Google has announced a replacement for its original Google Home speaker and it's called Nest Audio.
Here's everything you need to know about the new Nest Audio speaker.
Release date and price
- 30 September launch event
- 15 October availabillty
- £89.99
Google announced the Nest Audio at its launch event on 30 September. The new speaker is available for pre-order and will be hitting shelves on 15 October.
The speaker is priced at £89.99 in the UK and will be available from a wide range of retailers.
Design and build
- Mesh front and back
- 175 x 124 x 78mm (6.9 x 4.9 x 3.1in, 1.1kg (2.6lbs)
- Charcoal and chalk colours
The Google Nest speaker is a similar size to the original Google Home, but it's now a fabric covered unit, sitting some 175mm tall and 124mm wide, but it's only 78mm deep. That means it's going to be easy to put on a shelf in your office, kitchen or bedroom without needing loads of space.
The fabric that covers the front and back of the speaker is made from recycled plastic bottles – as per the Nest Mini – and the only physical control is the mute switch on the rear of the device. There are four LEDs across the front of the speaker, as is common with Nest devices we've seen before.
There's a pretty substantial weight to the speaker and a rubberised foot at the bottom, while control is via voice or the tap areas towards the top of the speaker.
The design fits in with recent Nest devices like the Nest Hub and Mini and it will come in two colours, charcoal or chalk.
Features and sound quality
- 75mm woofer, 19mm tweeter
- Stereo pairing
- Google Assistant
There's a 75mm woofer to drive the bass and a 19mm tweeter for the higher tones. Google says that the Nest Audio is 75 per cent louder than the old Google Home, while the bass is boosted by 50 per cent. In short, it's been better designed for the delivery of music, rather than just as an entry point to Google Assistant. It's more of a speaker, but just as smart.
As this joins an established family of devices, you pretty much know what it will do. It will be powered by Google Assistant and be controlled through the Google Home app on your phone. It will have all the skills of other devices, offering access to smart home control through Assistant, able to answer questions and play music and other audio from a wide range of sources.
You'll also be able to stereo pair and group the Nest Audio, giving you plenty of options for how you use it. Google also says that it has a Media EQ to automatically adjust the speaker to suit the type of content you're listening to, be that music, podcasts or something else. There's also an Ambient IQ function that's designed to make sure that you can hear things like podcasts over the top of noises that might be in the room, such as the dishwasher.
All the leaks in the run up to the Nest Audio launch
Here's everything that's happened before the Nest Audio was officially announced.
24 September 2020: Google Nest Audio speaker accidentally sold early
It looks like Walmart put the Nest Audio on sale before it was even announced, confirming pretty much everything about it.
19 September 2020: Google's next smart speaker, the €100 Nest Audio, pictured in new leak
A comprehensive leak names the new Google speaker as Nest Audio, puts a price on it.
14 September 2020: Google 'Launch Night In' event announced: Pixel 5, Nest speaker, Chromecast, more expected
Google has confirmed that it will be hosting a launch event on 30 September.
7 August 2020: Hey Google, will the new Google Nest Home launch this month?
Leaker Roland Quant claims the new Google Nest Home speaker will be available before the end of the month and cost around €100.
11 July 2020: Google teases Nest activity for 13 July
Google has teased from its Nest account on Twitter that something is going to happen on 13 July, likely to be the launch of the new Nest speaker.
10 July 2020: This is what Google's new Nest smart speaker officially looks like
Google responds to leaks surrounding its forthcoming Nest speaker by sharing an official image and short video teaser for the forthcoming device.
9 July 2020: Google could be lining up a new Nest smart speaker, FCC leak suggests
Details hitting the FFC as well as the Japanese equivalent have revealed details of Google's forthcoming smart speaker Prince. The leak confirms the design, as well as some of the technical specifications.
16 June 2020: Google is set to replace Google Home with a new Nest-branded smart speaker
Google is reportedly looking at launching a replacement for the Google Home speaker and its codename is Prince.
