The Google Home Speaker delivers impressive sound and a sleek design, but it can be a bit temperamental.

Right out of the box, the new Google Home Speaker aced a couple of key tests. Even with the volume cranked to 100 percent and music blasting, it seamlessly lowered the audio to catch my “Hey, Google” commands. Over two days of testing, the speaker’s three microphones didn’t miss a single wake word—except for that one time I tried to whisper from another room to avoid waking the baby, but I’m not sure that counts as a fair test. I even set it up in the bathroom and chatted with it from the shower; while Siri often struggles to hear me over running water, Google performed admirably.

These are the essential functions any smart speaker should nail, and they’re crucial for the Home Speaker, which Google designed not just for music and smart home control but as a versatile assistant for managing your day, accessing information, and getting things done. My colleague and I both have Home Speakers in our homes right now, but we’ve only had a day or so to really put them through their paces; a full review of both the speaker and its AI assistant is on the way.

What I can share so far is that the Home Speaker delivers impressive sound for its size. It produces rich, full audio and gets plenty loud for a compact device. If you’re using it in the kitchen or for background tunes, you probably won’t need to max out the volume. I don’t have Google’s previous model, the Nest Audio, on hand for a direct comparison, but if memory serves, it was both louder and better, albeit larger.

For years, my go-to small speaker has been a UE Wonderboom, and the Home Speaker holds its own against this similarly sized Bluetooth powerhouse. The Wonderboom can get a bit louder and emphasizes vocals and treble more, while the Home Speaker leans into the bass. To illustrate, a track like “Sugar, We’re Goin Down” by Fall Out Boy showcases the bass and drums on the Home Speaker, while the Wonderboom highlights the vocals and lead guitar. Your choice will likely come down to personal preference. However, when compared to the similarly sized Amazon Echo Dot Max, the Home Speaker stands out as cleaner, louder, and sharper across the board, making the Dot Max sound like a basic phone speaker.

I really dig the design of the Home Speaker, which resembles a colorful, softball-sized ball of yarn. It’s available in four colors, but I opted for red and highly recommend it. With no visible buttons or controls—just a white USB-C cable discreetly running out the back—the vibrant color adds a nice touch without screaming “look, a speaker!”

The downside of this minimalist design is that using the Home Speaker isn’t exactly intuitive. You can adjust the volume by tapping on the right or left side, but the touch areas are small, and it’s not immediately clear which side is which since it’s round! Tapping the top pauses and plays music, which works well. The light ring that indicates when the assistant is listening or responding is somewhat hidden underneath the speaker, making it hard to see unless you’re looking down at it. This visual feedback is crucial for a smart speaker, and it would have been better if Google had made it more prominent. I’d also prefer the Echo Dot’s straightforward volume buttons.

While you can’t use the Home Speaker as a standard Bluetooth speaker, it does support Google Cast for streaming from other devices. You can also group multiple speakers for synchronized audio throughout your home or pair a couple with a Google TV Streamer for enhanced TV sound. While a bunch of Home Speakers won’t replace a Sonos setup or soundbar, they’re likely an upgrade over your TV’s built-in speakers.

So far, I’m impressed with this little speaker, especially at a price point of $99. But audio quality is just one part of the Home Speaker’s appeal. Google designed it to integrate Gemini into your home, offering a new way to control your environment and manage your life through its AI assistant. It’s been six years since Google released a smart speaker—whether this one was worth the wait will depend on how well Gemini performs. There’s still plenty of testing to be done.