الوسم: speaker

Quick Overview

Google has introduced its new Home Speaker with Gemini, signaling one of the biggest shifts in the company’s smart home lineup in years. This isn’t just a hardware upgrade with better sound or a fresh look. Instead, Google presents Gemini as the core of a smarter home assistant, capable of understanding natural conversations rather than relying solely on rigid voice commands. Priced at $99, it enters a highly competitive market segment, typically compared with devices like Apple’s HomePod mini.

After testing for several weeks, it’s clear that Gemini is the key upgrade. The hardware is an advancement over earlier Google compact speakers, but the most significant change is how naturally it understands and responds during conversations. It adapts seamlessly to your speech, making interactions feel more genuine and less mechanical.

What’s Inside the Google Home Speaker?

Design and Setup: Sleek and Simple

The speaker stands just 3.44 inches tall, with a 4.2-inch diameter and a light 0.9 pounds, making it incredibly easy to fit into any space while looking more refined than Google’s previous Nest models. Setting up is straightforward. Inside the box, you’ll find the speaker, a 30W USB-C power adapter, and a 1.5-meter cable, all configured through the Google Home app.

It’s available in four colors: Hazel, Porcelain, Jade, and Berry, with Jade and Berry exclusive to the U.S. Currently, the Porcelain option used for this review has a clean, subtle look that blends easily into most homes. Its minimal, modern aesthetic doesn’t draw attention but complements most decor. The design also emphasizes sustainability, with recycled materials used throughout, including the exterior fabric that resembles Apple’s HomePod style.

One neat detail is the dynamic light ring around the base, which shifts based on the speaker’s activity, such as listening, processing, or responding. This visual feedback enhances the overall experience, making interactions feel more responsive and alive. The omnidirectional microphones ensure the device picks up requests clearly from across the room without needing repeated commands.

Interacting with the New Gemini

The most noticeable change with the new Home Speaker isn’t just hardware—it’s the shift from Google Assistant to Gemini, fundamentally transforming how you communicate with your device.

Older Google smart speakers required you to speak in commands. For example, turning off the lights or setting a timer meant delivering specific requests one at a time. Gemini moves away from this command-based model. Instead, you can speak naturally, much like talking to another person. Saying “Get the house ready for bedtime,” is enough for it to understand your intent and act accordingly. It can handle multiple instructions in one sentence and even adjust if you change your mind mid-sentence.

What sets Gemini apart is its reasoning capability. During testing, when asked if it would rain during a baseball game, it didn’t just give today’s forecast. It processed multiple data points to make an inference, providing a more contextual and intelligent response. Google describes this as real reasoning, a substantial improvement over previous AI capabilities from Google Assistant.

It’s equally adept at routine tasks. It can manage reminders, calendar events, shopping lists, and daily planning, supporting follow-up questions that build on the conversation rather than starting anew each time. You can personalize its voice with ten options, enhancing the natural feel of interactions.

Google is offering the core Gemini experience at no extra charge. Buyers who get the Home Speaker before the end of September also receive six months of Google Home Premium, unlocking Gemini Live. This feature facilitates full conversations, enabling you to say, “Let’s chat,” and enjoy an extended back-and-forth. Premium adds advanced smart home management features, like camera status updates or the ability to ask if the garage was left open or if the dog jumped on the couch. It also provides summaries of events you missed while away. Google Home Premium comes in two tiers, with the basic included in Google AI Pro and the more advanced version bundled with Google AI Ultra.

Sound Experience: Solid for Its Purpose

Along with Gemini, audio performance has been significantly improved. Google claims the new Home Speaker offers enhanced microphone processing for clearer voice pickup, 360-degree sound, and bass that’s 2.5 times stronger than the Nest Mini. The difference in sound quality is immediately apparent compared to older Google compact speakers, making it a worthwhile upgrade if you owned previous models.

Dual speakers can be paired for stereo sound, and integration with Google TV, Nest devices, and Cast-compatible products allows it to be part of a whole-home audio setup. It fits well within Google’s ecosystem, providing room-filling audio with punch and clarity. It avoids overly processed sound, delivering a balanced audio profile suitable for podcasts and vocals. While it handles small to medium rooms well, it might struggle with complex music at high volumes, where it can sound a bit muddled. For audiophiles, models like the Sonos Era 100 or the larger Google Nest Audio may be preferable.

HomePod mini vs. Google Home Speaker

Comparing this Google speaker to Apple’s HomePod mini is almost inevitable, as both are priced at around $99, feature fabric finishes, and come in various colors. The key distinction is purpose: the HomePod mini is primarily a music-focused speaker within the Apple ecosystem, while the Google Home Speaker is designed as a visual-less AI hub powered by Gemini.

Gemini’s conversational improvements significantly distinguish Google’s offering. Its ability to handle multi-step, context-aware interactions feels more natural. Apple’s Siri AI, however, doesn’t yet support these next-gen features, meaning future versions of the HomePod may need to improve to match this experience.

Those invested in Apple’s HomeKit ecosystem might prefer the HomePod mini, but Gemini’s support for multi-action commands, contextual dialog, and AI automation makes interactions more fluid and less reactive for Google users. In terms of audio quality, the HomePod mini offers clear, balanced sound suitable for casual listening, whereas Google emphasizes bass and immersive 360-degree audio that fills a room.

Should You Consider Buying?

This device offers more than just an upgrade in sound quality; it represents a shift in what a smart home assistant can be. The experience is less about issuing commands and more about natural, intuitive interactions. It performs well with podcasts and music for casual listening and features one of the most advanced on-device AI assistants available. Voice conversations feel natural, cross-device integration is seamless, and it can manage various tasks across apps if your accounts are linked. Some advanced features require a subscription, but for basic smart speaker needs, the latest Google Home Speaker is a top choice.

Alternative Options to Explore

Amazon Echo Dot Max — If exceptional audio quality is your priority, the Echo Dot Max features a dedicated woofer and tweeter, delivering impressive bass and clarity. Its Omnisense system offers presence detection, and support for protocols like Matter and Thread makes it versatile for smart homes. It automatically adapts to room layouts and includes a new, upgraded Alexa assistant.

Apple HomePod mini — The closest competitor in design, the HomePod mini emphasizes Apple ecosystem integration. It provides pleasing sound, though less thunderous than larger speakers. Its AI, Siri, has improved significantly, supporting complex tasks across third-party apps, but it’s less flexible for Android users as many features remain locked behind Apple’s ecosystem.

Sonos Era 100 SL — For audiophiles willing to invest more, the Sonos Era 100 SL offers refined, deep bass, a wider soundstage, and stereo separation. It supports multi-room playback and detailed EQ tuning. However, its virtual assistant features and app experience still need enhancement.

How We Conducted Our Testing

Our evaluation lasted several weeks, during which the device was linked to a personal Google account to access Gemini’s smart features. Sound quality was assessed by playing various genres, with comparisons made against the Apple HomePod mini for context. We focused on three core aspects: audio fidelity, responsiveness and accuracy of the AI, and how well it integrated across connected devices.

Performance in audio was gauged by how well it reproduced different frequencies. The AI interaction tests involved natural language queries related to smart device control and information retrieval, measuring accuracy and response times. Finally, the setup was tested in different locations with varying network conditions to ensure reliable multi-device functioning.