four LEDs, which also double as touch controls for quickly adjusting the volume. It’s shaping up to be a gadget essential, though we’re still waiting for our little digital helpers to come with the voice of Rob Brydon’s ‘small man in a box’. Get on it, Google….

Mark Wilson Features editor

About

Mark's first review for Stuff was the Nokia N-Gage in 2004. Luckily, his career lasted a little longer than the taco phone, and he's been trying to figure out how gadgets fit back into their boxes ever since. While his 'Extreme Mark Wilson' persona was retired following a Microsoft skydiving incident, this means he can often be spotted in the wilds of South West London testing action cams, drones and smartwatches, and occasionally cursing at them.

Areas of expertise

Smart home tech, cameras, wearables and obscure gadgets from the early 2000s.