Google has launched its Home and Home Mini speakers in India at an event today. The voice controlled devices are capable of performing a range of tasks, from playing music and checking traffic to reading out news and recipes. Google Home is priced at Rs 9,999 and will be available in Chalk colour, whereas the Google Home Mini will cost Rs 5,499 and comes in Chalk and Charcoal colour models, with a Coral colour variant coming soon. Both the speakers will be available online exclusively via Flipkart and offline via retail stores like Reliance Digital, Chroma and others. Those purchasing the device will also get a free six months subscription to Google Play Music and some special offers from Gaana and Saavn Music. There is also a 10 percent discount if the speakers are purchased using an HDFC bank credit card.
For launch offers, Flipkart is offering a free JioFi router on the purchase of Google Home or Google Home Mini. Also, while buying the devices from Reliance Digital or MyJio stores, one will get the free JioFi router with 100 GB of high-speed 4G data. Purchasing the speakers at select Philips Hue and Croma outlets, one will get a Philips Hue + Google Home Mini at a special bundled price. Users who subscribe to ACT Fibernet's 12-month advance rental plans of 90MBPS and above will also receive a Google Home Mini. These offers can be availed till April 30, 2018.
The smart speakers have been tweaked for India and Google has roped in local news partners for delivering headlines via the device. One will also be able to access various apps using the device and if you have a connected home system, you can dim the lights, control smart appliances and more. Google says that it has partnered with over 200 brands for bringing support for more than 1500 devices, which can be controlled via the Google Home series of speakers. They can also be connected to other wireless speakers via Bluetooth and route the audio via them while retaining the voice command functionality. The devices also respond distinctly for more than one user as they come with a Voice Match feature, allowing each user to access their music, calendar and other services based on their voice.
The Google Home and Home Mini speakers go up against Amazon’s Echo Dot, Echo and the Echo Plus, which can be purchased at Rs 4,499, Rs 9,999 and at Rs 14,999 respectively. The Amazon Echo range of speakers are integrated with Alexa, the company’s smart assistant. Using Alexa, one can listen to the news, shop online, play music and more using voice commands. In our first impressions of the Amazon Echo Plus, we said that, “As a techie, I am really impressed with the Echo since it’s a device I have been looking forward to for a while now. It lets me shop, listen to ‘desi’ and international and music, play games when I am bored, stay updated with the latest locally relevant news, control connected appliances and more. It even entertains my house help when I’m not at home. If all this is something you are looking for in a smart speaker, the Echo Plus can be yours at Rs 10,499. If you are someone only interested in Amazon Music and Alexa’s skills, without a smart home hub for connected appliances, you will be better off with the cheaper Echo or the Echo Dot. Meanwhile, we will spend some more time with the Echo Plus as it learns, grows and evolves in India”.