Google Home Speaker Review: Great Hardware, Underwhelming AI
Quick Look
Google's new Home Speaker excels in hardware with good sound, appealing design, and smart home capabilities, but Gemini for Home AI struggles with speed, reliability, and paywalled features, falling short of Amazon's Alexa Plus in smart home control and consistency.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
Google releases new Home Speaker with Gemini for Home AI, aiming to revamp its smart home presence.
Google's new Home Speaker is a delightful device with good sound and a modern design, but its Gemini for Home AI faces challenges in speed, reliability, and paywalled features, making it less competitive than Amazon's Alexa Plus in smart home control.
The speaker's hardware is its strongest aspect, fitting seamlessly into various settings with its compact size and appealing colors. However, Gemini for Home's slow response, inconsistent performance, and limited free features hinder the overall experience. While it excels in conversational understanding and general knowledge, its inability to reliably execute smart home commands and occasional inaccuracies undermine its utility.
Compared to competitors like the Echo Dot Max, the Home Speaker's audio quality is close but not superior, lacking in bass. Its integration with the Google TV Streamer for spatial audio is a plus but has limitations.
Google's move to put some features behind a paywall, such as Gemini Live for continuous conversations, may deter some users. Despite this, the Home Speaker is a crucial step for Google's smart home ecosystem, offering a solid foundation that awaits more refined AI capabilities.
What to Watch
AI outlook — possibilities, not facts
Google will update Gemini for Home to address speed and reliability issues within the next quarter.
Likely · Within weeks
Open Questions
- Will Gemini for Home improve significantly with updates?
