Google has launched its latest smart speaker and it’s the first designed with the brand’s new Gemini digital assistant in mind. The Google Home Speaker is available now for $99 and comes in four colors. At that price, I had high hopes for the Google Home Speaker, but it doesn’t live up to its full
Google has launched its latest smart speaker and it’s the first designed with the brand’s new Gemini digital assistant in mind. The Google Home Speaker is available now for $99 and comes in four colors.
At that price, I had high hopes for the Google Home Speaker, but it doesn’t live up to its full potential. For one, the Gemini has much more conversational skill than the brand’s old Google Assistant and is generally more knowledgeable about its responses. But on the other hand, the Google Home Speaker doesn’t respond any faster to requests than my five-year-old Nest Hub (2nd generation). Additionally, the Nest Hub has a display for added functionality and is still available for $99.
It is these peculiarities and others that make me reflect when it comes to fully recommending the Google Home Speaker. For example, the speaker volume lights, which indicate where to press, disappear when not in use. I found myself guessing where to touch the unit more than I would have liked. That got annoying quickly.
To be clear, the Home Speaker is still a solid product and an affordable entry point to Google’s smart ecosystem. But it doesn’t advance the product category significantly. His biggest sin is being average. I’ve tested the best smart speakers over the years, and this latest from Google is essentially a HomePod Mini with Gemini as an assistant. This isn’t necessarily bad, but it’s not very exciting either.
If you’re thinking about investing in Google’s newest smart device, here are three key things you should know about the $99 Google Home Speaker.
Google Home Speaker
Google’s latest smart speaker is compact and powered by the brand’s AI-enhanced Gemini assistant. It offers solid sound quality and plenty of intelligence, but you need to pay a subscription fee to use all of the Gemini’s features.
Gemini is intelligent and skilled, but he is not a magician.
Gemini is much smarter than Google Assistant, but it still has limitations. Tyler Hayes/Business Insider
The main selling point of the Google Home Speaker is its new artificial intelligence assistant, Gemini, which replaces the Google Assistant. When comparing the two, it’s almost night and day. Gemini is more articulate and has many more skills, such as being able to understand multiple commands or questions at once.
However, having access to Gemini on a smart speaker isn’t necessarily new. In fact, Google updated many of its older Nest speakers and hubs to be compatible with Gemini. I’ve been using it for months on my Nest Hub before trying the new Home Speaker. I haven’t noticed any difference in Gemini performance between my five-year-old Nest Hub and this new device. That surprised me.
Additionally, it is important to note that while Gemini is skilled, he is not perfect. My family and I still found questions I couldn’t answer. We still find ways to break their illusion of human-level intelligence. For example, I once asked Gemini to change the music it was playing and then Gemini asked me what kind of music I wanted to listen to. I responded, “Surprise me.” It said, “Okay. Playing the Surpréndeme album.” I couldn’t see my own face when this happened, but I’m pretty sure I looked like the deadpan, serious emoji: 😑
In addition to answering standard queries, there’s an enhanced chat mode called Gemini Live that you can activate by asking the Google Home Speaker to chat. When this mode is activated, the speaker remains active longer for continuous dialogue without needing to continue using the wake word. This functionality can be useful, but only occasionally.
I still encountered cases where Gemini Live would turn off by mistake when I paused too long. And I wonder how many people really need to talk to Geminis for more than a couple of minutes at a time. Please note that you also need a paid subscription to use Gemini Live.
In terms of artificial intelligence, the Home Speaker with Gemini is basically comparable to Amazon’s Alexa+ on the Echo Dot Max. I’ve used each of them on and off for normal smart home stuff and general knowledge, and I find the Gemini to be a little better, but the difference is practically negligible. By analyzing enough questions or putting them in certain circumstances, you can probably make each one seem smarter than the other.
And to be clear, Apple’s HomePod Mini with Siri shouldn’t even be in the conversation for useful voice assistants: It’s miles behind the Gemini and Alexa+. If Apple installs its new Siri AI on a HomePod device in the future, it will be worth revisiting.
The goal of the Google Home Speaker is to listen, but if you need a break, there’s a microphone switch at the bottom to mute input. It lights up orange constantly to let you know it’s not listening.
Music sounds good if you temper your expectations.
An Apple HomePod Mini (left), a Google Home Speaker (center), and an Amazon Echo Dot Max (right). Tyler Hayes/Business Insider
The Google Home Speaker sounds good overall, but it’s not on the level of similar options.
I thought the Gemini voice was clear and audible in various situations. In terms of music, the speaker can reach enough volume to fill a living room. At 50% volume or less, songs sound complete. There is some decent bass and high-end present.
But at higher volumes, the music sounds tighter and sharper. Compared to larger, more expensive smart speakers, like the $189 Sonos Era 100 SL, the Home Speaker doesn’t come close in audio quality. Compared to the Amazon Echo Dot Max, the Google Home also falls a bit short, with less bass and richness. To be clear, the Echo Dot Max doesn’t come close to the Sonos speaker either, but it’s good for its compact size.
While Apple’s HomePod Mini doesn’t have a great smart assistant, it is an excellent speaker. That said, the Google Home Speaker can be much louder than the HomePod Mini. At modest volumes, the Home Speaker sounds a little better. But at almost full volume, the HomePod Mini is more enjoyable overall. It’s a little crazy that the HomePod Mini debuted in 2020, six years ago, but it still holds its own in sound.
If you want to go crazy with multiple Google Home Speakers around the house, you can group them together to play music. You can even use the speaker in a home theater environment, but there are limitations. For example, I would have loved to pair the Home Speaker with Amazon’s new Artline TV, which has terrible built-in speakers but can only connect to Google TV streaming devices.
The Home Speaker doesn’t have Apple AirPlay, but it does support Google Cast, so you can stream wirelessly from apps like Spotify.
You need a subscription for advanced features
Certain Gemini features require a paid subscription fee. Tyler Hayes/Business Insider
Is a subscription required to use Google Home Speaker with Gemini? No, but also yes. It’s complicated. Purchasing the speaker gives you access to basic Gemini features, media playback, parental controls, and the ability to broadcast messages to other speakers in the home. Most of the basics you would assume.
But if you want additional features like sound detection, emergency calls, advanced AI features, and continuous Gemini Live conversations, then you need a Google Home Premium subscription. That subscription starts at $100 a year, but you need the $200 a year Advanced plan to unlock all available AI features, including Home Brief, Ask Home video search, and creating conversational automation.
The whole underwriting aspect quickly becomes murky. If you have a Nest video doorbell or Nest cameras, you may already have a subscription to Google Home Premium, which this home speaker belongs to. Everything is ready now. However, if you don’t already have the company’s cameras, I’d have a hard time justifying the subscription just to unlock this speaker’s extra features, especially since the Gemini’s ongoing chatter was only mildly useful in my testing.
Should you buy the Google Home speaker?
The Google Home Speaker is a solid device but it doesn’t offer anything new. Tyler Hayes/Business Insider
Google Home Speaker is a great entry point into the world of smart home powered by Google’s Gemini. For $99, there’s nothing offensive about this display-less speaker. Gemini is fully capable of handling most requests. Newcomers will likely be impressed by your conversational skills. It also works adequately for music and audio playback.
However, if you already have a Google speaker with the Gemini update or Alexa+ on an Echo, then you won’t get much new. Google’s decision to include some advanced niche AI features behind a subscription fee is also a shame. This product is good and capable, but also boring and safe.