Introducing the Google Home Speaker Fueled by Gemini Technology!

The last time Google introduced a smart speaker, the world was grappling with a pandemic. It has been six years since the company unveiled a dedicated speaker.

This latest Google Home Speaker comes with a significant update: it’s been reimagined to feature the new Gemini assistant, replacing the Google Assistant that powered all prior speakers and smart displays.

Google revealed the speaker last fall, alongside new Nest smart home cameras and video doorbells, with a launch promised for spring 2026. We’re now deep into summer, and it’s finally time to share the details.

Preorders for the Google Home Speaker will begin on June 17, with official sales starting on June 25. Priced at $100, it will be available in Berry, Jade, Hazel, and Porcelain, while the first two colors are exclusive to the US market.

Using it should feel familiar if you’ve had other smart speakers. You activate Gemini with the “Hey, Google” wake phrase and ask your questions. However, Gemini is significantly more adept than the previous Google Assistant at comprehending natural dialogue, so your queries don’t need to be as structured, and you won’t have to rephrase your requests multiple times to achieve your goal. Even if you misspeak, you can pause and reword your inquiry midway—just like conversing with a person—and Gemini will grasp your intent.

The Berry color of the Google Home Speaker makes me want to slice it and eat it.

Courtesy of Google

You can chain multiple commands in a single sentence, and Gemini should handle them all. You can be very specific—turn off all the lights except my bedside lamp—and it will comprehend your request. Follow-up conversations are seamless without needing to reintroduce the original context; like the previous Google Assistant speakers, the microphone remains active for a short time after Gemini responds, allowing you to ask follow-up questions without repeating the wake phrase. This continued conversation feature was previously limited to English on Assistant-powered speakers but is now available in all supported languages.

If you have security cameras, you can inquire about anything they may have captured, such as “Did FedEx drop off a package today?” or “Did the dog eat a cookie off the counter?” You don’t need the Google Home Speaker to access this feature—if you’ve already switched to Gemini on your existing Google Home, it’s already available—but its inclusion here is a helpful convenience.

As for the sound of Gemini, there are 10 voices to pick from. You can also engage Gemini Live—while Gemini became available on older smart speakers last fall, this “Live” function is exclusive to newer devices like the Nest Audio and Google Home Speaker. Activate this mode by saying, “Hey Google, let’s talk,” allowing for a natural back-and-forth conversation without pauses to repeat the wake phrase.