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- Google Home Speaker pre-orders are now open for AUD$199, arriving in Australia from 25 June
- This is Google’s first audio device built for Gemini for Home
- Google has reportedly ended production of the Nest Mini and Nest Audio devices
- The new speaker adds 360-degree sound, Gemini voice controls and Google TV Streamer pairing
- Eligible buyers get a free six-month Google Home Premium Standard trial
Google has officially opened Australian pre-orders for the new Google Home Speaker, its first audio device built for Gemini for Home, and the clearest sign yet that the old Nest speaker era is being packed away.
The compact smart speaker is priced at AUD $199 and lands on shelves from 25 June, with local buyers getting two colours: Hazel and Porcelain. It will be available through the Google Store, JB Hi-Fi and Harvey Norman in Australia.
There’s a bit of housekeeping here, too. According to Tech Advisor, Google has ended production of the Nest Mini and Nest Audio, the two Nest-branded smart speakers that have been doing most of the Google Home work for years now. Existing devices are not being switched off or bricked, with Google saying they will continue to receive software updates, security patches and customer care.
From here, though, Google’s smart speaker line is a Gemini story.
Google Home Speaker Key Specs
- Price: AUD $199
- Australian release date: 25 June
- Pre-orders: Open now
- Colours: Hazel and Porcelain
- Voice assistant: Gemini for Home
- Audio: 360-degree sound with 58mm full-range driver
- Microphones: Three far-field microphones
- Connectivity: Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.4, Thread 1.3 and Matter
- Subscription: Six months of Google Home Premium Standard included for eligible buyers
What Gemini for Home Actually Brings To The Table
The main thing is how Google wants you to talk to the thing. Rather than memorising the usual smart-speaker command phrases, Gemini for Home can handle more natural requests, corrections and follow-up questions.
That means you should be able to say things like “turn off all the lights except for my bedside lamp”, or fire off a few jobs in one go, such as dimming the kitchen lights, playing music and setting a timer. Gemini can also handle mid-sentence corrections, so “turn off the coffee maker… I meant turn it on” should no longer require starting the whole command again.
There’s also a weather feature that Aussies will no doubt come in handy in the extreme Australian climate. Ask what the weather will be like for your favourite footy team’s next game, and Gemini can work out when the match is happening, where it’s being played and what the forecast looks like at kickoff. You’ll never forget your poncho again.
But as is often the case with AI voice assistants, we’ll have to wait for these speakers to be set up in the kitchen to see how they perform in the real world.
Google Home Premium Required For Advanced Gemini Features
The catch is that some of the headline Gemini features are tied to Google Home Premium rather than the speaker alone. Gemini Live, Camera History Search and Home Briefs all require the paid service.
Google is including a six-month Google Home Premium Standard trial with eligible Google Home Speaker purchases and activations through 30 September 2026, after which the Standard plan costs AUD$15 per month or AUD$150 per year. How much you rely on smart voice commands and Google Gemini will determine whether this subscription is worthwhile for you.
Google Home Speaker Details and Design
Audio has also had a proper update, with Google bringing balanced 360-degree sound through a 58mm full-range driver, with advanced microphone processing designed to help Gemini hear commands more clearly. It can also be grouped with other Nest speakers, Nest displays and Google Cast-enabled devices, or paired with up to two Google Home Speakers and a Google TV Streamer for spatial surround sound.
The design is simple, though there is a bit of Apple HomePod mini about the rounded fabric shell, only squashed flatter from the top. The speaker is wrapped in a custom 3D-knit textile, made with at least 37 per cent recycled materials by product weight, and features a light ring underneath to show when it’s listening, thinking or responding. There’s also a physical microphone mute switch, making microphone privacy concerns as simple as a flick.
For existing Nest Mini and Nest Audio owners, there’s no immediate reason to panic. Those speakers should keep working. But if you were waiting to see where Google’s smart home audio line was headed next, this is it: smaller than the old Nest Audio, smarter than the Nest Mini and built around Gemini from the start.
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