GoKawiilGoogle’s smart home line-up has been in limbo since 2024, when the company introduced the Google TV Streamer and Nest Learning Thermostat. But on paper, the ecosystem has been stalling for far longer than that. We only had the Pixel Tablet, Nest Wifi Pro, and Nest Doorbell in the two years prior, and the last time Google ever thought about putting a smart speaker or display in our homes was in 2021 with the Nest Hub (2nd gen).
While updates to the Google Home app have made it more interesting to use, that was a laudable improvement in 2023. We’re three years later now, and all we have to show for it is an app that works slightly better, has nicer automations, and… Gemini?! I guess we have Gemini. Yet, complaints about the entire Google Home ecosystem, from speakers to voice assistants, have been deafening, especially considering the number of bugs and issues we’ve all run into.
It’s no secret, then, that 2026, with the promised launch of Google’s new Home Speaker and Nest Cams, as well as the rumored Google Home Display, the company is facing a pivotal moment in its smart home commitment and future.
Are you excited for Google's new smart speakers, hubs, and cams? 12 votes Yes, I can't wait! 33 % I'll wait for reviews to see. 58 % Not again — fool me once... 0 % I never was and never will be interesting in Google's smart stuff. 8 %
Will Gemini finally work well on a speaker or display?
Stephen Schenck / Android Authority
Gemini has been out in preview on existing Google Home and Nest speakers and displays for a while now, and the feedback has been anything but mitigated. I recently got access to the preview program, adopted Gemini on the two Nest Audios, one Nest Hub (2nd gen), and one Pixel Tablet in my home, and I said I wanted a refund.
While the promise of Gemini on a smart speaker is awesome, the reality ended up being a series of hiccups and slowness that rivaled and surpassed Google Assistant. Every question takes more time, and every answer is unpredictable. Gemini takes forever to answer me sometimes, and sometimes just ignores me and doesn’t even answer. It might give me a long reply, it might go short, and it might just do a quick beep to acknowledge a smart home command. Plus, Assistant had one specific way of answering queries about the weather or my calendar; Gemini can come up with different structures every time, throwing me for a loop because I have to be completely focused on what it’s saying so I don’t miss the crucial part of its answer. Oh, and I still have the issue where the wrong speaker keeps answering.
I’m not denying the potential of Gemini on a speaker — I got to try commands I was never able to perform with Assistant and ask questions and get proper answers instead of random webpages read out to me. But the slowness and unpredictability make the experience so much worse. I need my voice assistant to disappear, not to take center stage in my interactions.
I'm not trusting the claims; Google has to convince me that these new speakers offer a better experience.
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