Google put its first brand-new smart speaker in nearly six years on sale on June 25, listing the Google Home Speaker at $99.99 and retiring the Nest Audio branding that had defined its home audio lineup since 2020.
The device is the first Google speaker built from the ground up around the Gemini for Home voice assistant, and it marks a significant reset for a product category the company had left largely untouched while rivals Apple, Amazon, and Sonos kept refreshing their own lineups.
A six-year gap closes
The new Google Home Speaker arrived June 25 with Gemini built in, a 360-degree design, and a $99.99 price that undercuts much of the competition.
The speaker drops the Nest branding, though Google is keeping that name for cameras and doorbells. Despite being announced in 2025, it did not go on sale until 2026.
Pre-orders opened on June 17 across 18 countries, with the device first teased at Made by Google 2025 the previous August and more details released in October. The Nest Mini and Nest Audio are now officially discontinued.
Dedicated AI chip, new hardware specs
The 2026 Google Home Speaker is the first Google speaker designed from the ground up for Gemini and the first to include an NPU for AI processing, an upgrade over the processors used in past Nest releases.
On the hardware side, the speaker delivers uniform 360-degree sound, with a 58 mm driver that is twice the size of the one in the Nest Mini and produces 2.5 times stronger bass.
Three far-field microphones sit behind a hardware mute switch. A light ring at the base provides a dynamic glow to indicate when Gemini is listening, thinking, or responding.
The speaker retails for $99.99 and comes in two colors globally, Hazel and Porcelain, while U.S. customers can also choose from Berry or Jade. The device is covered with a fabric made from recycled materials.
Gemini replaces Google Assistant
The device features Gemini for Home, allowing for natural, multi-step conversations and more intuitive control over a smart home. Gemini understands natural speech, so users do not need to memorize rigid commands and can give multiple commands at once or correct themselves mid-sentence.
Reviews note that the combination of audio quality and a more capable AI assistant marks a step up from the Google Assistant-powered speakers of recent years, though some advanced features require a Google Home Premium subscription.
Buyers can also pair the speaker with a Google TV Streamer for an enhanced audio experience, or subscribe to Google Home Premium for advanced features such as camera history search. Google is including six months of Google Home Premium for free, a $60 value, for purchases made before September 30, 2026.
Broader context: catching up to a competitive field
The launch arrives as Google’s hardware ambitions are accelerating across multiple categories. The company’s August 12 event in New York is expected to introduce the Pixel 11 lineup, including the first smartphone built on a 2nm chip, extending the same AI-first positioning that defines the Home Speaker into Google’s phone business.
The Google Home Speaker is the company’s first new standalone smart speaker since the Nest Audio went on sale in October 2020. That gap of nearly six years left a notable opening: Apple refreshed AirPods three times in that window and Sonos shipped new hardware.
Amazon, meanwhile, continued updating its Echo range through the same period, though its broader cloud and AI investments have increasingly pulled its focus beyond consumer audio devices.
Google launched the new device across 18 markets, including the U.S., Canada, the U.K., France, Germany, Japan, and Australia. At $99.99, the device is priced broadly in line with the Nest Audio’s original $99 launch price, positioning Gemini-powered home audio as a mainstream consumer purchase rather than a premium add-on.
