Google has opened preorders for a redesigned Google Home smart speaker that swaps out Google Assistant for Gemini, adds 360-degree sound, and goes on sale on 25 June for $100. The Google Home launch aims to make the speaker smarter at handling messy, multi-step requests while keeping the hardware compact and living-room friendly.
The move also shows where Google wants this category to go. Smart speakers are no longer just music boxes with a microphone; they are becoming control hubs for lighting, timers, media, and home security, which is exactly the kind of job an AI assistant can handle better than a keyword-triggered voice bot.
Google Home design and audio changes
The new model comes in a smaller body wrapped in a three-dimensional woven fabric made from recycled materials. Buyers get four color options: hazel, porcelain, jade, and berry.
Google says the speaker is tuned for clean omnidirectional audio rather than the more directional approach used by some older smart speakers. It can also form a stereo pair with a second unit, and when connected to Google TV Streamer, it can act as a stereo speaker for TV audio.
The light ring has moved too. Instead of sitting behind the speaker grille, the LED ring now lives at the base of the device, where it can give more visible feedback when the microphone is listening, the assistant is processing a request, or the system is answering.
Gemini replaces Google Assistant
The headline change is Gemini. Google says the assistant can handle multi-command requests, such as turning on lights, starting music, and setting a timer in one go, while also understanding context better than the old setup. That matters because voice assistants have long been good at single tasks and awkward at everything else.
Google is also pushing toward more natural conversation, with fewer repeated wake words like ”Hey Google” or ”OK, Google” needed every time. That’s the kind of promise every AI company loves to make, but in a home speaker it could actually feel useful if it works reliably.
Google Home Premium pricing
Not all of the new AI features are free. Full access requires a Google Home Premium subscription, starting at $10 per month for Gemini Live and expanded automation. A $20 per month Premium tier adds AI-powered Home Brief, which summarizes activity from home security cameras and video history.
- Google Home speaker: $100
- Google Home Premium: $10 per month
- Google Home Premium: $20 per month
- Sale date: 25 June
Owners of Google AI Pro already get access to some of these tools, which is a familiar bundling strategy: make the hardware look affordable, then attach the real AI value to a subscription. The open question is whether shoppers will treat this as a smarter speaker or just another monthly bill with a microphone attached.