Google Launches $100 Home Speaker With Gemini, but AI Features Fall Short
Updated
Updated · Gizmodo · Jun 28
Google Launches $100 Home Speaker With Gemini, but AI Features Fall Short
3 articles · Updated · Gizmodo · Jun 28
Summary
$100 is Google’s price for its first smart speaker in six years, a new Home Speaker built around Gemini for Home rather than the older Google Assistant.
Gemini integration makes wake-word pickup and command processing noticeably faster, and it handles more complex requests such as excluding specific lights or extending an existing timer.
Gemini Live — a conversational mode locked behind a $10 monthly tier — still showed reliability issues in testing, including random music playback, dropped listening sessions and inconsistent answers.
Hardware upgrades include new colors, a functional light ring and improved sound over older Nest Mini models, but audio remains only decent and the new hardwired cable limits flexibility.
Google is also selling a $20 advanced plan with camera summaries and 60 days of event history, underscoring its push to monetize smart-home AI even as the experience still feels unfinished.