Google Home Speaker Review: Leading the Pack, Again | WIRED

Overview

Google has always taken a slow and steady approach to smart speakers. Rather than dropping multiple new versions every year or two (looking at you, Amazon), the company kept the lineup tight and waited years between models. Yes, it's taken six years to see a new version of a Google smart speaker.

The new Google Home Speaker comes 10 years after the original Google Home. It doesn't resemble the original, instead adopting a familiar design from competitors like the Home Pod Mini, with a short and round stature.

Details

It's designed around Google Gemini instead of Google Assistant, and works well for what it is. It's easy to control smart-home devices, can be used as a stereo pair or surround sound if you have a Google TV Streamer, and has a snappy response time to questions. The new Gemini assistant is a little smarter and sounds more human than Alexa+. If I had to choose a favorite of this next generation of smart speakers, this would be the one. It's unfortunate, though, that some of its best features sit behind a paywall.

It might look like a Home Pod Mini, but the color options make it feel distinctly Google. It's a shame that shades like Jade and Berry (pictured above) are exclusive to the US, though. The rest of the world is stuck with Hazel and Porcelain.

There's a new light ring on the bottom of the speaker that feels reminiscent of an Amazon Echo's light ring, though it shows off more colors than just shades of blue. When you tap the top of the device, two white dots appear along the edges to show exactly where to tap to adjust the volume. You can also tap the top to pause and play media. There are a handful of new voices to choose from, all of which sound much more human than the Google Assistant.

The big appeal of the Google Home Speaker is that it's designed with the Gemini assistant and all the improvements large language models have introduced over the last few years. That means you can speak to it more naturally, string more commands together in the same breath, and even fix an error in your query—Gemini will still understand. Gemini is available on every Google smart speaker as an opt-in experience, but it's the default here, and there are some extra perks exclusive to the latest device.

Gemini did a pretty good job with more conversational commands, though you still need to be specific for some requests. For example, my three-story townhouse has two smart thermostats, one for the highest floor and another for the lower two. I asked to turn on the AC, which Gemini immediately did, but it didn't ask me to specify which one and decided it was time for the upstairs AC to shine. It also defaulted to Eco mode, so I had to request that the thermostats be set to 75 degrees instead of the high 70s. Still, I was able to casually say “Can you set the temperature in the living room to 75, and upstairs too?” and it applied that to both smart thermostats.

Gemini Live is another way to converse with the Google Home Speaker (it's only available on some older devices). You'll tell the speaker “Hey Google, let's talk,” and it'll activate a conversational mode that will chat back and forth with you about any topics you bring up. I had a back-and-forth conversation with Gemini about my 3-year-old's sleep schedule, how to treat sunburns on your scalp (you'll never guess what I got this weekend), and asked about a summary of the previous night's episode of Love Island (though Gemini didn't have a recap yet of the episode that had premiered a few hours before).

Gemini also asked follow-up questions with each topic to keep the conversation going, but would change gears to whatever topic I introduced. It works as intended, but I'm not sure how useful it is in the home context—you're more likely to use something like this on your smartphone. It's just not my preferred way to learn or discuss new information, but audio learners might really like it.

I was excited to ask Gemini what it sees around the home via my Google security cameras, but the experience didn't impress me as much as I hoped. Time and time again, I asked questions like whether the car was in the garage, and Gemini said that either it didn't have access to that information or that I needed to upgrade my subscription tier to get the answer (you need Google Home Advanced).

Google and Amazon made the same move at roughly the same time: a new small-sized smart speaker that promises the sound quality of larger speakers, retailing for $100. Smaller speakers like the previous Echo Dot models and the Google Home Mini have been popular because they can be placed anywhere, whether it's on a crowded shelf or tucked into a corner of the kitchen, but they were also much cheaper.

I tested the Google Home Speaker alongside the Amazon Echo Dot Max, and the sound quality felt very similar. Music was strikingly similar across both speakers, with the piano keys of “Dark Blue” by Jack's Mannequin coming through nicely and the softer tones of “Fast Car” easy to discern. The biggest difference came down to the smart speaker itself—“Play ‘Fast Car’”prompted Google to ask me which version of the song I wanted, while Alexa wrongly assumed I wanted the newer version by Luke Combs. The Google Home Speaker has one less microphone than the Echo Dot Max, three versus four, but I found that it consistently heard me over the music or its own voice.

Neither smart speaker was able to correctly comb my calendar to find my son's clearly labeled first day of school when I asked. Gemini found the next summer Friday marked on my calendar while Alexa turned off its listening ring after I asked the same question. (This happened twice, so maybe Alexa hates Fridays.) Google also easily moved around and added calendar invites that I discussed with it, and when I requested we add swimming with friends on Wednesday, Gemini prompted me to confirm the exact time before it immediately appeared on my Google Calendar.

Overall, it's a capable smart speaker, especially for the size. What's nice is that the Google Home Speaker is also a Matter hub and is compatible with Matter over Thread to connect just about any modern smart-home device. I like the range of features and experience a little better than Alexa+, and Google continues to make good-looking devices that I don't mind placing in my home. It helps that my living room is shades of red and orange; the Berry speaker looks like it was always meant to be here.

Key Takeaways

• Google has always taken a slow and steady approach to smart speakers
• The new Google Home Speaker comes 10 years after the original Google Home
• It's designed around Google Gemini instead of Google Assistant, and works well for what it is
• It might look like a Home Pod Mini, but the color options make it feel distinctly Google
• There's a new light ring on the bottom of the speaker that feels reminiscent of an Amazon Echo's light ring, though it shows off more colors than just shades of blue