# Google Home Speaker and Nest Audio Review: Gemini Arrives, Sound Steps Back > Google Home Speaker review from published specs and tests, with Nest Audio and Nest Mini context: Gemini for Home, a Matter and Thread hub, and thinner sound than the Nest Audio. - Canonical URL: https://webofmike.com/ai-life/assistants/smart-speakers/google-home-speaker-nest-audio-review/ - Author: Mike Moore (https://webofmike.com/about/) - Published: 2026-11-04 - Last modified: 2026-11-04 - Tags: AI Life - Cite as: Mike Moore, "Google Home Speaker and Nest Audio Review: Gemini Arrives, Sound Steps Back", Web of Mike (webofmike.com), 2026-11-04. https://webofmike.com/ai-life/assistants/smart-speakers/google-home-speaker-nest-audio-review/ [AI Life](/ai-life/) / [Assistants](/ai-life/assistants/) / [Smart Speakers](/ai-life/assistants/smart-speakers/) Google has replaced the Nest Audio and Nest Mini with one new speaker, the Google Home Speaker, built for Gemini for Home. Google's store lists the Nest Mini as no longer available, and reviewers describe both older speakers as discontinued. If you are shopping Google speakers this season, you are choosing between the new speaker and whatever Nest Audio or Nest Mini stock is left. I have not owned the Google Home Speaker. This review is built from the maker's published specs and independent reviews, linked below. For more picks, see the [Smart Speakers hub](/ai-life/assistants/smart-speakers/). {{< bfcm google-home-speaker >}} ## Key specs | | Google Home Speaker | | --- | --- | | Driver | 58 mm full-range, 360 degree sound | | Mics | 3 far-field, two-stage mic off switch | | Wireless | Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.4 | | Smart home | Matter hub, Thread 1.3 border router | | Memory | 1 GB | | Weight | 408 g | | Assistant | Gemini for Home; some features need Google Home Premium | | Nest Audio (older) | 75 mm woofer, 19 mm tweeter, Wi-Fi 5, Bluetooth 5.0 | | Nest Mini (older) | 40 mm driver, wall mount hole | Sources: [Google Store compare](https://store.google.com/magazine/compare_speakers?hl=en-US), [Google device specs](https://support.google.com/googlehome/answer/7072284?hl=en), [The Verge](https://www.theverge.com/tech/959503/google-home-speaker-review-gemini-for-home), [SoundGuys](https://www.soundguys.com/google-home-speaker-review-158755/), [Android Central](https://www.androidcentral.com/accessories/smart-home/google-home-speaker-2026-vs-nest-mini). ## What reviewers like - A modern hub. Matter and a Thread border router are built in, which the Nest Audio lacked. - Gemini understands complicated requests. Android Central says it handles complex commands without a problem, and The Verge calls its conversational understanding impressive. - A big step up from the Nest Mini: Google claims a 2x larger driver and 2.5x stronger bass. ## What to watch for - It does not beat the Nest Audio on sound. The Verge and SoundGuys both say the older speaker, with a woofer and a tweeter, sounds better. - Gemini can be slow and unreliable. Android Central saw some simple commands take 20 seconds or more. - Some of the best Gemini features sit behind a Google Home Premium subscription. ## Who should buy it Buy the Google Home Speaker if you are in Google Home, want Gemini and a Thread hub, and mostly listen casually. Keep or hunt down a Nest Audio if sound is the priority, since it gets the same assistant. Skip both if you want the best music speaker for the money. ## Gemini for Home, explained Gemini for Home is Google's replacement for Google Assistant on its speakers and displays. The Verge found it mostly the same experience on the new speaker, the Nest Audio, the Nest Hub (2nd gen) and the Nest Hub Max. In other words, buying new hardware is not required to try the new assistant. What the new speaker adds is faster local processing and the Thread and Matter radios. Google says it has made more than 2,500 fixes to Gemini for Home. SoundGuys still found it slower than an Echo Studio at playing a specific song, and it sometimes interrupts to ask you to rate its answer. Expect the software to keep changing. ## The subscription question Basic Gemini voice control is included. Google Home Premium unlocks more of the conversational features and, for cameras and doorbells, longer history and AI summaries. Read the current plan page before you buy, because what is free has shifted more than once this year. ## Nest Audio, Nest Mini or the new speaker - **Nest Audio.** Better music speaker. No Thread or Matter hub. Same Gemini. - **Nest Mini.** Small and wall-mountable, but thin bass and slow responses, per Android Central. - **Google Home Speaker.** The best Google hub speaker, and the only one still in Google's store. If you already own a Nest Audio, SoundGuys' advice is simple: keep it. ## Where this fits in my house My Nest thermostat, doorbell and cameras all live in Google Home, so a Google speaker is the natural voice control for them. I have not owned this new speaker, which is why it gets a research-based note here instead of a rating. Listening on a smart speaker? Amazon offers an Audible free trial for audiobooks; check Amazon for the current terms. ## Is the Google Home Speaker on sale for Black Friday? It is one of the products I am watching this season. I do not list sale prices here because they change by the hour and differ by color, bundle and store. Compare against the price you see in the weeks before the sale, and check whether a bundle adds things you will not use. ## Our take **AI Score note:** research-based, not hands-on. Good hub hardware with an assistant still catching up. Nest Audio owners should wait. This is my editorial read of published reviews, not a rating. Check today's price before you buy: {{< amzn google-home-speaker "See the Google Home Speaker on Amazon" />}}. ## Compare See [Sonos vs HomePod vs Echo vs Nest](/ai-life/assistants/smart-speakers/sonos-vs-homepod-vs-echo-vs-nest/), or browse the [Black Friday smart home and smart speaker deals](/ai-life/deals/smart-home/).