Google began accepting preorders June 17 for its Google Home Speaker, the first new smart speaker from the company in six years, with sales starting June 25 in the US [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7].
The speaker is priced around $100 and is designed around Google’s new Gemini AI assistant, which replaces the older Google Assistant on previous devices [1, 3, 7, 4, 5, 6]. The Gemini AI supports more natural, conversational interactions, including multi-step requests, mid-sentence corrections, and follow-up questions without repeating wake words [2, 3, 4, 5, 6]. A "Continued Conversation" feature keeps the microphone briefly active after answering to allow follow-ups without repeating the wake phrase [3, 4, 5, 6].
The device measures roughly 3.4 by 4.2 inches and is covered in recycled 3D knit fabric. It comes in four colors — hazel, porcelain, jade, and berry — with jade and berry exclusive to the US [1, 2, 3, 4, 6]. A light ring at the base indicates when it is listening, thinking, or responding, replacing previous top-mounted indicator lights [1, 2, 3, 6].
The speaker offers 360-degree omni-directional sound for uniform audio distribution throughout a room [1, 2, 5, 6]. It runs on a quad-core A55 processor at 2 GHz with a dedicated neural processing unit to run local AI models for noise cancellation, echo suppression, and sound isolation. Anish Kattukaran, Google Home’s chief product officer, said "the speaker runs local models for noise cancellation, echo suppression, and sound separation to ensure Gemini can hear commands despite background noise" [1, 2].
It includes three far-field microphones and a physical mute switch for privacy [1, 6]. Some advanced Gemini AI features require a Google Home Premium subscription costing $10 per month or $100 annually [3, 6]. The speaker can pair with a second unit for stereo sound or link to a Google TV Streamer for spatial surround sound [2, 6].
Preorders began June 17 with full availability set for June 25.
