Google’s $99 Home Speaker Delivers Strong Audio as Gemini Debut Is Marred by Finicky Controls
Updated
Updated · The Verge · Jun 24
Google’s $99 Home Speaker Delivers Strong Audio as Gemini Debut Is Marred by Finicky Controls
3 articles · Updated · The Verge · Jun 24
Summary
$99 Google Home Speaker impressed in early testing with loud, clean sound and reliable voice pickup, with its three microphones missing no wake words over two days.
Google is positioning the device as an ambient Gemini hub—not just a music player—making dependable listening and response central to whether the product succeeds after a six-year gap in smart-speaker launches.
Touch controls emerged as the main weakness: left-right volume taps are hard to find on the round body, and the light ring that signals Gemini activity is tucked underneath and easy to miss.
Against rivals, the speaker outperformed Amazon’s similarly sized Echo Dot Max on clarity and volume, while offering Google Cast, multiroom audio and Google TV pairing instead of standard Bluetooth playback.
The early verdict is positive on hardware and value, but the fuller judgment will hinge on how well Gemini handles home control, planning and everyday tasks in longer testing.