Google Home Speaker - Slightly Smarter

There can't be many New Zealand households without a smart speaker these days.

Yet I can't help thinking, despite their growing omnipresence, I'd be very surprised if many owners are really using their speakers to their full potential.

There's no arguing the convenience of being able to stream your favourite song, artist, playlist or radio station, just by asking for it.

And perhaps some people find it convenient to ask their smart speaker to set a timer when they have both hands submerged in the sink.

For the most advanced users, I'm sure they're turning lights on and off and have no doubt connected their video doorbell so they won't miss their visitors arriving just because the aforementioned playlist is blasting away.

But is anybody having actual conversations with their smart speakers?  Are they using them to streamline and automate their other IoT devices?

And would they be prepared to pay extra in order to do that?

In a world where there seems to be a major tech launch every other week, I find it incredible Google hasn't really put out a speaker since the Nest Mini way back in 2020. Although this packed a reasonable audio punch for its tiny size, the Nest Mini was more of a way to talk TO Google, rather than listen to it.

A lot's changed in the last 6 years, particularly the rise and rise of AI, resulting in Google Assistant slowly morphing into Gemini.

So it's probably well past time Google updated its primary human/robot interface and it has done so in the form of the Google Home Speaker.

Talk about call it what it is.

Design-wise, there are very few surprises here. Yes, it's quite a bit bigger and more spherical than 2020's Nest Mini - but not so big you'll struggle to find space for it on any shelf or side-table. My review unit is Porcelain (Off-white) but it also comes in Hazel (Dark grey). If only we lived in America - they get to choose from Jade and Berry as well. Lucky them.

Some people have commented on the power cable being permanently attached at the speaker end (connects to a 30W wall charger via USB-C at the other). I think the concern here is if the 1.5-metre cable isn't long enough, you might be restricted as to where you can set it up. I think that's why they invented extension cords.

What I did notice, the moment I lifted the Home Speaker from its box, was how loose-fitting the woven fabric covering is. I don't think this really matters, unless you're planning on manhandling the device repeatedly over time.

In fact, there are physical controls - all hidden beneath that slightly saggy mesh. Volume down on the left, volume up on the right and a tap in the middle will pause and play. Trouble is, the volume controls are so well hidden and the speaker is so uniformly spherical, it often takes me several attempts to tap in the right place.

Thank goodness for voice commands. More on that shortly.

Given the upsized form-factor, you'd expect a more powerful, fuller sound and yes, it gets louder than its demure predecessor and there's undeniably more bass response. However, I've found some of the more rocky tracks I've trialled start distorting and things get muddy if you push the volume much past 80% or so.

Like most similar speakers these days, the emphasis is on creating a room-filling, 360° soundscape, which makes it a good option for concealing in a corner somewhere to create a more ambient, dinner-party, polite conversation kind of a vibe.

You can also pair two together for a stereo array, in turn teaming them up with the Google TV Streamer - one of the most capable video streaming devices currently on the market. This is probably a good option for those on a budget; The Google TV Streamer 4K costs less than one Google Home Speaker - so the whole entertainment system would come in under NZ$620 - less than most half-decent soundbars.

I'm not convinced you'd get enough bass out of a pair of Google Home Speakers for a genuine home cinema experience - but it'd beat the built-in speakers on your telly.

So the sound is good - but not great.

Not a major, remember - being a Google device you can team it up with other compatible speakers, if you prefer.

So let's move onto the smart home hub of it all; is the Google Home Speaker any better at it than any other?

Well, I will say it seems to understand what I want it to do the vast majority of the time and it definitely delivers on the promise of listening out for users changing their instructions or correcting themselves halfway through.

Also, even at full volume, the three far-field microphones never had any problem listening out for my "Hey, Google" wake command.

The downside of that is it seems to keep listening for quite a few seconds after you've finished speaking, just in case you start speaking again. This means it can take a fair while for music to start playing or lights to change.

And about that, "Hey, Google," thing. Does anybody else find it weird we're still saying, "Hey, Google," when we're now supposedly summoning Gemini? Or are we only talking to Gemini if we pay for a Google Home Premium Subscription?

No wait... that can't be right. Shouldn't it be a GEMINI Home Premium subscription? Ow, my head's starting to hurt.

Without a subscription, you can still play music, podcasts and audiobooks from your preferred services. And you can "Tackle everyday tasks seamlessly." That seems to mean I can control my lights, my air-con and any other paired Matter-enabled device.

I can also ask for weather forecasts, sports results, create lists, add calendar entries... all the stuff we've pretty much been able to do since smart speakers were a thing.

So what does the Standard Google Home Premium sub get you? Well, Gemini Live, obviously. Supposedly this means a whole other level of expert AI assistance - even the ability to create intuitive, smart home automations.

The idea is you can say to the Google Home Speaker something like, "Make it so every day when I get home, the kitchen lights turn on and some relaxing, contemporary soul music plays."

Yes, you can already do this yourself, depending on which devices and apps you use but I guess it's easier to get Google - sorry, GEMINI to do it for you.

Is that kind of convenience worth NZ$150 a year?

Then there's an even more premium level again - for another 150 bucks Gemini can sift through your security camera footage, provide you with daily summaries of activity around your home and respond to questions like, "Do you know what time my son got home from the party last night?"

I find that kind of weird, given you can just open your security app on your phone and look up the video yourself but I guess if Gemini can do that for you, why not?

Well, except, the Google Home Speaker doesn't have a screen, of course. So you'd just be taking Gemini's word for it because it can't actually show you the footage. Are we ready for that level of trust just yet?

I'm sure there are plenty of early-adopting tech-heads out there who are eagerly awaiting this next level of more responsive, more intuitive AI, packed into a small speaker that sits neatly on the bedside table. But the rest of us just want the song we want, when we want it. Call us old-fashioned.

Click here for more information and pricing on the Google Home Speaker.