Google’s Gemini-Powered Home Speaker Launches on June 25 for $99.99

Google finally announced a release date and pricing details for its Gemini-powered Home Speaker, which the company first teased almost a year ago. The new smart speaker will launch on June 25, and it’s available for pre-order today for $99.99.

It’s been six years since Google released its last smart speaker, the Google Nest Audio, which was also priced at $99.99. The new Google Home Speaker is much smaller, and it offers 360° sound, just like Apple’s HomePod Mini. The speaker also features a new light ring at the bottom that lights up when the speaker is listening, similar to how Amazon’s Echo speakers work.

The Google Home Speaker is available in four colours: Hazel, Porcelain, Jade, and Berry, but the latter two will be exclusive to the US. A toggle switch is still present to mute the microphone at any time. The smart home speaker uses 3 far-field microphones, and there are also capacitive touch controls to control volume and media playback.

The Google Home Speaker also supports Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.4, and it can be used as a Thread 1.3 border router and a hub for Matter with the Google Home app. It can be paired with other Nest speakers, Nest displays, and Google Cast-enabled devices, and Google TV Streamer users can also pair up to two Google Home Speakers to create a mini home theater with spatial surround sound.

Google’s new smart speaker comes with the new Gemini for Home assistant out of the box. Compared to the existing Google Assistant, Gemini for Home provides a more conversational experience, allowing users to ask complex questions and make easy corrections. Gemini has short-term memory of previous conversations, and it can also execute multiple commands at once.

A Google Home Premium subscription ($9.99/month) will unlock the Gemini Live experience, which lets users chat freely with the assistant to brainstorm ideas or get help around the house. Google Home Premium also unlocks Camera History Search for activities captured on Nest cameras, as well as sound detection and smart home automation features.

Google offers 6 months of Google Home Premium (a $60 value) and 3 months of YouTube Premium (a $48 value) with the purchase of a Google Home Speaker. If you already own one of Google’s older Nest smart home speakers, the new Gemini for Home experience is also available in early access in select markets.