Right now you can put a smart speaker in every room at an incredible price. Lowe’s is selling the first generation Google Home Mini (in any color you want, as long as it’s chalk) for $13. That’s close to one fourth off the original price, and way better than the $35 to $36 elsewhere.
The original Google Home Mini rolled out nearly four years ago. When we reviewed the Mini back in 2017, we gave it four out of five stars. Our biggest objection was that it wasn’t that great at music reproduction, but for listening to tunes while you’re cooking or hearing a podcast it’ll get the job done.
The original Google Home Mini’s biggest appeal, of course, is its Google Assistant smarts. Just say “Hey Google” to control smart home gear, get traffic and weather updates, get answers to simple web queries, stream music and podcasts, set timers, and more.
While getting an older model of anything may give you a moment of pause, the original Google Home Mini isn’t that different from the $49 Google Nest Mini that replaced it. The Nest Mini has slightly better audio quality than the original, but they look almost identical.
If you’re already using Google Assistant speakers or smart displays around the house, the Google Home Mini is an excellent complement. Not using a smart speaker at all? Then $13 for a Google Home Mini is a fantastic price to try one out.