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Yesterday’s Made by Google event was a whirlwind of celebrity appearances, a new talk-show format, and a massive slate of hardware announcements. Between the new Pixel 10s, the Pixel Watch 4, and the debut of Pixelsnap, it would be easy to miss some of the smaller details.
But if you were paying close attention during the pre-recorded skit with F1 driver Lando Norris, you might have spotted something very interesting: a new, unannounced Google smart speaker.
What we saw during the show
During the segment, Norris was interacting with a sleek-looking smart speaker. As others online have also noted, this device was clearly not a Nest Mini, a Nest Hub, or a Nest Wifi point. It was something new.
And I don’t think for a second that this was an accident. Google has a long history of this sort of thing, and placing a piece of unreleased hardware on stage during its biggest event of the year is a classic, intentional tease.
A new Nest Audio with Gemini?
So what exactly are we looking at? While this is just a guess, I’d be willing to wager that we just got our first glimpse of the long-awaited successor to the Nest Audio. The Nest Audio is due for a refresh, and the device on stage looked to be about the right size and shape to be its replacement.
But the more exciting part is what’s likely on the inside. With the announcement of Gemini for Home yesterday, Google needs a new piece of flagship hardware to showcase its next-generation, truly conversational AI assistant. A new Nest Audio would be the perfect vehicle for that. It just makes sense that the first smart speaker to launch with Gemini’s powerful new capabilities out of the box would get a little cameo at the big show.
For now, this is all just speculation. Google didn’t mention the device at all, so we have no official name, price, or release date. But it was definitely there, hiding in plain sight. It’s a fun little breadcrumb that gives us an exciting glimpse of what’s coming next for the Nest and smart home ecosystem, and you can be sure we’ll be keeping our eyes peeled for more details.
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