- Google has confirmed the launch of its new Google Home Speaker
- You can pre-order now and the device is expected to ship from 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 back in August 2025, we’ve been keeping an eye on all the latest rumors surrounding the new Gemini-powered Google Home Speaker – and now its official launch date has finally been confirmed.
Pre-orders for Google’s first smart speaker in six years, which will replace the company’s Nest Audio and Nest Mini, are open now. 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 colours: Jade, Berry, Porceain and Hazel. All four of these shades are available in the US, but Porcelain and Hazel are the only options for users in the UK and Australia.
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 pegged for a late June launch. When Google officially announced the device in October 2025 after its tease, it revealed a number of new upgrades, starting with its design.
Like the Apple HomePod Mini and Amazon’s Echo Studio hub, the Google Home Speaker uses 360 audio, which Google says you can pair with a supported Google TV Streamer device to create an immersive home theater audio setup. It comes with a 3D woven fabric finish and a light ring on the bottom 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 complex requests and queries. It all sounds great on paper – but there’s a notable catch.
While the Google Home Speaker comes with basic features such as reminders, smart home controls, and quick responses, you’ll need to subscribe to one of the Google Home Premium tiers (Standard or Advanced) to use Gemini in full — and additional outlay I imagine most potential users won’t be happy about given the upfront cost of the speaker.
One of the advanced features locked into the Google Home Premium Standard tier is Gemini Live, a conversational chatbot you can talk to, interrupt mid-sentence and ask follow-up questions on all sorts of topics. Whether you need a substitute ingredient for a specific recipe or looking for outfit inspiration for an event, Gemini Live has you covered.
However, the advanced features do not end there. With a Google Home Premium membership, you get extra storage space for footage from security cameras and video doorbells integrated into your setup. If you’re signed up for the advanced tier, you’ll also get access to Home Brief, a tool that summarizes your recording highlights and gives you more detailed descriptions of the events that occur on your cameras.
It’s not all bad news, as Google is offering six months of Google Home Premium for free when you buy the new Google Home speaker before September 30.
If you want to continue your time with Google Home Premium, you must pay a subscription to one of its levels. Standard is $10/£8/AU$15 per month, while the advanced level is $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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