Amazon and Apple are both big names in the home speaker industry. With the newly-released Echo and HomePod mini, the two firms are expecting to get more market ground this year. If you are now confused between Amazon Echo (4th Gen) vs Apple HomePod Mini, then we are here to help. Let’s see how these two speakers stack up against each other in this review.
Design
Both the HomePod mini and Echo 4 are spherical smart speakers. The adoption of this design helps reinforce the idea of 360° sound that fills any room or space
The big difference lies in their sizes and how they locate the light. While the HomePod’s LED screen control surface is located on the top, the Echo comes with an LED ring on the bottom with its controls on the top. On top of that, the Echo 4 is almost twice bigger at 5,7 inches high compared to 3,5 inches of the HomePod mini.
However, with the HomePod mini, you will be presented with two color options only: White and Space Gray. On the other hand, Echo 4 brings more colors to the table with Charcoal, Glacier White, and Twilight Blue.
Sound Quality
The HomePod mini has a full range driver and a pair of passive radiators which offer enough power to fill your room with sound. To be fair, this is a quite unique spec for a mini speaker. We think that Apple is aiming for close-up sound volume and strong middle-range quality with this model.
About the new Echo, it has a 3-inch woofer and dual 0.8-inch tweeters. This means it can provide better room-filling sound and high-quality bass. Although this could mean that the HomePod mini might sound better at close range and the Echo 4 is better for 360° sound from a distance. Overall, there’s no actual winner here! Each one will serve you well in different situations.
Compatibility
HomePod mini:
- Apple Music
- iHeartRadio
- Radio.com
- TuneIn
- AirPlay 2
Echo 4th gen:
- Amazon Music
- Apple Music
- Spotify
- SiriusXM
- Audible
Voice Assistant & Smart Home Control
While Apple’s devices always come with Siri, Amazon’s speakers have their Alexa. Even Though Siri is very useful for brief tasks on your iPhone, it’s no match for the rich of games, answers, and more that Alexa can provide.
In addition, Alexa is also compatible with more smart home devices, while Siri is limited to the devices that work with Apple’s Homekit. Also, the Echo 4th-gen is one of the few smart speakers that still offers Zigbee compatibility for older smart devices.
Pricing
Price is really not a factor because both speakers are $99. So, it’s more important to think about what you can really get for that price. Also, both Apple and Amazon have trade-in options to save more money for buyers.
The Verdict
Well, it’s tough to pick a winner here! So, my advice is to pick the one that suits you more.
The Echo 4th-gen is more suitable for large and open places. If you’re already in the Alexa-ecosystem, we think there’s no reason to leave it.
On the other hand, the HomePod mini is designed to be a close-range speaker with many new features to interact with your iPhone. And, we think that Apple fans will love this model thanks to its high compatibility with other Apple devices and Apple S5-assisted audio performance.
