But, while the Amazon Echo kickstarted the smart speaker ... The Google Nest Mini is the follow-up to the original Google Home Mini, offering a similar design with upgraded speakers.

Researchers at Northeastern University and Imperial College London recently found that smart speakers including Amazon's Echo Dot, the Google Home Mini, Apple's HomePod, and the Harman Kardon ...

Some smart home devices will work best with Google Nest and others with Amazon Echo ... The two speakers, Nest Mini (second gen) and Nest Audio are entirely covered in fabric.