The Nest Audio smart speaker, widely leaked and even spotted last week in stores, was announced Wednesday at the company's Launch Night In event. It's the successor to the Google Home smart speaker, the very first speaker the search giant launched in 2016.
Here's a quick rundown of what we learned today:
- Priced at $100 (£90, AU$149)
- Five colors: Chalk, charcoal, sand, sky and sage
- Designed with 70% sustainable materials
- 19mm tweeter for high frequency coverage and clear vocals
- 75mm midwoofer for better bass
Google says the Nest Audio is 75% louder with a 50% stronger bass than the original Google Home.
Watch this: Nest Audio is Google's new smart speaker
When it comes to features, the Nest Audio keeps up with all the latest Google updates like real-time, multiroom audio, voice calling with Google Duo and stream transfer for moving sound from speaker to speaker via voice commands.
Beyond a new design and improved sound, there aren't any particularly special tricks up the sleeve of the Nest Audio as far as we can tell today.
Googlefirst unveiled the Google Home as a rival to Amazon's Echo device. Since then, the company has expanded and rebranded the line under the Nest name, the smart home device maker Google bought in 2014.
The smaller Nest Mini competes with Amazon's Echo Dot, the Home Max lines up in size and price with the Apple HomePod, and Google's Nest Hub smart display takes on Amazon's Echo Show. We're now set for a new duel between the redesigned Echo speaker announced last week and the Nest Audio.
Google is wise to update its standard smart speaker, especially since Amazon just did the same. The $100 (£90, AU$149) price makes it affordable, and we'll likely see deals and sales similar to smart speakers of the past. Nest Audio is available starting Oct. 5 in 21 countries.
When it comes to smart speakers, Amazon still dominates the market. Through the end of the year, the e-commerce giant's Echo devices will own almost 70% of the smart speaker market globally. Google's smart speakers will hold almost 32%, eMarketer estimates. (It adds up to more than 100% because some people have more than one brand of smart speaker.)
Stay tuned to CNET.com for our full review of the Nest Audio and further coverage of everything else Google announced today, including the Pixel 5 phone and a new Chromecast streaming device.
