Google Home Speaker launches June 25 with Gemini AI at $100, challenging HomePod and Echo
13 Sources
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The Gemini-powered Google Home Speaker arrives on June 25 for $100
Good things take time, but not all things that take time are good. The jury is still out on the Google Home Speaker, but it certainly took a while to arrive. After announcing its new speaker last August, Google finally has a release date. The company's first new smart home speaker in years will
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Google bets on Gemini to reinvent the smart home speaker
After years of incremental updates, Google is betting that its Gemini AI can reinvent its smart speaker. On Wednesday, the company introduced its first audio device built specifically for Gemini with the $99.99 Google Home Speaker. The new Google Home device is the first standalone smart speaker
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I Tried Google's New Smart Speaker. It's One of the Best at $100
To unlock more advanced AI features, you'll need at least a $10 subscription, which doesn't offer a lot of value for the price Google's last smart home speaker was the 2020 Nest Audio. Much has changed in the years since, both in hardware quality and the rise of Google Gemini AI. Now Google has
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I've Been Using Google's New Gemini Speaker, and It's a Big Leap Forward
The Google Home Speaker succeeds the $99.99 Nest Audio, a much taller smart speaker from 2020 built around Google Assistant. It ditches the Nest branding in favor of a name that harkens back to the original Google Home from 2016. It runs a version of Google's generative AI called Gemini for Home,
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Google's New Smart Home Speaker Is Here, a Challenger to the HomePod Mini
Expertise Smart home | Smart security | Home tech | Energy savings | A/V Google's latest smart speaker -- called the Google Home Speaker -- has arrived, starting at $100. It's the first new speaker line Google has introduced since 2019, offering a more affordable alternative to Apple's HomePod and
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Google Home Speaker review: A modest update for the Gemini era - Engadget
Of course, this speaker is not just for playing music. Like its predecessors, the Google Home Speaker has three far-field microphones to let you chat with Gemini. It also has a stylish light ring around the bottom that lights up and changes color when you talk to it, when it is thinking and when it
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Google Home Speaker arrives at $99, but Gemini costs extra
The $99 Google Home Speaker lands on June 25, but the AI features that make it worth buying sit behind a Google Home Premium paywall. Google has finally made a new smart speaker, its first in roughly six years. The more interesting thing it has made is a reason to pay it every month. The Google
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The first Google Home Speaker in years has Gemini, costs $99, and arrives soon
Google's first smart speaker in years is finally here. Or, it will be when it launches on June 25, anyway. Google finally gave us all the details on the new Google Home Speaker, which it says is the first smart speaker in its portfolio that was built with Gemini AI commands in mind. The device
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Google's new $99 Home Speaker packs 360-degree audio and lets you talk to Gemini
However, its most advanced AI-based features are locked behind a monthly subscription. After six years of waiting, Google has finally released a new smart speaker. The $99 Google Home Speaker is available for pre-order starting today and hits shelves on June 25, 2026. At the core of the speaker is
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Google's Gemini-Enabled Home Speaker Is Officially Available for Preorder
This speaker will directly compete wth Amazon Echo, notably the company's Alexa+ assistant. Good news, Gemini fans: Google's chatbot is fully integrated into its newest smart speaker, known as the Google Home Speaker, and it's almost here: You can preorder it today for $99.99, and it will
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Google kills two smart speakers because of Gemini's insatiable thirst for world domination
The Nest Home Mini and Nest Audio have been discontinued to make way for our AI smart speaker overlord The launch of the new Google Home smart speaker earlier this week means the end of the road for a pair of legacy models getting a little long in the tooth. Google has confirmed the Nest Home Mini
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The long-awaited Google Home Speaker could be the smartest upgrade your home gets this year
Conversational assistant will get you chatting more to your tech It's been six long years since Google loyalists were last treated to a new smart speaker, but that wait will soon be over: the new Google Home Smart Speaker is finally up for pre-order, and devices will start shipping as early as
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Google Home Speaker with Gemini for Home announced
Google has announced the Google Home Speaker, its first smart speaker built around the Gemini for Home voice assistant. The Google Home Speaker is powered by Gemini for Home, which brings advanced natural language understanding and reasoning to voice interactions. Instead of relying on fixed
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Google releases its first new smart speaker in nearly six years, the $99.99 Google Home Speaker, powered by Gemini AI. Available for preorder now and shipping June 25, the device promises natural language processing and advanced voice interactions. But its premium AI features require a $10 monthly subscription, raising questions about whether generative AI can justify recurring costs in the smart home market.
Google's New Smart Speaker Returns After Six-Year Gap
Google has set a June 25 launch date for the Google Home Speaker, marking the tech giant's first standalone audio device since the Nest Audio arrived in September 2020
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. Priced at $99.99 and available for preorder now, the device represents a significant shift in how Google approaches smart home controls, moving beyond the limitations of Google Assistant to embrace Gemini AI as its core intelligence2
.The small, rounded design—technically an oblate spheroid—measures 4.2 inches in diameter by 3.4 inches tall and comes wrapped in partially recycled 3D-knit fabric
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. Available in hazel, porcelain, jade, and berry colors, the speaker resembles a grown-up version of the Nest Mini, though Google has dropped the Nest branding entirely3
. A distinctive LED ring at the bottom glows to indicate when the device is listening, thinking, or responding, replacing the Assistant-style illuminated lights of previous models1
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Source: CNET
Gemini for Home Enables Natural Language Processing
The Nest Audio successor is built specifically for Gemini for Home, Google's generative AI adapted for smart home environments
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. Unlike older speakers that required precisely phrased commands, users can now speak using natural language and make multi-step requests like "turn off all the lights except for my bedside lamp" or "dim the kitchen lights, play some relaxing music, and set a timer for 20 minutes"2
.The device ships with 10 new voices capable of two-way conversations on topics beyond simple smart home tasks
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. Users can ask nuanced questions and dive deeper into subjects, similar to interacting with Gemini AI on smartphones. The speaker also supports mid-sentence corrections—saying "turn off the coffee maker...I mean, turn it on!" will prompt Gemini AI to respond appropriately2
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Source: CNET
Powering these AI-driven features is a Quad Core A55 processor clocked at 2.0 GHz with a dedicated neural processing unit
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. Three far-field microphones distributed around the speaker pick up voice commands, while local AI models improve sound isolation and filter background noise more effectively than past smart speakers1
.Audio Quality Competes With Apple HomePod Mini
Despite housing only a single 58-millimeter full-range driver—compared to the Nest Audio's 75-millimeter woofer and 19-millimeter tweeter—the Google Home Speaker delivers impressive 360-degree sound
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. Google acknowledges the audio quality falls between the Nest Audio and the smaller Nest Mini1
.However, hands-on testing reveals the speaker holds its own against competitors. When compared to the Apple HomePod mini and Amazon Echo Dot, the Google Home Speaker demonstrated similar clarity to Apple's device but with stronger bass, making it capable of filling small to medium-sized rooms with music
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. The Amazon Echo Dot couldn't compete with either device despite similar sizing3
.Capacitive touch controls on top allow manual adjustments for volume and playback, though they can be overly sensitive
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. The speaker also integrates with Google TV Streamer for immersive audio output when paired with up to two units, and connects with other Nest speakers and displays on local networks1
.Related Stories
Google Home Premium Subscription Gates Advanced Voice Interactions
While basic Gemini for Home features come free, Google is betting users will pay for advanced capabilities through a Google Home Premium subscription starting at $10 per month or $100 annually
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. Premium unlocks Gemini Live, enabling free-flowing conversations initiated by saying "Hey Google, let's chat"2
.The subscription also enables continued conversation features, allowing the microphone to remain on briefly so users can ask follow-up questions without repeating "OK Google"
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. Additional benefits include activity summaries from Nest security cameras and the ability to query what happened in the home while away2
.Google is offering six months of Google Home Premium free with speaker purchases to encourage adoption
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. Whether these AI-driven features justify recurring costs remains uncertain, particularly since many Gemini capabilities work without paying and older Google speakers can access cloud-based Gemini features1
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Source: Mashable
Matter Device Compatibility and Thread Border Router Expand Smart Home Controls
Beyond audio and AI, the Google Home Speaker serves as Google's first smart speaker with a Thread border router, allowing it to act as a hub for Matter devices
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. Matter is a smart home protocol enabling devices to work across platforms, and the border router feature lets the speaker bridge smaller sensors and devices lacking integrated Wi-Fi antennas to the cloud4
.The device connects via Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.4, and is constructed from 37% recycled materials
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. Setup through the Google Home app is streamlined, requiring only a QR code scan for existing users, with no need to re-authenticate streaming services3
.While the Amazon Echo Dot Max offers similar Thread border router functionality plus integrated light, temperature, and presence detectors, the Google Home Speaker focuses primarily on audio quality and AI interactions
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. As smart speaker pricing enters a gray area with AI features, Google's approach differs from Amazon's Alexa Plus—free with Prime subscriptions but expensive otherwise—and Apple's vague hints about requiring larger iCloud subscriptions for future Siri AI capabilities5
.References
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