Review finds Google Home Speaker hardware outpaces Gemini assistant
The $99.99 speaker is Google’s first new model in six years, but The Verge says Gemini for Home is still slow and unreliable.
By Maya Lindqvist · Senior Technology Correspondent
3 min read
Google’s new Home Speaker gives the company a fresh smart-home device after a long gap, but its AI assistant may be the weak link. In a review published Tuesday, The Verge’s Jennifer Pattison Tuohy said the hardware is strong while Gemini for Home still feels unfinished.
The $99.99 Google Home Speaker is Google’s first new smart speaker in six years, according to The Verge, and the first one the company describes as built for Gemini. The review frames the product as part of a renewed push by Google into smart-home hardware after years in which smart speakers settled into routine uses such as music, timers and lighting control.
The Verge gave the speaker a score of 6. Tuohy praised its size, look and audio performance for a compact device, but said the assistant experience was inconsistent enough to limit the product’s appeal.
Hardware gets the better marks
Tuohy described the speaker as attractive, small enough to fit into a room without standing out and large enough to deliver respectable sound. The review said the device comes in jade, berry, porcelain and hazel, and noted its clean design and subtle light ring when placed alongside Amazon’s Echo Dot Max and Apple’s HomePod Mini.
The review listed several strengths: good sound for its size, an appealing design, Matter and Thread support for smart-home control, and the ability to pair with the Google TV Streamer. Tuohy also wrote that Gemini’s ability to understand conversational requests was impressive.
Pricing in the review showed the speaker at $100 through Google and Best Buy, with The Home Depot listing it at $98. The main product price was given as $99.99.
Gemini remains the concern
The Verge’s main criticism focused on Gemini for Home. Tuohy said the assistant was slow and unreliable, and the review also said several features sit behind a paywall.
The audio assessment was mixed. The Verge said the new Home Speaker sounds good for its size, while also saying it does not match the Nest Audio model it replaces.
The timing puts Google back into competition with Amazon, which The Verge said introduced hardware powered by a revamped Alexa last fall. Both companies are trying to make smart speakers more useful as AI assistants become a larger part of their home-device strategies.
Tuohy’s review suggests Google has made a capable speaker but has not yet delivered the assistant experience needed to make the product feel complete. For buyers who mainly want a compact speaker and smart-home hub, the hardware drew positive notes; for those waiting on a more dependable AI assistant, The Verge’s review points to a product that still needs work.
This story draws on original reporting from The Verge.