Another day, another exclusive look at an upcoming piece of Google hardware from 9to5Google’s managing editor Stephen Hall. This time, Mr. Hall’s reliable source reports that Google is gearing up to release a new Assistant smart speaker that could be the spiritual successor to the original Google Home that debuted alongside the Google Assistant at I/O in 2018. The original Google Home speaker has recently been retired from the Google Store which lends even more weight to the generally spot-on insider information regularly reported by 9to5Google.
According to Hall’s source, the new speaker will feature the familiar fabric-laden design that has become a trademark look for Home and Nest-branded hardware. Presumably, the new Nest Home will be similar in size to the original device and third-party smart speakers like the Sonos One or JBL Link Music. Pricing is still unknown but it’s probably safe to say that the new Nest speaker will fall somewhere around the $150-$200 price range based on the fact that inside source likened it to the Sonos One. If that is the case, this device could be a big step forward for Google’s audio hardware offerings. The Nest Mini was a great improvement on the original Home Mini but to date, the Google Home Max is the only #madebygoogle speaker that is capable of satisfying the sweet tooth of the discerning audiophile.
9to5Google also reports that the new speaker is codenamed ‘Prince’ which could be a nod to the late great artist of the same name. It doesn’t appear, at least for now, that this new speaker will have any type of new or exclusive features but honestly, better sound quality is all it really needs to be a success. No official release date has been revealed but this is now the third piece of Google hardware on the list of devices that could and should drop at any time. The Pixel 4a has seen some delays but Google has launched Home and Chromecast hardware at Google I/O in May and I see no reason why these latest products shouldn’t arrive before summer is in full swing. We’ll keep an eye on the FCC for this new Nest speaker and the Android TV dongle ‘Sabrina’ and hopefully, we’ll have some new hardware to play with very soon. Perhaps there’s still hope that Google we’ll sneak in a new Chromebook this year… maybe.
Source: 9to5Google
