What About Gemini for Home?
Google has announced Gemini for Home, the new version of its voice assistant. Gemini for Home is rolling out in early access to existing users with Google's ecosystem of devices, and most of its existing smart speakers and displays will be backward compatible—one notable exception is the Google Pixel Tablet.
Gemini for Home will eventually replace the current Google Assistant. Unlike Alexa+, Gemini for Home will always be free. Instead, Google is changing its camera subscription, Nest Aware, to become a subscription for Gemini for Home. That subscription will have two tiers, similar to the current Nest Aware subscription, with similar options: Standard ($10 a month) and Advanced ($20 a month). The subscription will now include both camera storage and features, plus features for the smart assistant itself. That will include advanced options like Gemini Live, which is a more conversational chat mode you can activate on a smart speaker, and the ability to ask Gemini for video history and get AI notifications and descriptions. Users will also get a customized summary at the end of the day called Home Brief. You'll also get 30 days of video event history plus intelligent alerts for its cameras on the Standard plan, or 60 days and 24/7 video history with the Advanced plan.
What About Google’s New Speaker?
Google has a new speaker coming for the first time in years. The Google Home Speaker (yes, that's almost the exact same name as the original Google smart speaker from 2016) looks like a taller Nest Mini, but we expect it to replace the Nest Audio as it has the same $99 price tag. It's due out in spring 2026, so Gemini for Home will already reach existing devices before this new one arrives. We'll update this guide with notes once we get a chance to test it, and will keep an eye out for any other changes in Google's smart speaker lineup.
Honorable Mentions
Google Nest Hub for $100: This is the smaller version of the Nest Hub Max, and while the 7-inch screen isn't too small compared to something like the five-inch Echo Show 5, it's still too small to really enjoy the screen. It does have sleep tracking software built in and no camera, so it's a good choice for a bedside table.
Google Nest Max for $119 (Used): This discontinued speaker was a larger version of the Nest Audio. It was a good speaker, albeit large and unwieldy to place in your home.
Sonos One for $179 (Refurbished): This was our favorite option for sound while it was available. It's just about entirely replaced by the Sonos Era 100 now, which isn't Google Assistant compatible. If you spot the One though and want the best Sonos speaker for Google Assistant, snag it.
Sonos Arc for $599: The Sonos Arc works with Google Assistant and is a great soundbar, but given that the Sonos's newer lineup doesn't work with Google Assistant, we don't expect it to be compatible with the new Gemini for Home assistant that will start rolling out soon.
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