The Google Home Speaker goes on sale (finally, after nine months) tomorrow, and I’ve got one pumping out tunes as I type. I’ve only had it for 24 hours, so nowhere near long enough to bring you a full review, but I do have some initial feelings of note.
So, was the six-year wait since the Nest Audio worth it? Let’s take a look.
The design is nice, but it has quirks
Out of the box, the Home Speaker is exactly as I expected it to be. A slightly squashed orb covered in mesh fabric which fits in the palm of my hand. It feels nice and oddly satisfying moving the 37% recycled fabric around as it’s got some stretch.
Size-wise, it sits between the Nest Mini and Nest Audio (important to note that those are both discontinued now). The style is similar, but somehow, I can’t unsee that it looks like an Apple HomePod Mini that’s been turned upside down and flattened a little.
Chris Martin / Foundry
The colour I have is called Hazel, but I think 99% of people will say it’s simply black. The only other option in the UK is Porcelain (a creamy white), so it’s frustrating that the Berry and Jade colourways are only available in the US.
On the subject, Google told me: “We launched in the UK with our two most versatile, classic colourways to focus on our core designs. We’re always listening to customer feedback as we plan future rollouts.”
I can’t unsee that it looks like an Apple HomePod Mini that’s been turned upside down and flattened a little
So far, so good, but Google has made some changes which may alienate existing users and divide the crowd.
For starters, a colourful ring light around the bottom is now the main way you ‘interact’ with the speaker. It lights up when you wake it up, while it’s listening, thinking, changing the volume and so on.
I quite like it, but depending on where you place the device, its visibility is more likely to be affected than something at the top.
Chris Martin / Foundry
You can tap on the top to play/pause and the sides for volume control, but being a totally symmetrical orb, it’s not that obvious where they are, so some learning is required.
Finally, there are already grumbles about the fact that the Home Speaker has a fixed cable, unlike its predecessors. It makes routing the cable a little harder, though it is USB-C at the other end, but the main problem being you can’t just buy a new one if it gets damaged.
I never found cables for devices like this to get damaged as they sit tucked out of the way, but some homes may be more at risk. If anything, I like that it comes with a 30W adapter, which I can steal for phones if needed.
Chris Martin / Foundry
Sound quality is great
For something that could be a dealbreaker – it is a speaker after all – I can confidently say that the Google Home Speaker sounds pretty great.
I’ve been listening to various styles of music, as well as podcasts, and so far the audio is clear, rich and room-filling despite the speaker’s small stature.
I never liked the Nest Mini for music playback, and the Nest Audio was quite a hefty unit, so this feels like a great middle ground (although the Nest Audio was the same price and had a tweeter, which the Home Speaker does not).
Chris Martin / Foundry
If you’re just putting the Home Speaker in a small to medium room, I don’t expect you’ll ever need to get close to 100% volume. Plus, in the Google Home app, you can adjust the bass and treble if needed.
I can confidently say that the Google Home Speaker sounds pretty great
I only have one, but you can get two Home Speakers and create a stereo pair if you wish, plus connect them to a Google TV Streamer with ‘spatial surround-sound audio’.
Gemini must prove itself
So far, I’ve only been using basic commands, and everything seems to work well. But Gemini for Home being at the heart of the system is the big reason why I need to test the device for a lot longer for a full review.
It’s supposed to be a huge upgrade on the Google Assistant with all kinds of improvements and features which weren’t possible before. It’s considered much more conversational, and you shouldn’t need to remember exact phrases it recognises. It also allows you to correct yourself as you talk.
Gemini should be able to help me organise my life better. It can also provide more useful information from connected cameras – I’d like to use this to see if my wife arrived home yet, for example.
Chris Martin / Foundry
There are two potential issues here. The first being that some features require a Google Home Premium subscription. These include Gemini Live, which is necessary for the more in-depth conversational interactions.
You get a 6-month trial with the speaker, which at least lets you test it out for a good length of time before you need to decide. A lot of it will come down to how many Google Home devices you have around the place – the more you have, the better value and more useful it becomes.
However, at £8/$10 per month or £80/$100 yearly, the Standard plan seems like a lot. You’ll need Advanced (£16/$20 per month or £160/$200 yearly) for the full experience, such as 60 days of event video history (instead of 30), search video history, event descriptions and daily summaries.
I like that it comes with a 30W adapter, which I can steal for phones if needed
Secondly, you might think you need to upgrade to the new Google Home Speaker to get the new system, but Google has upgraded every speaker and display to Gemini for Home – and if you own one of the following devices, it supports the more advanced Gemini Live version, too.
- Nest Audio
- Nest Mini (2nd Gen)
- Nest Hub Max
- Nest Hub (2nd Gen)
It means you may not feel the need to upgrade, somewhat posing the question, ‘Who is the Google Home Speaker for?’ because everyone with smart homes already has these devices littered about the place.
I’ll be bringing you my full review of the Google Home Speaker very soon. But if you’re already ready to take the plunge, it’s available from the Google website for £99.99/$99.99.
