Google's Home Speaker is down to about $79, a $20 discount, and it's available in all four colors. That's the best price the company's Gemini-powered speaker has reached since it launched in June, and it marks Google's first smart speaker in several years.
Is Google's Home Speaker worth $79?
Reviewers say the speaker strikes a useful balance between sound, size and design. It's smaller than the prior-generation Nest Audio, so it fits almost anywhere in a home. Despite its compact body, it produces loud, clear audio with 360-degree sound.
How does Google's Home Speaker compare to the Echo Dot Max?
How it stacks up against rivals depends on taste. Jennifer Pattison Tuohy, who reviewed the speaker, preferred the fuller sound and stronger bass of Amazon's Echo Dot Max. David Pierce, who also tested it, found the Google speaker sounded cleaner, louder and sharper than the Echo at a similar price. The older Nest Audio still sounds better overall, but the Home Speaker takes up less space and costs slightly less.
Does Google's Home Speaker support Matter and smart home devices?
The smart home features give it an edge. The speaker supports Matter and includes a Thread border router, which lets users connect and control a wide range of compatible devices. It's also the first Google smart speaker that can act as an audio output for the Google TV Streamer 4K. TV sound can play through one or two speakers instead of the television's built-in speakers. Tuohy found the setup worked well and delivered clear dialogue, though sound quality varied depending on what she was watching.
Gemini is the main attraction. The assistant is also available on older Google speakers, and it is far better than the old Google Assistant at understanding natural language and complex requests. In testing, Tuohy found it could handle several smart home commands at once. It also responded to conversational requests. When she mentioned feeling too hot, it turned down the air conditioner.
The assistant is particularly strong on general knowledge questions, though it can be slow and unreliable at times. Gemini Live, one of the more notable features, lets users hold extended conversations with the assistant without repeating the wake word.
Cet article a été rédigé avec l'assistance de l'IA.
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