Google is set to launch its first smart speaker in six years next week.

Google is set to launch its first new smart speaker in six years, with shipments starting on June 25th, just missing the promised spring release. Preorders for the Google Home Speaker kick off today, June 17th.

The hardware remains unchanged since the $99 speaker was unveiled nine months ago. It features the same slightly squished round design, complete with touch-capacitive buttons on top and a light ring at the bottom to indicate its status. The speaker is available in four colors: porcelain (white), hazel (black), jade (green), and berry (red), with the latter two being exclusive to the US.

The Home Speaker is designed specifically for Gemini for Home, Google’s latest audio assistant. While Gemini for Home can be used on other Google Nest speakers and smart displays, the chief product officer for Google Home, Anish Kattukaran, emphasized that this device offers the best experience. It utilizes local models for noise cancellation, echo suppression, and sound separation, ensuring that Gemini can pick up commands even in noisy environments.

Gemini for Home has been in an early access program on Nest speakers for several months. Unlike Google Assistant, Gemini provides a more natural conversational experience, capable of understanding everyday language, managing complex inquiries, and following along even if you hesitate or change your mind mid-sentence. It can also engage in limited back-and-forth dialogue without needing you to repeat the wake word.

The Google Home Speaker is smaller than the previous flagship, Nest Audio. Kattukaran noted that feedback indicated the taller Nest Audio was challenging to place in various home settings. While Google isn’t claiming the new speaker matches the sound quality of the Nest Audio, it does highlight that it offers a significant audio upgrade over the Nest Mini. With 360-degree audio, it promises a consistent sound experience from any spot in the room.

You can pair two Google Home speakers for stereo sound or connect them to the Google TV Streamer for spatial surround sound, a feature not previously available on Google’s smart speakers. Additionally, the speaker acts as a Matter controller and Thread border router, facilitating connections with smart home devices like lights, locks, and plugs. However, it launches with Thread 1.3 instead of the newer Thread 1.4 specification.

So, why the delay in launching this device despite no hardware changes? Kattukaran explained that Google has used the time to enhance Gemini for Home, reducing latency for smart home and media commands by up to 40%, resolving over 25,000 reported issues, and introducing more than 50 new features and improvements.

Purchasing a Google Home Speaker before mid-September includes six months of Google Home Premium, which starts at $10 per month and is necessary for using Gemini Live, described by Kattukaran as “the most conversational experience you can have with Gemini.” It also provides access to AI-powered search on Google Nest cameras, allowing you to ask when the speaker last spotted your cat, and to Google Home Brief, which summarizes daily activity around your home.

With the Google Home Speaker, Google is making a compelling case for integrating Gemini into your smart home. Testing its capabilities will begin when the speaker arrives next week.