The last time Google released a smart speaker, the world was in the throes of a pandemic. Yes, it's been six years since the company trotted out a dedicated speaker.However, this newest Google Home Speaker brings a big change with it: The device has been redesigned to showcase the new Gemini assistant instead of the Google Assistant that powered all previous speakers and smart displays.Google announced the speaker last fall alongside new Nest smart home cameras and video doorbells, promising a spring 2026 launch. We're well into summer now, but it's finally go time.The company today announced that preorders for the Google Home Speaker start June 17, with official sales kicking off June 25. It costs $100 and comes in Berry, Jade, Hazel, and Porcelain, though the first two colors are exclusive to the US.The experience of using it should feel familiar if you’ve owned other smart speakers. You wake Gemini through the "Hey, Google" hot word and ask it questions. But Gemini is leaps and bounds better than the old Google Assistant at understanding natural conversation, so your queries do not need to be as rigid, and you won’t need to ask things in multiple ways to get what you want. Even if you make an error in your original ask, you can stop and rephrase your question midway through—just like you would if you were talking to a human—and Gemini will understand your intent.The Berry color of the Google Home Speaker makes me want to slice it and eat it.