Google Opens $100 Gemini Home Speaker Preorders, Starting Sales June 25

Q: With key AI features now behind a monthly paywall, is Google's smart home vision becoming too expensive for the average user?

Yes—for users who want Google’s full AI smart-home experience, the cost is rising beyond the impulse-buy appeal of a $99 speaker. The key distinction is that Google is keeping the basic layer free. Gemini for Home, which replaces Google Assistant on supported devices, still handles core voice control and smart-home commands without a monthly fee. For many households, that means the new speaker remains a relatively affordable entry point. The problem is that several of the features Google is using to define its next-generation vision are now subscription features. Gemini Live, AI-powered Nest camera search, and Home Brief require Google Home Premium, priced at $10 a month, with higher tiers reaching $20. That turns a $99 device into a service commitment that can cost $120 to $240 a year after the six-month free trial ends. That pricing matters because the value of these AI features is still being tested. Google says it used the speaker’s delay to cut latency by up to 40 percent, fix more than 25,000 issues, and add over 50 features, after users complained Gemini for Home was slow and unreliable on existing devices. If performance is now meaningfully better, some users may accept the fee. If not, the paywall will feel harder to justify. So Google’s vision is not too expensive for the average user who only wants basic smart-home control. It does become expensive for households that want the headline AI features Google is increasingly treating as premium services.

3 articles · Updated · WIRED · Jun 17

$100 preorders for Google's first new smart speaker in six years opened June 17, with the Gemini-powered Home Speaker reaching stores June 25.
Gemini replaces Google Assistant at the center of the device, adding more natural back-and-forth requests, mid-sentence corrections, multi-command prompts and Continued Conversation across all supported languages.
Google is also tying premium AI features to subscriptions: Gemini Live requires Google Home Premium, though buyers get six months free, and the speaker can answer camera-specific questions for existing Gemini Home users.
The compact orb-shaped speaker adds 360-degree audio, Thread and Matter hub support, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.4, three far-field microphones and a hardware mute switch.
Google said more than 3.5 million homes in 20 countries have already opted into Gemini for Home, as it pushes against Amazon's Alexa+ rollout and an expected Apple smart-speaker refresh.