Weeks after sneaking it into a product demo and teasing it on social media, Google has finally taken the wraps off its first new smart speaker in five years, but we’ll have to wait a little longer before we can get our hands on one.
The $99 Google Home Speaker—yes, Google dropped the “Nest” branding for the new device—has been built for Gemini, Google says, and it boasts features like 360-degree audio and the ability to pair with the Google TV Streamer.
But unlike Google’s new Nest security cameras (Google is sticking with the “Nest” moniker for its smart cams, at least for now), which are available for purchase now, the Google Home Speaker won’t go on sale until spring 2026.
That delay is a “very deliberate and intentional choice” that will give Google time to roll out and “perfect” Gemini for Home on its existing smart speakers and displays, said Anish Kattukaran, director of product management for Google Home and Nest.
Wrapped in “eco-friendly” 3D-knit yarn and available in four colors (hazel, porcelain, berry, and jade), the Google Home Speaker arrives with an Alexa-style light right encircling its base, good for offering “expressive visual feedback of what Gemini is doing at any given moment,” including whether it’s listening, processing a voice command, or entering into the conversational Gemini Live mode.
Inside, the speaker packs a custom processor that will “handle a lot of Gemini’s advanced AI,” including Gemini Live, Kattukaran said, while audio processing will help Gemini hear better by cutting down on background noise, reverb, and echos.
Speaking of audio, the Google Home Speaker will support 360-degree audio, good for spreading sound around the room, and you’ll also be able to pair two of the speakers together for stereo sound, similar to what’s possible with Google’s older Nest Mini and Nest Audio speakers.
Besides creating stereo pairs, you’ll also be able to connect one or more Google Home Speakers with the Google TV Streamer. That means you could use two of the speakers for outputting the left and right audio channels from Google’s streaming video player, just as you can use Apple’s HomePod speakers to output sound from an Apple TV 4K.
From this Google-supplied phot of the bottom of the Google Home Speaker, it appears it will have a fixed cable.
One detail left unsaid about the Google Home Speaker during the company’s pre-brief session was its home hub capabilities, including whether the speaker will act as a Thread border router for Matter devices. We’ve reached out to Google for more information.
Asked when Google might finally reveal a new smart display—the last one was 2022’s second-generation Google Nest Hub—Kattukaran declined to offer a timeline, but said the company remains “deeply committed to that category and we will have more to share next year.”
This news story is part of TechHive’s in-depth coverage of the best smart speakers. Also, be sure to check our complete coverage of Google’s Gemini for Home rollout, including details on new Nest Cams and the new Google Home Premium subscription plans.
