Google just gave its smart speaker lineup the reset it’s needed for years. After a six-year gap, the new Google Home Speaker arrives June 25 with Gemini built in, a fresh 360-degree design, and a $99.99 price that undercuts much of the competition. It’s the clearest sign yet that Google wants its hardware to lead the Gemini era rather than trail it.
Price: $99.99
Where to Buy: Google
There’s a lot packed into a speaker this small, along with a few catches worth knowing. Here’s what stands out before you pre-order.
1. It’s Google’s First New Speaker in Six Years
Google hasn’t shipped a brand-new smart speaker since Nest Audio arrived in 2020, so this launch carries real weight for the lineup. For most of that stretch, the company leaned on software updates to keep older speakers relevant while rivals refreshed their hardware.
The bigger story is the rebrand. Google dropped the Nest name from this speaker and tied it directly to Gemini, which tells you where it wants the whole home platform to go. The speaker first surfaced in the background of Google’s Made by Google event in August 2025, the same keynote where Gemini for Home was unveiled, well before it was a product you could buy.
2. It Ships June 25 and Costs $99.99
You can pre-order the Google Home Speaker now, and units start shipping June 25. The price holds at $99.99 in the US, £99.99 in the UK, and CA$139.99 through Best Buy Canada, and Google offers installment options if you’d rather split the cost.
That figure feels familiar because Nest Audio launched at the same $99.99 back in 2020, so Google isn’t asking you to pay more for the jump to Gemini. Pre-orders also sweeten the deal: you get six months of Google Home Premium (a $60 value) plus three months of YouTube Premium, so there’s a stretch of extras before any subscription costs kick in.
3. Gemini for Home Replaces Google Assistant
The headline change is Gemini for Home, the new voice assistant that takes over from Google Assistant on this speaker. Google says it understands natural language well enough that you don’t have to memorize rigid command phrases, so you can phrase a request the way you’d actually say it.
It also handles multi-step requests in a single conversation, letting you give several commands at once or correct yourself mid-sentence. This isn’t a one-device change either: Gemini for Home is replacing Google Assistant across Google’s speakers and displays, which makes this hardware the flagship for a much wider shift.
4. The Best Features Need Google Home Premium
Here’s the catch worth reading closely. The most capable version of Gemini, including the Gemini Live two-way conversations Google keeps showing off, sits behind a Google Home Premium subscription rather than coming free with the speaker.
Every speaker ships with six months of Premium Standard at no cost. Standard then runs $10 per month or $100 per year and covers Gemini Live, the Help me create tool for building automations by voice, and sound detection for things like smoke alarms or breaking glass. An Advanced tier at $20 per month or $200 per year layers on Gemini camera features such as AI event descriptions and searchable video history.
Skip the subscription and you don’t lose everything. You keep a basic version of Gemini for Home for quick answers, smart home control, and everyday tasks, just without Gemini Live or the camera smarts.
5. You Get 360-Degree Sound
Audio is where Google is making its pitch for the living room. The speaker uses a 360-degree design so sound spreads evenly around the room instead of firing in one direction, which makes placement more forgiving.
The catch is how little Google has confirmed on the technical side. Even on the live Google Store listing, there’s no published driver count, wattage, or frequency range, so it’s too early to say how it stacks up against the speakers it’s replacing.
6. You Can Pair Two for a Mini Home Theater
A single Google Home Speaker covers a room on its own with balanced 360-degree sound, but you don’t have to stop there. Google says you can pair up to two speakers with a Google TV Streamer to turn your living room into a mini home theater with spatial surround sound.
The Google TV Streamer is sold separately, so factor that into the cost if that’s your goal. The speaker also groups with other Nest speakers and displays you already own, so you can push the same audio through every room, which is handy if you’ve built out Google’s ecosystem over the years.
7. It Comes in Four Colors, but Not Everywhere
In the US, you get four finishes to choose from: Berry, Hazel, Jade, and Porcelain. That’s a wider palette than Google usually offers at launch, and it leans into the idea of the speaker as a piece of decor rather than a gadget you tuck out of sight.
The full range isn’t global, though. The UK and Canada get only Hazel and Porcelain, so buyers outside the US have less to pick from. Either way, the speaker is wrapped in a soft 3D-knit yarn meant to blend into a shelf or nightstand.
8. There’s a Physical Mic Mute Switch
Privacy gets a hardware answer here, not just a software toggle. The base holds a physical switch that cuts the microphone, so you can stop the speaker from listening without opening an app or saying a command.
The base also houses a ring of status lights that show what the speaker is doing at a glance. For an always-on device you’ll keep in a bedroom or kitchen, that kind of direct control is reassuring.
What to Watch Next
The two biggest open questions are sound quality and long-term cost. Google hasn’t shared detailed audio specs, and the most impressive Gemini features only stay free for six months, so the real value depends on how both of those shake out.
Price: $99.99
Where to Buy: Google
Who it’s for is clearer. If you already own Nest speakers, the grouping support makes this an easy addition; if you’re new to Google’s ecosystem, the $99.99 price and six-month Premium trial make it a low-risk way to see what Gemini for Home can do.
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(as of June 17, 2026 19:13 GMT -05:00 - More infoProduct prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.)
