Google · Smart Home · Reviewed by 9to5Google · Published 2026-06-26
Based on a review by 9to5Google (accessed 2026-06-26).
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The reviewer concludes that the larger Google Home speaker offers substantial improvements in usability, daily music and podcast listening, and smart home reliability, especially with Gemini processing. While the Nest Mini, despite being discontinued, will still receive Gemini updates and remains a good basic smart assistant, the Home speaker is a more capable and substantial hub for those seeking enhanced functionality and a better audio experience in their living space.
This review compares the Google Nest Mini with the newer Google Home speaker, examining various aspects such as design, power solutions, color options, acoustic performance, physical controls, microphone capabilities, AI processing with Gemini, and smart home connectivity. The reviewer provides a side-by-side comparison to help determine if the Home speaker is a worthwhile upgrade.
The Google Home speaker is a significant upgrade from the Nest Mini for users seeking enhanced audio and smart home capabilities. It features a larger 58mm full-range driver, dedicated tweeters, and a mid-woofer, delivering substantially richer sound that can fill a large room, unlike the bass-lacking Nest Mini. Onboard machine learning chips process common commands locally, resulting in noticeably snappier performance compared to the cloud-reliant Nest Mini, which often experiences frustrating lag. However, its larger size means it cannot be wall-mounted and requires dedicated shelf space, unlike the inconspicuous Nest Mini. If you prioritize superior sound quality and faster smart home responses for a larger living space, this speaker is a worthy upgrade. If you only need basic voice control for smaller areas and already own a Nest Mini, sticking with the older model, especially with upcoming Gemini updates, is a perfectly viable option.
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The bigger, newer hardware easily hits the mark if you are looking for something more powerful, significantly louder, and more capable for playing music across a larger room.
Source location: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2kYhw12pOEo
visual_inspectionneutralt=0:54–1:04
The Nest Mini has always been a set-it-and-forget-it fabric-covered puck that simply rests on a side table, or with that mount plate at the back of it, actually hangs inconspicuously from a wall.
Source location: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2kYhw12pOEo
reviewer_claimneutralt=1:04–1:29
The larger Google Home speaker is designed to be more of a prominent part of your home decor. Because of its height, weight, and acoustic requirements, you simply can't pin it to a wall this time around, and there's no mount.
Source location: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2kYhw12pOEo
specification_claimneutralt=1:40–1:43
The new flagship stands at 86.6 mm tall, 107 mm in diameter.
Source location: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2kYhw12pOEo
comparisonneutralt=1:44–1:53
If placed side by side with the Nest Mini, the speaker is more than twice as tall, stretching an extra 44.6 mm into your vertical space. It also demands a modest 9 mm of extra width.
Source location: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2kYhw12pOEo
specification_claimpositivet=2:10–2:25
Google has finally switched to a USB-C cable for the power on the Home speaker, though it is non-detachable in the opposite direction. You can use any USB-C charger as long as it's 30 W, which is great for flexibility.
Source location: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2kYhw12pOEo
specification_claimneutralt=2:16–2:19
The Nest Mini cable is detachable. It's a traditional DC barrel plug with a blocky fixed power brick on the other end.
Source location: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2kYhw12pOEo
comparisonneutralt=2:42–2:59
While the Nest Mini did come in a variety of muted shades, the Home speaker mostly sticks to simple neutral tones, but with one bold, bright berry option. Sadly, jade and berry colors are limited to the US market.
Source location: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2kYhw12pOEo
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While the Nest Mini relies on a single small driver that fires upwards, its sound profile is absolutely fine for things like podcasts, but it is noticeably lacking in bass.
Source location: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2kYhw12pOEo
hands_on_demopositivet=3:28–3:48
The Home speaker, being a larger speaker, packs dedicated tweeters and a heavy mid-woofer. This completely changes the way you experience media, and it can fill a large room rather than just a small corner. There is an undoubted step up with this new model.
Source location: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2kYhw12pOEo
comparisonpositivet=4:18–4:27
The physical interaction buttons are scaled up as well. Both feature touch buttons, but the larger surface area of the Home speaker gives much more reliable volume tapping and play/pause controls.
Source location: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2kYhw12pOEo
comparisonpositivet=4:29–4:39
The microphone arrays are spaced farther apart for the larger device, meaning it should be able to hear your voice commands over loud music much more effectively than the tiny Mini can.
Source location: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2kYhw12pOEo
reviewer_claimnegativet=4:56–5:09
The Nest Mini still relies heavily on cloud processing for many of its smart home commands, which can sometimes result in a slight delay when asking for things like lights to be turned off or thermostats to be changed.
Source location: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2kYhw12pOEo
hands_on_demopositivet=5:10–5:34
The full-size Home speaker includes on-board machine learning chips to process your most common commands locally, meaning performance is noticeably snappier. You will rarely see frustrating lag, and Gemini processing handles complex inputs faster.
Source location: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2kYhw12pOEo
comparisonpositivet=5:37–5:55
The larger footprint also leads room for more robust connection protocols. The Google Home speaker acts as a fully-fledged Matter and Thread border router, meaning you can connect smart bulbs, locks, and sensors without needing a separate hub. The Mini can participate, but doesn't offer the same robust networking backbone.
Source location: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2kYhw12pOEo
The Google Home speaker is a substantial upgrade, featuring dedicated tweeters and a mid-woofer for superior sound quality, especially for music in larger rooms. It has on-board machine learning chips for snappier local processing of smart home commands and acts as a Matter and Thread border router, eliminating the need for a separate smart home hub. In contrast, the Nest Mini is smaller, more discreet, wall-mountable, and relies on cloud processing for many commands, leading to slight delays. It also has a simpler single-driver acoustic setup.
The Google Home speaker is significantly better for music playback. Unlike the Nest Mini's single small, upward-firing driver which is fine for podcasts but lacks bass, the Home speaker features dedicated tweeters and a heavy mid-woofer. This allows it to fill a large room with sound and offers an 'undoubted step up' in audio quality, making it a worthwhile upgrade for music listeners.
The Google Home speaker includes on-board machine learning chips that process your most common smart home commands locally on the device. This results in 'noticeably snappier' performance and rare frustrating lag when asking for complex queries. The Nest Mini, conversely, relies heavily on cloud processing, which can sometimes lead to slight delays when executing commands like turning off lights or changing thermostat settings.
The Google Home speaker's larger footprint provides room for more robust connection protocols, allowing it to act as a fully-fledged Matter and Thread border router. This means it can connect to smart bulbs, locks, and sensors directly, letting them talk to each other without the need for an additional dedicated smart home hub. While the Nest Mini can participate in these networks, it does not offer the same robust networking backbone as the newer Home speaker.
The Google Home speaker's dimensions are 86.6 mm in height and 107 mm in diameter. Compared to the Nest Mini, it is more than twice as tall (an extra 44.6 mm vertically) and demands an additional 9 mm of width on a counter. This increased size means it requires a dedicated space and cannot be wall-mounted like the Nest Mini.
The Google Home speaker utilizes a USB-C cable for power, which is a welcome change from the Nest Mini's traditional DC barrel plug. While the cable is non-detachable from the speaker, it offers flexibility as users can use any 30-watt USB-C charger they already own, potentially allowing for a smaller power brick. The Nest Mini, in contrast, has a detachable cable but comes with a blocky, fixed power brick.
The Google Nest Mini is now officially discontinued. This means it will likely be harder to find in brick-and-mortar stores, though the reviewer suggests looking for 'fire sales' and heavy discounts from remaining stock. Online prices might actually increase due to its discontinued status. Despite being discontinued, it will continue to receive Gemini updates.
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This video provides a comprehensive comparison between the Google Nest Mini and the Google Home speaker, highlighting significant upgrades in the newer model. The Google Home speaker offers vastly superior acoustics with dedicated tweeters and a mid-woofer, faster local processing for smart home commands thanks to on-board ML chips, and enhanced connectivity as a Matter and Thread border router. While the Nest Mini is noted for its compact, wall-mountable design and basic smart assistant functionality, it is now discontinued, though it will still receive Gemini updates. The Home speaker, while larger and more expensive, is presented as a more capable hub for those prioritizing audio quality, speed, and advanced smart home integration.
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