Several months after the first peek, the Google Home Speaker is finally on sale. It promises to be a good deal and a much-needed update to the company’s smart speaker line, although you might need a Gemini subscription to make the most of it.
The new device is built around Gemini for Home and relies on it for more natural control of both the speaker and your smart household. You can have it turn down the lights, lower the temperature, and play music by making a single request. You also won’t need robotic language to create reminders and otherwise handle everyday tasks.
However, the company is clearly hoping you’ll use a Google Home Premium subscription. The plan enables Gemini Live conversations, deep dives into topics, and more intelligent smart home alerts that include smoke/CO alarm and glass breaking detection. You’ll get six months of Premium for free if you buy before September 30, so you’ll have time to decide if it’s worth paying $100 per year (or $10 per month) to unlock the AI’s potential.
You don’t need the plan to benefit from the upgraded hardware. Google claims the Home Speaker has drivers twice as large as on the Nest Mini, and 2.5 times the bass. This might be closer to the discontinued Nest Audio in audio quality. You’ll get 360-degree audio no matter what you play, and spatial audio support if you connect a pair to a Google TV Streamer.
Connectivity matches what you’d expect for a speaker in this range with Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.4, and Thread smart home routing.
Google Home Speaker price and release date
Your best alternative to an Echo Dot Max or HomePod mini
The Google Home Speaker is available now for $99 in Pixel-style colors: Berry (red), Hazel (black), Jade (light green), and Porcelain (white). You can buy it in the U.S., Canada, U.K., Ireland, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Belgium, Switzerland, Austria, Japan, Australia, and New Zealand.
The system competes most closely with Amazon’s Echo Dot Max and Apple’s HomePod mini, both of which sit in the $99 price range and promise relatively powerful sound in a compact shape. We’ll reserve audio quality reviews for when we can get hands-on time, but it’s notable that the HomePod mini hasn’t received updated hardware since its 2020 introduction and is rumored to get an upgrade this fall.
Your choice might come down to your preferred ecosystem. While all of them have some level of interoperability, the Google Home Speaker will work best with Android and anything that taps into either Gemini or the Google Home app. Amazon banks on tight integration with Alexa-friendly devices and services like Prime Music, while Apple prioritizes its own hardware (such as AirPlay streaming) and Apple Music.
Stephan is the sports journalist for the Maple Grove Report.
