- Google has confirmed the launch of its new Google Home Speaker
- You can pre-order now, with the device 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 around the new Gemini-powered Google Home Speaker —and now its official launch date has finally been confirmed.
Pe-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 commence on June 25.
The new Google Home Speaker is priced at $99.99 / £99.99 / AU$199, and comes in four colors: Jade, Berry, Porcelain, and Hazel. All four of those 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, as per 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 following its tease, it unveiled a slew of new upgrades, starting with its design.
Much like the Apple HomePod Mini and Amazon’s Echo Studio hub, the Google Home Speaker adopts 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 its base 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 the Google Home Speaker is its first flagship device with Gemini capabilities, designed to be even smarter when responding to complicated requests and queries. It all sounds great on paper — but there’s one notable catch.
While the Google Home Speaker will come with basic features such as reminders, smart home controls, and quick answers, you’ll need to subscribe to one of the Google Home Premium tiers (Standard or Advanced) to use Gemini in its entirety — and additional outlay I imagine most potential users won’t be happy about given the up-front cost of the speaker.
One of the advanced features locked into Google Home Premium Standard tier is Gemini Live, a conversational chatbot you can talk to, interrupt mid-sentence, and ask follow-up questions of about all kinds of topics. Whether you need a substitute ingredient for a specific recipe or are looking for outfit inspiration for an event, Gemini Live will have you covered.
The advanced features don’t end there however. With a Google Home Premium membership you’ll get additional storage for footage from security cameras and video doorbells that are integrated into your setup. If you’re signed up to the Advanced tier you’ll also get access to Home Brief, a tool that summarizes your footage highlights and gives you more detailed descriptions of the events that occur on your cameras.
It’s not all bad news, because Google is offering six months of Google Home Premium for free when you purchase the new Google Home Speaker before September 30.
If you want to continue your time with Google Home Premium, you’ll have to pay a subscription to one of its tiers. Standard is $10/ £8/ AU$15 a month, while the Advanced tier 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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rowan.davies@futurenet.com (Rowan Davies)
