Google Home Speaker Review: Leading the Pack, Again

Google released the new Google Home Speaker, its first smart speaker in six years, featuring Google Gemini instead of Google Assistant. The device offers smart-home control, stereo pairing, and a more human-like assistant, though some features require a subscription.

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 https://www.wired.com/story/everything-amazon-announced-today-at-its-fall-hardware-event/ , 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 https://www.wired.com/story/the-gemini-powered-google-home-speaker-is-finally-here/ comes 10 years after the original Google Home https://www.wired.com/2016/11/review-google-home/ . It doesn't resemble the original, instead adopting a familiar design from competitors like the HomePod Mini https://www.wired.com/review/apple-homepod-mini/ , with a short and round stature. It's designed around Google Gemini https://www.wired.com/story/everything-google-announced-at-google-io-2026/ 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 https://www.wired.com/review/google-tv-streamer-4k/ , and has a snappy response time to questions. The new Gemini assistant is a little smarter and sounds more human than Alexa+ https://www.wired.com/story/why-is-amazon-alexa-plus-so-bad/ . 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. Fabric Orb It might look like a HomePod Mini https://www.wired.com/review/apple-homepod-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.