Google Home Speaker Preorders Open at $99 Ahead of June 25 Launch, First New Speaker in Five Years

Google opened preorders today for the Google Home Speaker, its first new smart speaker in five years, with availability set for June 25 across 18 countries. The device, priced at $99, replaces a lineup that has been dormant since 2020 and is the first hardware built around Google's Gemini for Home voice assistant.

The $99 price point matches the original Google Home from 2016, but the new speaker arrives with a mandatory subscription for its most touted features. Standard Google Home Premium costs $10 per month, while the $20 per month tier adds 24/7 Nest camera recording, Home Brief summaries, and 60 days of event history.

Hardware upgrades include 360-degree sound and new fabric mesh

The Google Home Speaker introduces several hardware changes over its predecessor. A 3D-knit textile mesh cover replaces the previous fabric, and the device comes in four colors: porcelain, hazel, jade, and a bright berry shade. The speaker now delivers 360-degree sound, a notable improvement over the Google Nest Mini's limited audio range.

• 360-degree audio for room-filling sound from a single unit
• Stereo pairing support with the Google TV Streamer using two speakers
• Custom processing chip designed for Gemini for Home voice tasks
• No wake word required for Gemini Live continuous conversations
• Available in 18 countries including the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, and Germany

Subscription paywall shifts Google's smart home revenue model

With the Home Speaker, Google is making a deliberate pivot from hardware profit to recurring service income. The device requires a Google Home Premium subscription for Gemini Live, which enables real-time back-and-forth without repeating the wake word, as well as natural language search of Nest camera feeds and multistep command handling such as “turn off all of my lights except the kitchen.”

The $10 standard plan includes camera event search, Home Brief, and Gemini Live. The $20 advanced plan adds 24/7 Nest camera recording and 60 days of event history instead of 30. Without a subscription, the speaker will still answer basic queries and control smart home devices, but users lose the context-aware, conversational features that Google has promoted as the reason to upgrade.

Analysts and early reviewers have pointed out that the subscription cost over 12 months ($120 or $240) exceeds the hardware price, marking a strategic shift for a company that previously offered Nest Aware for $6 to $12 per month. The Home Speaker's launch comes amid a broader industry move toward AI assistant subscriptions, with Amazon and Apple also exploring paid tiers for their voice platforms. The device ships on June 25 with preorders available now at Google Store and select retailers.