The new Google Home SpeakerGoogleGoogle is - finally - returning to the smart speaker market with its first new standalone speaker in six years, and - this being 2026 - there’s an emphasis on AI.The new Google Home Speaker, which was first teased alongside Google's next-generation smart home devices at the end of last year, is now available for pre-order ahead of a June 25 launch.Priced at $99.99, the speaker replaces the old Google Assistant experience with Gemini, bringing more natural conversations and smarter smart home controls to Google’s audio lineup.Gemini for Home has been rolling out steadily over the past few months and, while you can access the AI-pimped digital voice assistant on older Google and Nest smart speakers, the new Home Speaker is the first one designed especially for it.The new speaker includes 10 voice options and also supports Gemini Live, Google's conversational AI mode that allows users to hold free-flowing back-and-forth discussions without repeatedly using a wake word.Gemini Live is available through the Google Home Premium subscription service, with Home Speaker buyers receiving six months of Premium access at no additional cost.Rather than relying on rigid voice commands, Gemini for Home is designed to understand requests in a more human way.Users can issue multiple commands in a single sentence, making corrections while speaking, and can ask highly specific smart home requests without worrying about exact phrasing.For example, you can ask Gemini to turn off every light in the house except a bedside lamp, or combine several actions into one command such as dimming lights, playing music and setting a timer.MORE FOR YOUGemini for Home is also able to maintain context between requests, enabling follow-up questions without having to repeat information each time.Google says Gemini’s reasoning abilities also allow it to answer more complex questions. If you ask about the weather for your favorite team’s next game, for example, Gemini should be able to determine when and where the game is taking place before giving you a forecast.Google Home Premium also unlocks AI-powered home features including Camera History Search and Home Briefs.Camera History Search lets you ask questions about recent activity captured by compatible Nest cameras, while Home Briefs can generate summaries of events that occurred around the home while users were away.On the hardware side, the Google Home Speaker features a compact spherical design wrapped in a knitted fabric finish. It’s very HomePod-esque.It is available in Hazel and Porcelain globally, alongside Jade and Berry color options that are exclusive to the US market.The LED light ring built into the base illuminates underneath to let you know when Gemini is listening, processing or responding. Privacy-conscious users can also disable the microphones entirely using a dedicated hardware mute switch.Google says the speaker delivers balanced 360-degree audio, allowing it to be positioned almost anywhere in a room while maintaining consistent sound quality. It’s a small speaker though, so it will probably be best in a kitchen or a bedroom.The Home Speaker uses advanced microphone processing and local AI models to better isolate voice commands from background noise, helping Gemini hear requests more accurately in busy environments.You can pair two Google Home Speakers with a Google TV Streamer to create a surround sound-style audio experience and a pair can also be used as a stereo pair for your music.It’s also Matter Controller with Thread border router skills, meaning it can function as a hub for your entire smart home.According to Google, more than 3.5 million homes across 20 countries have already opted into Gemini for Google Home since the early access program launched last year.The search giant says feedback from those users has helped drive more than 2,500 updates and fixes.With the AI supercharged Alexa+ already rolling out, and Apple set to launch a next-gen AI-powered Siri soon, it’s going to be fascinating to see how the evolution of the smart home space plays out in the next year or so.The new Google Home Speaker can be pre-ordered directly from Google now.