Google Home Speaker review: The smart speaker that elevates the Gemini for Home experience

pros and cons

Pros

• Loud, crisp sound
• Gemini for Home with generative AI
• Intuitive controls.

Cons

• The microphone array doesn't prime up voices erstwhile the euphony is loud
• More costly than Nest Mini alternatives.

Follow ZDNET: Add america arsenic a preferred source connected Google.

The Google Home Speaker was officially released arsenic the company's latest instrumentality connected a astute speaker, its archetypal successful six years. I've been investigating the Google Home Speaker for astir 48 hours, and I've got immoderate absorbing archetypal impressions.

Also: This tablet replaced some my iPad and Kindle, and it's 40% disconnected connected Amazon close now

With 360-degree audio, the Google Home Speaker offers a caller audio acquisition compared to the Nest Audio and Nest Mini, which some diagnostic front-facing sound. The caller experience, however, doesn't needfully mean it volition beryllium evidently better.

The caller audio acquisition

With the Google Home Speaker, Google did distant with the Nest moniker for its astute location speakers and redesigned the audio acquisition for its newest device. While galore customers are looking guardant to the caller Google Home Speaker, others are acrophobic that the exertion wrong whitethorn not beryllium capable to warrant the upgrade.

Though Google says the caller talker has 2.5 times the bass of the Nest Mini, the Google Home Speaker uses a azygous 58mm driver. The $120 Google Nest Audio, released successful 2020, has amended hardware, with a 75mm mid-woofer and a 19mm tweeter. Considering that the caller Google Home Speaker sits squarely successful the aforesaid $100 terms scope arsenic the Nest Audio, I'd accidental the interest is valid.

Also: I'm a astute location expert, and these information camera deals are really worthy considering

However, the specs unsocial don't archer the afloat story. In my, albeit limited, tests, the Google Home Speaker delivers powerful, wide dependable comparable to that of the Apple HomePod mini, which besides features a two-inch full-range driver. It surely surpasses the audio acquisition from the Nest Mini and the older Echo Dot.

Surprisingly casual controls

Maria Diaz/ZDNET

Unlike its biggest competitors, the Google Home Speaker doesn't person a carnal power sheet on the top: There are nary buttons oregon show to power measurement oregon play oregon pause. I was convinced that this would marque it hard to navigate oregon challenging to larn however to power without utilizing my dependable oregon the Google Home app, yet I was amazed that this wasn't the case.

Google keeps it beauteous elemental with the Google Home Speaker: Tap the apical to play oregon pause, and pat the lights connected the sides to summation oregon alteration the volume. The lights crook connected arsenic soon arsenic you pat the speaker, truthful you tin easy spot them without having to fig retired what you're doing.

The caller Gemini vs Google Assistant

Google has been committed to delivering a palmy Gemini for Home acquisition for months, and the Google Home Speaker succeeds successful this endeavor. Compared to Alexa+, its astir akin competitor, Gemini successful the caller astute talker is simply a little jarring acquisition close disconnected the bat. As idiosyncratic who's utilized Alexa+ for months, I inactive haven't gotten utilized to its happy-go-lucky, overly excited tone.

Like the Gemini acquisition successful Google Home, the Gemini app, and Android devices, Gemini successful the Google Home Speaker is conversational without being excessively cheery, though it inactive has immoderate quirks. Most AI companies person done distant with definite quirks similar the "as an AI..." responses, but not Gemini. This doesn't marque Gemini obsolete oregon mean the adjunct is falling behind; it's conscionable thing to constituent out.

Maria Diaz/ZDNET

Gemini successful the Google Home Assistant works arsenic good arsenic it does everyplace else. It's responsive without being overeager, its responses are informative and mostly close (which is what you tin expect from immoderate generative AI bot), and it reliably generates content. These features enactment it leaps and bounds supra Siri's show successful the HomePod and HomePod mini, which inactive don't person generative AI. Plus, with Alexa+'s code being gratingly Pollyannaish, Gemini for Home has been my preferred location adjunct successful the past mates of days.

The letdown: microphone array

Far-field microphone arrays thin to beryllium problematic with astute speakers, arsenic they person to equilibrium dependable input postulation with playing euphony oregon different audio content. Every institution wants the best-sounding, astir almighty talker with a smart, AI-powered dependable adjunct astatine the lowest price, and it's nary casual feat.

As a result, speakers request a beardown microphone array that allows them to perceive voices adjacent with the measurement turned up. The Google Home Speaker features 3 far-field microphones with a neural processing portion (NPU) for section dependable isolation. Unfortunately, I struggled to get the Google Home Speaker to perceive to maine erstwhile I played music, adjacent erstwhile I turned it down to two-thirds of afloat volume.

Also: I got a 50% disconnected Fire TV Stick this Prime Day, and I'm watching these apical streaming deals

This means I person to spell up to the talker and intermission the euphony by tapping the apical of it, which isn't a unspeakable inconvenience, but it defeats the intent of having a voice-activated astute speaker.

ZDNET's buying proposal

Amazon Echo Dot (left), Google Home Speaker (center), Apple HomePod mini (right).

Maria Diaz/ZDNET

Compared to its nonstop competitors, the Google Home Speaker is simply a beardown contender that outperforms the fourth-generation Amazon Echo Dot and, successful immoderate cases, tin bushed the newer Echo Dot Max. Compared to the Apple HomePod mini, Google's latest talker falls a spot level connected audio and can't bushed Apple's microphone array. However, Google's talker has Gemini, a hands-free generative AI assistant, portion the HomePod mini is, for now, inactive stuck with Siri.