Google’s new Home Smart Speaker is built for Gemini from the Ground-Up

It’s been some time since Google launched a Google Home speaker, but nine years after the original Google Home smart speaker launched in Australia, Google are back with a new Google Home speaker with Gemini now on-board.

Teased at the end of last year, the new Google Home speaker is available to pre-order from today for $199 in two colour options: Hazel or Porcelain, with sales starting from June 25th from the Google Store or your nearest retailer. 

Unlike Google’s existing range of Nest hubs and speakers which were upgraded to Gemini, the new Google Home speaker has been engineered and designed for Gemini from the ground up.  

It will do everything you’ve come to expect from Google Home Speakers including delivering notifications, answering questions, setting timers and controlling your compatible smart home devices.

The Google Home Speaker will integrate into your home audio speaker groups, as well as being a cast target to stream audio – and you can also pair two of them with a Google TV Streamer for spatial surround-sound audio.

As a speaker, the Google Home Speaker offers a balanced audio profile featuring a 2x larger driver and 2.5x stronger bass than the Nest Mini as well as bringing 360° Omni-directional sound from the 58mm full-range driver, giving you freedom to place the speaker anywhere and enjoy your podcast, song or even movie. 

The device can be listening at all times with 3 far-field microphones ensuring you can be heard from almost anywhere. There’s a privacy switch on-board though to mute the mic. 

You’ll also know when the Google Home speaker is working though thanks to the notification ring at the base which lights up when it’s listening, thinking or responding.

Premium Experience – but at a cost

The speaker will answer questions, turn on and off all your compatible smart home devices – but there’s also a premium Live feature with a Google Home Premium subscription. 

Priced at /month or 0/year for Standard plan, having a Google Home Premium subscription will add Gemini Live, giving you a way to chat freely with Gemini including interrupting and asking follow-up questions on the fly – just like talking with a person. 

Google is throwing in a 6-month trial with all Google Home Speaker purchases until the 30th of September this year.