{"id":673152,"date":"2026-07-04T09:01:21","date_gmt":"2026-07-04T09:01:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/673152\/"},"modified":"2026-07-04T09:01:21","modified_gmt":"2026-07-04T09:01:21","slug":"i-waited-six-years-for-the-google-home-speaker-and-it-wasnt-worth-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/673152\/","title":{"rendered":"I waited six years for the Google Home Speaker \u2014 and it wasn’t worth it"},"content":{"rendered":"

On its own, the Google Home Speaker is a solid option. It looks nice, sounds good, and Gemini works very well. But it’s also not a meaningful upgrade over older Google speakers, and it doesn’t fare particularly well against the competition. It’s a good pickup if you need a new Google Home-compatible speaker, but it doesn’t do anything to move the needle forward.<\/p>\n

For the first time in almost six years, we finally have a new Google-made smart speaker. As someone who uses Google Home and has long preferred Google Assistant (and now Gemini) over Alexa, I\u2019m thrilled. I\u2019ve been impatiently waiting for Google to refresh its smart speaker portfolio, and the Home Speaker does precisely that.<\/p>\n

And Google is going all-in on this refresh. The company officially discontinued the Nest Mini and Nest Audio<\/a>, making the Google Home Speaker the only Google speaker option going forward. As such, it had better be great.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re looking to get your first Google smart speaker or need another one to join your existing models, the Google Home Speaker is a good, perfectly serviceable option. But was it worth waiting over half a decade for? I\u2019m not so sure.<\/p>\n

What I like about the Google Home Speaker<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

Joe Maring \/ Android Authority<\/p>\n

I know that sounds like a downer of an intro, but there is a lot that I really do like about the Google Home Speaker \u2014 starting with its design.<\/p>\n

The Google Home Speaker is a bit larger than the super-compact Nest Mini yet significantly smaller than the Nest Audio. You probably won\u2019t see any nifty wall mounts for the Home Speaker like there are for the Nest Mini, but it easily fits on any desk\/table\/nightstand. And despite its size, the Home Speaker doubles as a Thread border router for Matter smart home devices (something the larger Nest Audio doesn\u2019t support). I also really appreciate the rubber base, which is super\u00a0grippy and keeps the Home Speaker from moving around.<\/p>\n

There are three touch control areas on the top of the Home Speaker: tapping the left turns the volume down, tapping the right turns it up, and tapping the middle pauses\/resumes whatever you\u2019re currently listening to. It\u2019s the same control scheme from previous Nest speakers, and it works just as well here.<\/p>\n

What also works well are the colors. You\u2019ve got standard black and white options (Hazel and Porcelain, respectively), but also a bright red Berry and a calming green Jade. The Jade color is what I have, and I absolutely love it \u2014 partly because it matches the walls in my bedroom almost perfectly. I\u2019d love to see even more colors down the road, but this is a great start nonetheless.<\/p>\n

Considering how small it is, the Google Home Speaker sounds pretty good.<\/p>\n

I think that the Google Home Speaker sounds pretty good, especially considering how small it is. There\u2019s just a single 58mm driver pumping out all of the audio, and for day-to-day use, I\u2019ve been happy with it. To my ears, the Home Speaker produces fairly solid bass and really clear midtones. I mostly use my Home Speaker to play rain sounds at night and ask random Gemini questions throughout the day, but whenever I\u2019ve used it to play music or a podcast, I\u2019ve been pleased with the results.<\/p>\n

\"Google<\/p>\n

Joe Maring \/ Android Authority<\/p>\n

The speaker also gets really loud. Even at 50% volume, it easily fills up my bedroom and can be heard down the hall in the kitchen and living room. Audio gets a bit distorted as you creep into the 70% and higher range, but I really appreciate having so much volume in such a compact package.<\/p>\n

Also unique to the Home Speaker is the ability to pair two Home Speakers with the Google TV Streamer for a plug-and-play upgrade to your TV\u2019s sound (with spatial audio support, too). It\u2019s frustrating that this functionality isn\u2019t available for the Nest Audio, seemingly for no other reason than to push people toward the Home Speaker, but it\u2019s nice to have the option nonetheless.<\/p>\n

\"Google<\/p>\n

Joe Maring \/ Android Authority<\/p>\n

Finally, there\u2019s Gemini. Google\u2019s AI has worked very well in my testing. That\u2019s not surprising since Gemini on the Home Speaker isn\u2019t any different than Gemini on older Google Home speakers<\/a>, but it\u2019s also not a bad thing. Gemini responds quickly, is (usually) accurate, and can answer a much wider array of questions than Google Assistant ever could.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s worth noting that some Gemini features (such as Gemini Live and Ask Home) are locked behind a Google Home Premium subscription<\/a>, but that\u2019s not unique to the Home Speaker \u2014 it\u2019s something you\u2019ll have to contend with on any Google speaker with Gemini.<\/p>\n

My three biggest issues with the Home Speaker<\/p>\n

\"Integrated<\/p>\n

Joe Maring \/ Android Authority<\/p>\n

To recap, we\u2019re working with an excellent design, good sound quality, and a great Gemini experience. If that\u2019s all true of the Google Home Speaker, what gives for how I started this review? It\u2019s because everything that works well about the Home Speaker is also working against it.<\/p>\n

We\u2019ll start once again with the design. As much as I love the Home Speaker itself, I hate\u00a0its power cable. Google went with an integrated cable design<\/a>, meaning the end that connects to the speaker is permanently attached. So, if the cable isn\u2019t long enough or becomes damaged, you\u2019re basically out of luck. What\u2019s even more frustrating is that the Nest Audio did\u00a0have a removable power cable, but for whatever reason, we don\u2019t get one with the Home Speaker.<\/p>\n

The Google Home Speaker doesn’t stand out from Google speakers that have come before.<\/p>\n

Then there\u2019s sound quality<\/a>. The Google Home Speaker sounds good for what it is, but as a replacement for the Nest Audio, it\u2019s an unquestionable downgrade. As a reminder, the Nest Audio had two drivers compared to the Home Speaker\u2019s one \u2014 including a 75mm woofer and a 19mm tweeter. While I no longer have my Nest Audio,\u00a0SoundGuys\u00a0did a really nice job comparing the two in the video above.<\/p>\n

To be fair, the Nest Audio is physically larger than the Home Speaker, so it makes sense that it would sound better \u2014 and you might argue that makes any comparison unfair. But considering the Nest Audio had the same $99 retail price as the Google Home Speaker \u2014 and that Google replaced the Nest Audio with the Home Speaker<\/a> \u2014 I think the comparison is more than valid.<\/p>\n

And then we have Gemini. Gemini is great on the Google Home Speaker, but it\u2019s also great on the Nest Audio, Nest Mini, Nest Hub, and all other older Google speakers\/displays. When you buy the Home Speaker, its Gemini version isn\u2019t any different from what Google started rolling out last October<\/a>.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s an excellent commitment to updating older devices, and I don\u2019t want to suggest otherwise. However, when that\u2019s the case, the Google Home Speaker needs to do something else to stand out from the Google speakers that have come before it. And, ultimately, it just doesn\u2019t.<\/p>\n

Should you buy the Google Home Speaker?<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Joe Maring \/ Android Authority<\/p>\n

If that leaves you feeling confused or conflicted about the Google Home Speaker, welcome to my thoughts exactly.<\/p>\n

The Google Home Speaker isn\u2019t a bad product. It replaced a 4th-generation Amazon Echo in my bedroom, and for what I want out of a smart speaker \u2014 something that\u2019s compact and integrates with my other Google Home devices \u2014 it\u2019s a perfect fit. And if you find yourself in a similar position, I don\u2019t think you\u2019ll be disappointed with the Google Home Speaker.<\/p>\n

However, looking beyond people who are committed to Google Home and need additional smart speakers, the Google Home Speaker becomes a much harder recommendation.<\/p>\n

After a six-year wait, the Google Home Speaker is disappointing.<\/p>\n

If you were thinking about upgrading your old Nest Audio, the Home Speaker isn\u2019t a suitable replacement. It doesn\u2019t have any Gemini capabilities that your Nest Audio doesn\u2019t already have, and it sounds worse, too. If you aren\u2019t married to Google Home, Amazon\u2019s Echo range is much broader<\/a>, including options that are cheaper than the Home Speaker and ones with better audio quality for the same price \u2014 the Amazon Echo Dot Max is particularly tempting ($99.99 at Amazon<\/a>). And if you want a more sophisticated soundstage in an even smaller footprint (and are all-in on Apple), the HomePod Mini is right there<\/a> ($99.99 at Best Buy<\/a>).<\/p>\n

\"Close<\/p>\n

Joe Maring \/ Android Authority<\/p>\n

More than anything, what worries me about the Google Home Speaker is what it represents for Google\u2019s smart home ambitions as a whole. We\u2019ve gone from the Nest Mini being the cheap entry point, and the Nest Audio being the more premium yet still affordable option, to the Google Home Speaker trying to fill those two positions and doing a worse job at both.<\/p>\n

Combined with the six-year wait we had to endure for the Home Speaker, even if it\u2019s far from a complete failure, the end result is still disappointing. It\u2019s a fine addition to the Google Home lineup, but not much more.<\/p>\n

Google Home Speaker<\/a><\/p>\n

MSRP: $99.99<\/p>\n

The Google Home Speaker is Google’s first smart speaker made with Gemini in mind. Along with its AI smarts, it packs a 58mm driver inside a small, compact body for surprisingly loud audio. If you live in the Google Home ecosystem, the Home Speaker is made just for you.<\/p>\n

Positives<\/p>\n

Compact designGorgeous color optionsGood (and loud) everyday sound<\/p>\n

Cons<\/p>\n

Integrated power cableDowngraded audio quality compared to Nest AudioGemini features available on older Google speakers<\/p>\n

Thank you for being part of our community. Read our\u00a0Comment Policy<\/a> before posting.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"On its own, the Google Home Speaker is a solid option. It looks nice, sounds good, and Gemini…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":673153,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[59,844,26243,220358,86,56,54,55],"class_list":["post-673152","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-technology","tag-gb","tag-google","tag-google-home","tag-google-home-speaker","tag-technology","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/673152","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=673152"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/673152\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/673153"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=673152"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=673152"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=673152"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}