I spent a long time going back and forth on which "assistant" to buy into. I finally decided on Google. I couldn't be happier. The device pairs effortlessly with nearly every "smart" device I own, has great sound for how small it is, and it's microphones continue to impress me on how well they pick...

Good Sound; excellent microphones

touch controls are not immediately apparent

If you want something from the internet, you Google it. We've been doing it for decades - more than a trillion searches per year by Google's own estimates. Google is so good at it that it gets to be its own verb.

The Google Home Mini is a stylish-looking speaker with surprisingly strong sound quality; The Google Assistant is a capable Alexa competitor, especially thanks to its ability to search out detailed answers to a wide variety of questions

There isn't much the Home Mini does that Alexa can't do, too; It also lacks a line out jack, and requires Chromecast Audio in order to connect with at external speaker setup

Help with recipes and timings when cooking

Not a lot of free music options, has trouble linking to some types of data, says 'still learning' but not where it will pick that new info up from; Had ours for 2 months and it still can't some simple news related questions

Compact, yet powerful, the Google Home Mini is the best-sounding miniature smart speaker yet.

Individual voice recognition gives tailored responses; Seamlessly integrates all the features of the Google platform; Affordable; Improved AI that responds quickly; Compact and attractive

Poor hands-free calling sound quality; Spanish-speaking feature needs improvement

It's been a long time coming, but Google's Home Mini can now make and receive calls. After almost six months of waiting, the Home Mini, along with its bigger brother, now has support for hands-free video calling.

Affordable; Stylish design with touch controls; Integrated Google Assistant and speaker

No 3.5mm jack output

We're clearly big fans of the Google Assistant, and any device that makes it more accessible to the masses is well worth a second look in our book. If budget was no option then the standard Google Home offers significantly better audio quality, but for most people budget will unfortunately come into...

For just $49 (£49, AU$79), the affordable Google Home Mini does something that the best Bluetooth speakers can't even fathom: it comes equipped with Google Assistant, which is always at the ready to help you find answers, turn on the tunes, dim the lights, start a TV show and more by using nothing...

Plays nicely with Google Cast products; Offers Bluetooth support; IoT-friendly; Incredible value

Sound performance is weak

When it comes to shifting smart speakers, Amazon is streets ahead of Google. The Google Home came late to market; by the time it turned up, it didn't just have to contend with the Amazon Echo – it also had to face the much smaller and cheaper Amazon Echo Dot .

Good looks; Affordable

No 3.5mm or Bluetooth audio output; No top touch controls besides volume

A neat way to add smart home control where you need it, the Google Home Mini is a great-looking mini speaker with tonnes of features but it lacks some of its rival's flexibility

Good looks; Affordable;

No 3.5mm or Bluetooth audio output; No top touch controls besides volume;

Google is not used to being second. And yet, that's uncomfortable the position it finds itself in the smart speaker market. The reasons for that are twofold: first, Amazon was fastest out the blocks. Although the Echo may be new to Australia, it has been a feature of American homes since 2014.