Google’s First New Smart Speaker in Six Years Runs on Gemini and Costs $99.99

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Google has not released a new smart speaker since the Nest Audio in 2020.

The Google Home Speaker, which begins shipping on 25 June, is its first speaker built around Gemini for Home. Google would very much like you to think of it as the start of a new product line rather than another Nest speaker. The Nest name is gone.

It costs ~RM409 (US$99.99) and comes in four colours: Hazel, Porcelain, Jade and Berry, although Jade and Berry are exclusive to the US Google Store.

The price is identical to what the Nest Audio cost six years ago. Depending on your perspective, that is either welcome restraint or six years without a cheaper smart speaker.

The hardware is an upgrade over the Nest Mini. There is a centrally positioned 58mm driver, 2.5 times stronger bass than Google’s smaller speaker, three far-field microphones and a physical microphone mute switch.

A light ring around the base indicates when Gemini is listening, processing or responding, while three touch-sensitive areas on top control volume and playback. It is recognisably Google: understated, fabric-covered and designed to disappear into a room.

The real upgrade is Gemini.

Google says the speaker understands more natural conversations than previous Google Assistant devices. It can handle compound requests such as turning off every light except the bedside lamp, respond when you interrupt it, and understand corrections without making you restart the command.

Every purchase made before 30 September also includes six months of Google Home Premium Standard at no additional cost, worth ~RM246 (US$60). The bigger question is what happens once that trial expires.

Google’s most capable Gemini features are not included with the speaker itself.

Gemini Live, which enables natural back-and-forth conversations, and Home Brief, which summarises activity around your home while you were away, both require a Google Home Premium subscription.

Google Home Premium Standard costs ~RM41 (US$10) per month or ~RM409 (US$100) annually. It includes Gemini Live, AI-built home automations and sound detection for events such as smoke alarms or breaking glass.

The Advanced tier costs ~RM82 (US$20) per month or ~RM819 (US$200) annually, adding AI-generated Nest camera summaries and searchable video history.

Without a subscription, the speaker still supports basic Gemini features, including smart home controls, quick questions and everyday voice commands. You simply lose the more advanced conversational and camera-based features.

There is one exception.

Google AI Pro and Google AI Ultra subscribers receive Google Home Premium at no additional cost. In Malaysia, Google AI Pro costs RM97.99 a month, making the speaker’s full feature set effectively included if you are already paying for Google’s AI services.

This is Google’s first flagship smart speaker built around Gemini, but the software arrives with baggage.

When Gemini began replacing Google Assistant on existing Nest devices last year, users complained that it was slower and less reliable for routine smart home commands. Google has spent the past year improving the experience, and the Google Home Speaker runs on newer hardware, making it an unfair one-to-one comparison.

Even so, Google still has to prove that Gemini is genuinely better at being a home assistant, not simply a more capable chatbot.

The Google Home Speaker launches on 25 June across the US, UK, Australia and 16 other markets. Malaysia is not among them.

Anyone buying one locally will need to import it through a grey-market retailer or forwarding service, increasing both the cost and the likelihood of dealing without Google’s official warranty support.