Disclaimer: We were sent this Yoto Mini screen free audio player to review free of charge, but words and pictures are mine. This post contains affiliate links, see more information here. GET 5% OFF A YOTO PLAYER OR YOTO MINI USING THE DISCOUNT CODE AFF-WHINGE5 HERE
We have had our standard Yoto Player for many years now and it is still used by my nine and seven year olds almost every day for stories and songs, podcasts, listening to Yoto Radio and the excellent Yoto Daily podcast. We are still members of the Yoto Club and receive two new cards every month at a cost of £9.99 per month.
We were offered the chance to review one of the new Yoto Minis and given my kids spend a lot of their time arguing about whose turn it is to use the Yoto overnight, I couldn’t wait to take a look.
Yoto Mini review
If you’re wondering what the original Yoto Player is like, whether it’s worth buying or how it compares to the Tonies toniebox audio player, then click here for my original review. GET 5% OFF A YOTO PLAYER OR YOTO MINI USING THE DISCOUNT CODE AFF-WHINGE5 HERE.
How does the the Yoto Mini differ to the original Yoto Player?
The first and very obvious difference is that the Yoto original is much bigger than the Mini. The Yoto Player is approximately 11cm x 11cm x 11cm and weighs almost 600g. The Yoto Mini is a much smaller 7cm x 7cm x 4cm, and with its silicone jacket on weighs just 200g.
Although the original Yoto Player is portable, the Yoto Mini is made especially so that it can be charged up and taken with you wherever you go. Once it has downloaded the content, you don’t have to be connected to WiFi in order to play it; there is 16gb (around 350 hours) worth of storage on the device.
The battery will last around 20 hours when WiFi is disabled and slightly less when it is connected to WiFi – between 10 and 18 hours depending on whether it is streaming or playing downloaded content, and the volume etc.
You can of course use the same Yoto cards inside the Mini as you can the original Yoto player, which is great if you already own the larger model like we do. Yoto cards, which are credit-card sized, simply slot into the top exactly like they do in the original Yoto and the story or music will start playing automatically, and stop when the card is removed.
The Yoto Mini it has the an on/off button on the side, and two buttons which both push and twist to operate, but they’re on the front instead of on the side, and the display (a little LCD screen) is much smaller. It does still have a sleep clock on it but it isn’t as visible or obvious as the one on the larger machine. You can set the brightness of the display and the length of time that it will show before going to sleep mode in the Yoto App.
The Yoto Mini does not come with a nightlight like the larger model does.
It charges via a USB C charger rather than the larger magnetic charging dock. You can buy a separate silicone sleeve ‘Adventure Jacket’ for it which protects the player and also means you can make it whatever colour you want it to be which is a bit more exciting than the original grey. It also makes it easier to grip for little hands, and it comes with a colour co-ordinated lanyard for safe carrying.
You can still activate the Yoto Daily podcast and the Yoto day and night Radio using the buttons. It has a headphone jack just like the big version and you can use it as a Bluetooth speaker when connected to other devices.
It’s a very clever and small system and my son is really pleased with it, and at only £49.99 (and £16.99 for the Adventure Jacket which is available in seven different colours) it’s a right little bargain.
The Yoto App
As well as using the cards, you can play any of the cards you’ve previously downloaded remotely from the Yoto App which an be used on mobile devices or tablets.
It’s easy to set up a new Yoto Mini player on a family account so you can control both machines from the one App.
You can also add multiple users so that parents and kids can all have access. It comes in very handy when you want to stop play for the evening and you can set sleep timers.
You can also control the day/night functions and the maximum volume, see your entire catalogue and get news updates. Its a really easy to use and handy app.
Why buy a Yoto Mini?
All in all I give the Yoto Mini a very positive review. Our original Yoto Player has had really frequent use; I’ve persuaded many of my friends to buy them on the back of our experience.
The mini seems like a brilliant, slightly cheaper and more portable version that is great for car journeys, holidays and visits. The sound quality is really good for such a small machine and really packs a punch at top volume without going tinny.
They are a really good investment; currently there are over 400 cards available and they go from toddler stories right up to pre-teens. The cards cost about the same as an audiobook download and if you join the Yoto Club, you can choose two cards from a huge selection of over 100 cards, for just £9.99 per month.
At 6 and 8, my children have plenty to listen to. They absolutely love the free content too, and they’re even able to play podcasts via the app on their phones. My nephew (2) was also keen to try it out and found it easy to control even with little hands.
The battery life is suprisingly good and it will easily last most of the day even with heavy use, and it can be charged via the same charger as most smartphones so is easy to take on the go.
It’s a great little device, and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it. Buy it here! GET 5% OFF A YOTO PLAYER OR YOTO MINI USING THE DISCOUNT CODE AFF-WHINGE5 HERE
This really looks amazing it kind of reminds me of something from the 80s which is definitely a good thing !! My son would love it
I’m a bit miffed at having spent £79.99 for the Yoto, £24.99 for a cover in November only to see the new mini released. It looks much less bulky, lighter and obviously portable. I constantly have my heart in my mouth when my grandson charges around the house with the yoto – even with a jacket cover, I feel it’s not entirely protected. TBH Im not sure it was a great idea, as it accompanies him to the table during meals and is a tussle to get him to turn it off/down😏 It has been something he turns to during some stressful occasions, he can shut the rest of the world off while he listens to Roald Dahl. He is certainly widening his vocabulary!