Google's New Home Speaker

Google’s New Home Speaker Is Here: $99.99, Gemini-Powered, and Built for 360-Degree Sound

ByRonald

After six long years, Google has finally given its smart speaker lineup a proper refresh. The new Google Home Speaker drops on June 25, 2026, for $99.99, and the biggest change isn’t the hardware – it’s what’s running the show. Say goodbye to the classic Google Assistant; Gemini is now in charge of every voice interaction in your home.

Pre-orders are open now, and honestly, it’s about time. The last new speaker Google released was the Nest Audio back in 2020. This time around, they’re going all-in on AI, betting that a smarter, more natural-sounding assistant is what it’ll take to get people excited about smart speakers again.

So, What’s Actually New?

The first thing you’ll notice is the sound. Instead of blasting audio in one direction like the old Nest speakers, this one delivers 360-degree audio. Basically, it spreads the sound evenly around the room, so you don’t have to stress about where you place it – no more pointing it directly at your couch to get decent audio.

You can also pair two of these together for true stereo sound, or group them with your older Nest devices for multi-room audio. And here’s something people have been begging for: for the first time, the speaker integrates directly with the Google TV Streamer. You can use two units as surround-sound speakers for your TV, which Google says has been one of their most requested features.

Design-wise, it’s wrapped in a 3D-knit fabric made from recycled materials, and they’ve ditched the old hidden status lights for a glowing LED ring at the base. The ring lights up to show when the mic is listening and even tracks your voice commands in real time, which is a nice touch.

It comes in four colors:

  • Hazel (black/gray)
  • Porcelain (beige/white)
  • Jade (light green)
  • Berry (pink/red)

Gemini Is the Real Star Here

The bigger shift is what’s under the hood. This is the first Google speaker built around Gemini for Home instead of the traditional Google Assistant, and Google says that changes everything about how the speaker actually understands you.

Gemini can handle multi-step requests in one go – like, you can say, “Dim the lights, set a 20-minute timer, and add eggs to my shopping list,” all in one sentence, and it’ll actually get it. It also keeps track of context across a conversation, so you don’t have to keep repeating yourself or saying “Hey Google” before every single command like you used to.

Google’s been quietly testing these features through an Early Access program on existing Nest devices since they first announced it back in October 2025, using that time to iron out the kinks before making it the default experience on new hardware.

What’s Free and What Costs Extra

Every new Google Home Speaker comes with six months of Premium Standard included. After that, here’s how the pricing breaks down:

Free tier (no subscription):

  • Basic Gemini for Home for quick questions
  • Smart home device control
  • Everyday tasks like timers and reminders

Premium Standard – $10/month or $100/year:

  • Gemini Live (more natural, real-time conversation)
  • “Help me create” tool for building smart home automations by voice
  • Sound detection for smoke alarms, breaking glass, and similar alerts

Premium Advanced – $20/month or $200/year:

  • Everything in Standard
  • AI-generated event descriptions from compatible cameras and video doorbells
  • Searchable video recording history
  • Smart camera notifications

Worth noting: some of these AI features are also bundled with certain existing Google subscriptions, like Google AI Pro, so if you’re already subscribed there, you might already have partial access to the higher-tier perks.

Where Can You Get It?

The Google Home Speaker is launching in 19 countries at once, including the US, Canada, the UK, Ireland, France, Germany, Spain, Italy, the Netherlands, the Nordic countries, Belgium, Switzerland, Austria, Japan, Australia, and New Zealand.

Should You Buy It?

If you’re still hanging onto an aging Nest Mini or an original Google Home speaker, this is easily the most significant upgrade Google’s offered in years. The hardware improvements – 360-degree sound, stereo pairing, TV integration – are solid, and the software (a genuinely more conversational assistant) is a huge step forward. At $99.99, it’s also priced competitively against the competition.

The real question is how much you’ll actually use the Premium features. The free tier covers the basics just fine, but if you want Gemini Live or smart camera analysis, you’ll need to factor in an ongoing subscription once that six-month trial ends.

Pre-orders are live now, and the official release is set for June 25.

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