How to Choose a Google Home Device

This How.com.vn teaches you how to choose a Google Home Device. Now you can choose from the original Google Home, the Google Home Mini, and the Google Home Max, which have some different features but all give you access to the Google Assistant. You might also consider trying out the Google Assistant on your Android or iPhone to see how you would like having a Google Home device.

Part 1

Part 1 of 2:

Choose a Google Home Device

1
Get a Google Home Mini if you just want access to the Google Assistant. If you live in a relatively small space, intend to use the device only in a small room, or just don't want to spend that much money, the Home Mini is the obvious choice.
- The Home Mini has a much smaller puck-like form factor that may be able to fit into certain places the Google Home can't. Its speaker is good enough to hear Assistant responses and some light music, but it won't really fill a room and lacks bass.
- The Home Mini is also a good choice if you already have a larger Home Device in a main room of your house but want to have access to the Assistant in more rooms as well.
2
Buy a Home Mini if you want to save money. At $49, this is the cheapest option but one where you don't really give up many features, since the Google Assistant will still work the same way.
- If you want to use the device to listen to music, connecting a Home Mini to a Bluetooth speaker is also a viable option and likely to still be cheaper than buying a Google Home, especially if you already have a Bluetooth speaker lying around.
- If you want access to the Google Assistant in more than one room, remember that 2 Home Minis are still cheaper than a single Google Home.
3
Get a Google Home if you want to listen to music. A Google Home is also in order if you plan to use it in a larger room or maybe are a bit hard of hearing. If you consider yourself an audiophile, the Google Home's sound might not cut it, but it performs very well for anyone who isn't going to obsess over levels of sonic detail and just wants to enjoy some tunes.
- Note that the Google Home doesn't really have any major benefits over the Home Mini other than the speaker, though the speaker is considerably better, with more volume, better sound and noticeable bass response.
4
Buy a Google Home if you're willing to pay $129 just for the better speaker. The only other minor difference would be the fact that you can buy interchangeable fabric covers if you would like to change the color of the device.
- If the $399 price tag of the Home Max makes you hesitate, you're going to be happier just getting the Google Home.
5
Get a Google Home Max if you need a new sound system. The Home Max is more like a nice speaker that happens to also have Google Assistant functionality. If you already have an expensive sound system, the Home Max is unlikely to outperform it, though it is a clear winner over budget audio setups, laptop speakers, Bluetooth speakers or the other Home devices.
- The Home Max can be positioned horizontally or vertically and has a "smart sound" feature that adjusts its bass response to the room it is placed in. It also has a USB-C port which you can use for an ethernet adapter if your Wi-Fi signal is poor or if you just want to charge your phone. It is also the only Google Home device with a standard audio-in Aux jack.
- If you live in an apartment you don't need a Home Max unless you really want to annoy your neighbors! A Google Home will give you a more reasonable volume level and perfectly good sound quality.
6
Buy a Home Max if you're willing to pay $399 for enhanced audio quality. This is a bit of an odd device. If you listen to a lot of music exclusively on Spotify or another service you can connect, it's great, but if you already have a CD or record collection, voice commands are pretty useless. You can use it to access the Assistant, but then you could easily do that for much less buying a different Home Device.
- The Home Max is not a good option for replacing a sound system with an AV receiver, because you would have to manually plug in or connect each source via Bluetooth whenever you wanted to use it, and if you've already spent good money on an AV setup, that will probably be a better option for listening to music.
- One benefit of the Home Max over a more traditional stereo/sound system is that it is considerably more portable. While you wouldn't want to carry it around regularly or travel with it, it's totally reasonable to move it from room to room occasionally, take out on your deck on a nice day or bring to a friend's house to play music for a party.
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Part 2

Part 2 of 2:

Try out Google Assistant on Your Phone

1
Try out the Google Assistant on your phone. If you'd like to try out the assistant features to see how you like them before you buy, download the Google Assistant app on your Android or iPhone.
- On Android: Open the Google Play Store
  , type Google Assistant in the search bar, tap Google Assistant in the results, then tap Install.
- On iPhone or iPad: Open the App Store
  , tap the magnifying glass icon, then type Google Assistant in the search bar, tap Google Assistant in the results, then tap GET.
2
Say "OK Google," to ask the assistant something while your phone is unlocked. On iPhone you will need to say voice commands while the Assistant app is open.
- Functionality on iOS is a little more limited than on Android. For instance, you will not be able to use it to directly make calls or set alarms.
3
Ask Google Assistant various questions or give voice commands. The Google Assistant will work a little differently on your phone. For instance, it may pull up a link to a website from a Google search of a question it didn't have a direct answer for, whereas the Google Home would try to read out a part of an article or not be able to respond.
- The main benefit of having a Google Home device is that it is always on and ready to respond to a voice command and has a much better speaker than your phone.
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