Google Home Speaker Review: 3 Things to Know Before You Buy

Google has released its latest smart speaker, and it’s the first designed with the brand’s new Gemini digital assistant in mind. The Google Home Speaker is now available for $99, and it comes in four colors.

At that price, I had high hopes for the Google Home Speaker, but it doesn’t quite live up to its full potential. On the one hand, Gemini has a lot more conversational prowess than the brand’s older Google Assistant, plus it’s generally more knowledgeable about its answers. But on the other hand, the Google Home Speaker isn’t any speedier at responding to requests than my Nest Hub (2nd Gen), which is five years old. Plus, the Nest Hub has a screen for added functionality and is still available for $99.

It’s those quirks and others that give me pause in fully recommending the Google Home Speaker. For example, the speaker’s volume lights, which indicate where to press, disappear when not in use. I found myself guessing where to tap the unit more than I would have liked. That got annoying quickly.

To be clear, the Home Speaker is still a solid product and an affordable entry point into Google’s smart ecosystem. But it doesn’t advance the product category in a meaningful way. Its greatest sin is being average. I’ve tested all of the best smart speakers over the years, and this latest one from Google is essentially a HomePod Mini with Gemini as the assistant. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but it’s not very exciting either.

If you’re thinking about investing in Google’s newest smart device, here are three key things to know about the $99 Google Home Speaker.

Gemini is smart and skilled, but it’s not a magician

The Google Home Speaker’s main selling point is its new AI assistant, Gemini, which replaces Google Assistant. When comparing the two, it’s almost night and day. Gemini is more articulate and has a lot more skills, like being able to understand multiple commands or questions at once.

However, having access to Gemini on a smart speaker isn’t necessarily new. Google actually upgraded a lot of its older Nest speakers and hubs to support Gemini. So, I’ve been using it for months on my Nest Hub prior to testing the new Home Speaker. I haven’t noticed a difference in Gemini performance between my five-year-old Nest Hub and this new device. That surprised me.

Also, it’s important to note that while Gemini is skilled, it’s not perfect. My family and I still found questions that it couldn’t answer. We still found ways to break its illusion of human-level intelligence. For example, I asked Gemini once to switch the music it was playing, and then Gemini asked me what kind of music I wanted to hear. I responded, “Surprise me.” It said, “Ok. Playing the album Surprise Me.” I couldn’t see my own face when this happened, but I’m pretty sure I looked like the deadpan, straight-faced emoji: 😑

In addition to answering standard queries, there’s an enhanced conversational mode called Gemini Live that you can toggle on by asking the Google Home Speaker to chat. When this mode is engaged, the speaker stays active longer for an ongoing dialogue without needing to keep using the wake word. This functionality can be useful, but only sometimes.

I still encountered instances when Gemini Live mistakenly turned off when I paused for too long. And I question how many people really need to talk to Gemini for more than a couple of minutes at a time. Be aware that you also need a paid subscription to use Gemini Live.

In terms of AI smarts, the Home Speaker with Gemini is basically comparable to Amazon’s Alexa+ on the Echo Dot Max. I’ve used each on and off for normal smart home stuff and general knowledge, and I find Gemini a touch better, but the difference is mostly negligible. Going through enough questions or put in certain circumstances, you could probably get each of them to seem smarter than the other.

And just so it’s clear, Apple’s HomePod Mini with Siri shouldn’t even be in the conversation about helpful voice assistants — it’s that far behind Gemini and Alexa+. If Apple puts its new Siri AI on a HomePod device in the future, then it will be worth revisiting.

The whole point of the Google Home Speaker is to listen, but if you do need a break, then there’s a microphone toggle on the bottom to mute the input. It glows orange constantly to let you know it’s not listening.

Music sounds good if you temper your expectations

The Google Home Speaker sounds good overall but it’s not quite at the level of similar options.

I thought Gemini’s voice was clear and audible in various situations. In terms of music, the speaker can get loud enough to fill a living room. At a 50% volume or less, songs sound well-rounded. There’s some decent bass and high-end present.

But at higher volumes, music sounds more strained and trebly. Compared to bigger, pricier smart speakers, like the $189 Sonos Era 100 SL, the Home Speaker isn’t close in audio quality. Compared to the Amazon Echo Dot Max, the Google Home also falls a bit short, with less bass and richness. To be clear, the Echo Dot Max isn’t close to the Sonos speaker either, but it’s good for its compact size.

While Apple’s HomePod Mini doesn’t have a great smart assistant, it is a fine speaker. That said, the Google Home Speaker can get much louder than the HomePod Mini. At modest volumes, the Home Speaker sounds a little better. But at near full volume, the HomePod Mini is more pleasant overall. It’s kind of crazy that the HomePod Mini debuted in 2020, six years ago, but it still holds its own in sound.

If you want to go crazy with several Google Home Speakers around the house, then you can group them for music playback. You can even use the speaker in a home theater setting, but there are limitations. For instance, I would have loved to pair the Home Speaker with Amazon’s new Artline TV, which has terrible built-in speakers, but it can only connect to Google TV streaming devices.

The Home Speaker doesn’t have Apple’s AirPlay, but it does support Google Cast, so you can wirelessly stream from apps like Spotify.

You need a subscription for advanced features

Is a subscription needed to use the Google Home Speaker with Gemini? No — but also yes. It’s complicated. Buying the speaker gets you access to Gemini’s basic functions, media playback, parental controls, and the ability to broadcast messages to other speakers in the home. Most of the basics that you would assume.

But if you want extra features like sound detection, emergency calling, advanced AI functions, and Gemini Live’s continuous conversations, then you need a Google Home Premium subscription. That subscription starts at $100 a year, but you need the Advanced $200-per-year plan to unlock every available AI feature, including Home Brief, Ask Home video search, and conversational automation creation.

The whole subscription aspect quickly becomes murky. If you have a Nest video doorbell or Nest cameras, then you might already have a Google Home Premium subscription, which this Home Speaker falls under. You’re all set. However, if you don’t already have the company’s cameras, then I would find it hard to justify subscribing just to unlock this speaker’s extra features, especially since Gemini’s continuous conversations were only mildly useful in my testing.

Should you buy the Google Home Speaker?

The Google Home Speaker is a fine entry point into Google’s Gemini-powered smart home world. For $99, there’s nothing offensive about this screenless speaker. Gemini is fully capable of handling most requests. Newcomers will probably be impressed by its conversational chops. It also works adequately for music and audio playback.

However, if you already have a Google speaker with the Gemini upgrade or Alexa+ on an Echo, then you’re not getting much that’s new. Google’s decision to gate some niche, advanced AI features behind a subscription fee is also a bummer. This product is both good and capable, but also boring and safe.