Google unleashes its first Amazon Echo rival in 6 years, promising some seriously smart upgrades

The company first teased this bulbous new speaker last autumn, alongside its refreshed Nest camera lineup and its Pixel 10 smartphones, promising a spring launch. It's taken a little longer than expected, but the wait for the eagerly anticipated new Amazon Echo challenger appears to be over.

For those who aren't familiar with the product category, smart speakers are designed to help control the swathe of internet-enabled devices in your home — so you can adjust the colour or brightness of any smart lightbulbs, check for any notifications from the video doorbell, set timers or reminders, add items to your shopping list, play songs, podcasts, or radio stations all with a quick voice command. Google can also answer any general knowledge queries that pop into your head, quickly resolving any family debates.

You'll be able to choose from four colour options – Hazel, Porcelain, Jade, and Berry — although those final two colourways will be exclusive to the US market for now. The orb-like design looks a bit like an inflated Google Nest Mini, or a slightly deflated Echo Studio from Amazon.

On the outside, the speaker is covered with a colourful knit mesh, which is made from recycled materials. LED lights are built into the base, casting a glowing ring on whatever surface you've placed the Google Home Speaker, so with a quick glance you'll know the device is listening, processing, or responding to your requests.

The rounded shape should improve audio quality, Google says. That's because the components have been arranged to provide 360-degree performance, so wherever you position the Google Home Speaker – or wherever you're sat in the room, this diddy speaker promises to deliver clear sound.

You can pair up to two speakers with Google's TV Streamer — that's the set-top box that killed-off the Google Chromecast lineup — to create spatial surround sound for your telly. There's a physical mute switch included, giving you complete control over the microphone when needed.

Smart home standards Thread and Matter are supported out-of-the-box, turning the speaker into a hub for devices like smart lightbulbs and thermostats, video doorbells, and much more, without having to daisy-chain several hubs to your Wi-Fi router. compatible smart home devices. It also supports Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.4.

But the biggest shake-up compared to the last time Google launched a smart speaker is the addition of its Gemini AI. This Artificial Intelligence (AI) assistant is already baked into Android smartphones and tablets worldwide. If you're used to the previous Google Assistant experience with ageing Google Nest Mini and other smart home devices from the company, Gemini promises an entirely new experience.

Gone are the days of memorising a specific command or issuing commands in a deliberate order.

For the first time, you can string together multiple requests in one breath. Fancy dimming the lights, starting your favourite playlist, and setting a cooking timer all at once? Gemini can handle it.

Made a mistake mid-sentence? No worries. You can stumble or stutter and correct yourself on the fly, Gemini is able to understand what you actually meant from the context. It's designed to work more like a conversation with a person, rather than a spoken command to a computer.

To that end, Google offers a feature called Continued Conversation that keeps the far-field microphone briefly active after each response, letting you ask follow-up questions without saying the "Hey Google" wake phrase every time. This capability now works in all supported languages for the first time.

The speaker ships with 10 different voice options, so you can pick one that best suits your household.

Gemini also features what Google calls a "short-term memory," meaning it can follow the thread of your conversation without you having to constantly repeat context. That means you could follow up a question like "who sings Dancing In The Moonlight?" with "play their first album", and Google Gemini will know what you're referring to.

Here's the catch: you won't get access to all the clever features without paying extra.

Google Home Speaker is available to preorder now at £99, with the first speakers scheduled to arrive on store shelves from June 25, 2026.

But you'll need a Google Home Premium Standard subscription (£8 per month) to access the most exciting Gemini features, including the free-flowing, ChatGPT-style conversations where you can interrupt and change topics naturally.

But you'll need the most expensive Google Home Premium Advanced subscription (£16 per month) before you can ask Gemini about specific events captured on your Nest cameras, like "Did the postman drop off a package this morning?" and a daily summary of all recorded events from Gemini, so you never miss a thing at home.

Google Home Premium Standard is included with Google AI Pro (you can upgrade that to Home Premium Advanced for a separate fee), while the pricier Google Home Premium Advanced is included with Google AI Ultra at no extra cost. These cost £18.99 and £79.99 per month, respectively.

For a limited time, Google will include a six-month trial of this premium Gemini AI service with its new speaker. Amazon is already charging extra for its similar Alexa+ experience, which launched in the UK a few months ago. However, those with an Amazon Prime membership will be able to experience the perks at no extra cost.