Google is trying to reboot the stagnant smart-speaker market with a new Google Home Speaker built around its Gemini AI, betting that more natural conversations can make voice assistants useful again.

Early smart speakers and a long pause

Google’s last standalone smart speaker, the Nest Audio, launched in September 2020, when such devices were largely “handy controllers for your smart home and music-playing systems” and required rigidly phrased commands.¹ After that, the company went six years without introducing a new core speaker, even as competitors like Amazon’s Echo line continued to iterate. That hiatus ends next week with “Google's first smart speaker in six years,” which is set to arrive at a price of $99.99.²

Gemini at the center

On Wednesday, Google unveiled the new Google Home Speaker, its “first audio device built specifically for Gemini” AI.¹ The company is “betting that its Gemini AI can reinvent its smart speaker,” shifting from canned responses to more conversational interactions.¹ Users can issue multi-step, natural language requests like “dim the kitchen lights, play some relaxing music, and set a timer for 20 minutes,” and even correct themselves mid-sentence — for example, “Turn off the coffee maker … I mean, turn it on!” — with Gemini still understanding the intent.¹

The device will offer 10 new voices capable of two-way conversations not limited to smart home routines, more akin to chatting with Gemini on a smartphone.¹ A “Continued Conversation” mode lets the microphone stay on briefly so follow-up questions can be asked without repeating a wake phrase.¹

Design, rollout, and business model

Physically, the speaker resembles earlier Google designs, with a 3D-knit textile wrap, a compact 3.4 x 4.2-inch form factor, and a ring light at the bottom to show when it is “listening, thinking, or responding.”¹ It comes in Jade and Berry in the U.S., with Hazel and Porcelain available elsewhere.¹

While many AI features will be free, Google is introducing an optional $10 monthly subscription tier for “enhanced AI capabilities,” including more open-ended conversations and analysis of Nest camera activity — signaling a push to turn smarter assistants into a recurring-revenue service as the new speaker launches.¹