Google Home Speaker

The 2026 Google Home Speaker offers impressive omni-directional sound and natural AI conversations, but the best features require a paid subscription.

Our first test with Google’s new Gemini-powered smart speaker shows it has good audio, but slightly odd controls. Still, Gemini is the real story of the device.

Not everyone needs something so reactive, and I have noticed that while I like that it can do so much more, I’m falling back into the trap of using my Home Speaker the same way I’ve used practically every home speaker to date – turn off lights, set a timer, play a song. Is that enough for you to consider an update or an upgrade? Maybe, maybe not. This is still a small, compact solution for bringing Gemini into your home. Would I call it a “true” replacement for the Nest Mini? Maybe not for everyone, but it is, according to Google, and it mostly hits all the right notes.

The Google Home Speaker delivers great audio and offers easy access to a sophisticated AI model. Google could easily improve its smart home chops to make this the ideal household hub.

At $99.99, you’re paying a premium over something like the old Nest Mini, but the jump in sound quality and how smart this thing is makes that extra cost worth it. The volume quirk on third-party streaming apps is a minor annoyance, and honestly, the market could really use a Nest Hub and Nest Hub Max successor running this same upgraded Gemini brain (place your bets, it’s probably coming).