- Table of Contents
- Intro
- Review Updates
- Best Speaker
- Best Cheap
- Comparison
- Lineup
- Page Updates
- Conclusion
- Discussions
We've currently bought and tested three Google speakers. Google produces a wide variety of Internet-related products, including smart speakers that offer compatibility with other technologies in the Google ecosystem. They're mostly designed for home use and have Google Assistant built-in. That said, since the Google Home Max was discontinued, they currently only have two speakers on the market with no built-in displays: The Google Nest Audio and the Google Nest Mini.
Updates
- 01/03/2023 Google Nest Audio updated
- 01/06/2021 Google Nest Mini reviewed
- 12/14/2020 Google Home Max reviewed
Best Google Speakers
-
Best Google Speaker
Music6.2Videos/Movies5.7Podcasts6.2Voice Assistant8.3Outdoors4.9Battery PoweredNoSpeakerphoneYesVoice AssistantYesBluetoothYesWi-FiYesThe Google Nest Audio is the best Google home speaker we've tested. Out-of-the-box, it has a balanced mid-range that ensures vocals and lead instruments reproduce clearly and with detail in the mix, which is good for vocal-centric content like audiobooks and podcasts. Higher-pitched voices and instruments sound dark and dull at times, though. You can tweak its sound to your liking, thanks to the bass and treble adjustments featured in its Google Home app. It's also loud enough to use in smaller rooms like your bedroom or on your desk in your home office. That said, like most speakers its size, it lacks a thumpy low-bass.
It comes with Google Assistant built-in, which you can activate with your voice. It also has little trouble registering your commands from far away and in noisy rooms, and you can mute its mic when you don't want it to hear you. You can also pair this speaker to two compatible Google speakers to create a stereo pair or to multiple speakers when you want to play different audio in different rooms at once. Unfortunately, it needs to be paired to a second unit to play stereo audio and downmixes stereo content to mono when using it on its own, which isn't as immersive.
-
Best Cheap Google Speaker
Music5.6Videos/Movies4.9Podcasts6.4Voice Assistant8.3Outdoors4.9Battery PoweredNoSpeakerphoneYesVoice AssistantYesBluetoothYesWi-FiYesIf you're shopping on a budget, the best Google speaker we've tested is the Google Nest Mini. It's a smaller and more compact version of the Google Nest Audio, with a similar mesh-fabric wrapping for a matching look. Available in several different colors, you can also mount this wired speaker to your wall, which is handy. Built-in Google Assistant makes it easy to control the speaker with only your voice, and it performs just as well as its larger counterpart when it comes to picking up your commands. You can mute it when you don't want it to hear you, which is nice.
Through the Google Home app, you can configure multiple Google speakers throughout your home, which is a great way to amplify audio across a larger space. Plus, you can use its bass and treble adjustments to switch up its sound if you like. With built-in Chromecast, it's easy to stream your favorite music and podcasts from other Google devices. Of course, given its smaller size, this speaker doesn't bring as much rumble in the low-bass as its larger counterpart, and it doesn't get quite as loud, but it's still a great alternative if you're looking to save space and money with your home speaker.
Compared to other brands
- Built-in Google Assistant capabilities. Google's speakers come with built-in voice assistant support for Google Assistant, which you can activate using your voice. You can also mute the speaker's microphone if you don't want Google Assistant to hear you.
- Pair together for Party Mode and Multi-Room features. You can wirelessly pair multiple Google speakers together in the Google Home app to amplify your audio across a crowded party or to play different audio content in different rooms of your house at the same time.
- Bluetooth and Wi-Fi compatible. Google speakers support Google Chromecast, which lets you wirelessly stream audio from other Chromecast-enabled devices to the speaker when connected to the same Wi-Fi network. Conveniently, their speakers also offer Bluetooth compatibility for those who prefer to stream their audio without an Internet connection.
- Wired design isn't very portable. The Google speakers we've tested are for home use, and their wired-only design means that you can't use them to listen to audio when you're on the go.
- No advertised dust or water resistance. The Google speakers we've tested don't advertise an IP rating for dust or water resistance. As a result, be very careful if you plan to use them in a room with running water, like a kitchen.
- Some speakers lack low-bass. Smaller Google speakers may have trouble reproducing the deep, thumpy low-bass found in bass-heavy music and action-packed movie scenes. It's due to their size.
Google vs Apple
Google's speakers are designed for easy integration with other tools in their ecosystem; naturally, Apple's speakers take a similar approach. You'll find Siri voice assistant instead of Google Assistant and Apple AirPlay capabilities instead of Chromecast built-in. However, Apple generally doesn't offer as many sound customization features as Google.
Google vs Amazon
Amazon and Google both manufacture wired smart speakers designed for in-home use. Built-in voice assistants (Alexa and Google Assistant, respectively) allow you to control their devices hands-free. However, Amazon's more premium lineup includes support for their built-in Zigbee hub, which lets you control other smart home devices from their speakers, unlike Google.
Overall, Google makes wired-only smart speakers with lots of wireless connectivity options. They're compatible with other technologies in the Google ecosystem, including Google Assistant and Google Chromecast. Unlike other Bluetooth speakers on the market, they're for home use, and their wired-only design means they aren't suitable to bring with you on the go. However, since the Google Home Max was discontinued, the manufacturer currently has only two speakers on the market that don't come with built-in displays.
Lineup
Like their competitors Amazon and Apple, Google's smart speaker lineup is limited to only a few products.
- Nest Series: Wired smart speakers with sleek mesh-fabric designs; no built-in displays.
- Home Series: While the Google Home Max has been discontinued, this wired smart speaker stood out from the Nest series thanks to its design, which included a built-in display to monitor the speaker's status. We'll update this article if more products are released in this lineup in the future.
Recent Updates
-
Feb 10, 2023: Ensured that the product picks are accurate, and made minor updates to the text for clarity.
-
Oct 14, 2022: Removed the Google Home Max from the Notable Mentions and made minor changes to the overall text for accuracy.
-
Jun 17, 2022: Minor updates to text for consistency and accuracy. No changes made to product picks.
-
Feb 18, 2022: Text updated for clarity and accuracy; no changes to picks.
-
Oct 21, 2021: Verified picks for accuracy, and updated text for clarity.
Conclusion
Google makes smart speakers for home use that support Google Assistant. You can easily pair multiple Google speakers together to enhance your listening experience, and you can stream audio over Bluetooth or Wi-Fi connections. They aren't for outdoor use and may struggle to reproduce a thumpy low-bass.