- Google has confirmed the launch of its new Google Home Speaker
- You can pre-order now, and the device is expected to ship starting June 25.
- The speaker comes with basic Gemini features, but you’ll need a Google Home Premium subscription to use advanced tools.
Since Google first teased its next smart speaker in August 2025, we’ve been keeping an eye on the latest rumors about the new Gemini-powered Google Home Speaker, and now its official release date has finally been confirmed.
Orders are now open for Google’s first smart speaker in six years, which will replace the company’s Nest Audio and Nest Mini. According to the Google Home Speaker pre-order page, shipping will begin on June 25.
The new Google Home Speaker is priced at $99.99 / £99.99 / AU$199 and comes in four colors: Jade, Berry, Porcelain and Hazel. All four shades are available in the US, but Porcelain and Hazel are the only options for UK and Australian users.
Google has been keeping us on our toes in recent months when it comes to its anticipated new speaker and according to a leak from Best Buy Canada, we had the speaker scheduled for a late June launch. When Google officially announced the device in October 2025 after its teaser, it revealed a number of new updates, starting with its design.
Like the Apple HomePod Mini and Amazon’s Echo Studio hub, the Google Home Speaker adopts 360 audio, which Google says can be paired with a compatible Google TV Streamer device to create an immersive home theater audio setup. It comes with a 3D woven fabric finish and a ring light on its base to let you know when it’s listening and responding, but the biggest upgrade is its Gemini powers.
For years, Google Assistant has been the company’s voice assistant for its smart hubs, but Google Home Speaker is its first flagship device with Gemini capabilities, designed to be even smarter when responding to complicated requests and queries. It all sounds great on paper, but there is one notable drawback.
While the Google Home Speaker will come with basic features like reminders, smart home controls, and quick responses, you’ll need to subscribe to one of the Google Home Premium tiers (Standard or Advanced) to fully use the Gemini, and I imagine most potential users won’t be happy with an extra outlay given the speaker’s initial cost.
One of the advanced features included in the Standard tier of Google Home Premium is Gemini Live, a conversational chatbot with which you can talk, interrupt mid-sentence, and ask follow-up questions on all kinds of topics. Whether you need a substitute ingredient for a specific recipe or are looking for outfit inspiration for an event, Gemini Live will have you covered.
However, the advanced features don’t end there. With a Google Home Premium membership, you’ll get additional storage for security camera footage and video doorbells built into your setup. If you’re registered at the Advanced level, you’ll also have access to Home Brief, a tool that summarizes the highlights of your footage and gives you more detailed descriptions of the events occurring on your cameras.
It’s not all bad news, because Google is offering six months of free Google Home Premium when you purchase the new Google Home Speaker before September 30.
If you want to continue your time with Google Home Premium, you’ll need to pay for a subscription to one of its tiers. The Standard tier costs $10/£8/AU$15 a month, while the Advanced tier costs $20/£16/AU$30. You can read more about what each tier has to offer on the Google Home Premium sign-up page.
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