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Walmart’s Gemini speaker leak suggests Google is opening up its ecosystem again

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Why This Matters

The leak of Walmart’s Onn smart speaker powered by Google’s Gemini signals a potential revival of third-party devices featuring Google’s latest AI assistant, marking a shift in the smart home ecosystem. This development could enhance consumer choice and foster competition among smart speaker manufacturers, while also signaling Google's renewed focus on expanding Gemini’s presence beyond its own devices.

Key Takeaways

CSA

TL;DR A new Onn smart speaker from Walmart has surfaced early, and it appears to run Google’s Gemini instead of Assistant.

The listing on the Connectivity Standards Alliance website confirms key features like Google Cast for Audio, smart home controls, and a built-in mic with a kill switch.

This could mark the return of third-party smart speakers powered by Google’s newer AI assistant, though launch timing remains unclear.

The last major third-party smart speakers to ship with Google Assistant built in were the JBL Authentics lineup — specifically the Authentics 200, 300, and 500 — which debuted in late 2023. Fast forward to 2026, and the Assistant era is nearing its end, with Google shifting focus to Gemini for Home, which has been in early access on its own smart speakers since last year. So far, no third-party speakers have launched with Gemini baked in, aside from a handful of older Assistant models that received a Gemini upgrade. Now, it looks like Google may be reviving the era of third-party smart speakers powered by its own digital assistant.

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A Reddit user spotted Walmart’s unreleased Onn Smart Speaker listed on the Connectivity Standards Alliance (CSA) website. CSA is a consortium of companies that helps create and implement universal open standards, such as Matter, for IoT devices.

CSA

The listing for the Onn Smart Speaker not only reveals that it’s a Gemini-powered smart speaker, but also shows an image of the device. It further reveals that the speaker supports audio playback, smart home controls, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity, and seamless media streaming via Google Cast for Audio.

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