Google has released the Google Home Speaker, its first dedicated smart speaker in six years, according to both Wired and TechCrunch. The device marks a significant shift by featuring the Gemini assistant instead of the Google Assistant that powered previous speakers.
According to Wired, preorders for the $100 speaker began June 17, with official sales starting June 25. The device is available in Berry, Jade, Hazel, and Porcelain colors, though Berry and Jade are exclusive to the US.
The speaker was initially announced last fall alongside new Nest cameras and video doorbells, with a promised spring 2026 launch, Wired reports. TechCrunch notes this is Google’s first standalone smart speaker since the Nest Audio launched in September 2020.
According to TechCrunch, the device supports natural language requests and multistep commands. Users can say things like “turn off all the lights except for my bedside lamp” or “dim the kitchen lights, play some relaxing music, and set a timer for 20 minutes.” The AI can also understand mid-sentence corrections, such as “Turn off the coffee maker … I mean, turn it on!” TechCrunch explains this represents an evolution from older smart speakers that “lacked the smarts of today’s AI chatbots, as commands often had to be phrased correctly to get things to work.”