- A Google Home Speaker is revealed in an early unboxing
- The sound quality and interface of the app are impressive.
- However, the power cord cannot be removed from the device.
The new Google Home Speaker is finally about to go on sale, but an unboxing video posted online reveals a design decision made by Google that many users will probably not like: the power cable cannot be removed.
You can check out the unboxing on Reddit (via Android Authority), which shows off the aesthetics of the device we’ve known since the first official reveal last October, as well as giving us the reveal about the power cable.
The Nest Mini device that Google Home Speaker is more or less replacing has a removable USB-C power cable, meaning that when it’s not in use, you can store it away more easily. On the other hand, the Nest Audio, another speaker that is no longer in production since the new model arrived, has a fixed power cord.
It seems that a removable power cable is something that worries many smart speaker owners. “This is a repairability nightmare, of which I am a big proponent,” writes the original unboxer.
Some positives, one negative.
Look
According to the information provided in the video, the Google Home Speaker comes with a USB-C cable that is approximately 5 feet (1.52 meters) long that cannot be disconnected. There is a 30W power brick on the other end that can be removed.
On the positive side, our unboxer reports that the speaker’s sound quality is good, that the app component has a “cool” interface, and that setting up the device is simple; apparently it takes less than 10 minutes.
As with the Nest Mini, there are apparently touch controls available on the top of the speaker, as well as hidden lights to report status information and volume levels. Overall, this user’s first impressions are positive.
It’s just the power cord situation that’s drawing criticism: “the non-removable cord killed me,” writes one poster (who is apparently concerned about cats playing with the cord), while the original poster says they’re “extremely disappointed in the engineers.” Another comment also sees it in a bad light: “The reason is always money.”
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