The report card
- Content & free listening25% of score9.0
The same cards, Yoto Daily, Yoto Radio and Make Your Own as the big player.
- Cost of ownership20% of score8.4
The cheapest way into Yoto; cards cost the same.
- Easy for small hands20% of score7.0
Palm-sized and light, but the small dials can be tricky for toddlers.
- Parental controls & privacy15% of score8.9
The same app controls and an OK-to-wake clock, but no night light.
- Sound, battery & build20% of score7.0
A 3W mono speaker and up to 14 hours: fine for stories, thinner for music.
The full review
The Yoto Mini plays the same cards and content as the full-size player, in a palm-sized box weighing under 200g. The Independent picked it as its best audio player for travel.
You lose the night light, the room thermometer and the stereo speaker: the Mini has a 33mm, 3W mono speaker, which reviewers say is fine for stories but less impressive for music. You keep the pixel display, the OK-to-wake clock, Bluetooth and a 3.5mm headphone jack, plus 32GB of storage and up to 14 hours of playback. The Independent's tester also found the volume dials a little tricky for small toddlers.
A note on safety history: Yoto Minis sold between 2021 and 2023 were recalled in the US over overheating batteries, and Yoto offered owners a free battery replacement kit. Yoto says the 2024 Edition uses a battery from a different supplier and isn't affected. If you're buying second-hand, check which version you're getting.
Yoto has just launched the Mini 4th Gen at £89.99, adding IP67 water and dust resistance, 64GB and the Green Button, with dispatch expected from 30 September. For most families the 2024 Edition at £64.99 is the better value; the 4th Gen makes more sense if it's going to live in a bag or go to the beach.
Pros and cons
What I like
- The cheapest way into the Yoto library
- Tiny and light, great for travel
- Bluetooth and wired headphones
- OK-to-wake clock built in
What I don't
- Mono speaker is weaker for music
- No night light
- Small dials can challenge toddlers
- Needs a jacket to survive drops
Key specs
- Age
- 3 to 12+
- Speaker
- 33mm, 3W mono
- Battery
- Up to 14 hours (Yoto figure)
- Storage
- 32GB, 500+ hours offline
- Headphones
- Bluetooth or 3.5mm jack
- Weight
- Under 200g
Head-to-heads
What I read
This is a research-led review. These are the main sources behind the scores, alongside patterns in verified owner reviews. How I review.