Google may be weeks Away From releasing its first new Home smart speaker in six years, according to a report from Android Police.
The outlet cited evidence suggesting the device carries a concrete launch window, ending a prolonged silence from Google on its smart home audio hardware.
A Long Wait for New Hardware
Google last released a new Home speaker in 2019, when it launched the Nest Mini — a compact, second-generation upgrade to its original Google Home Mini.
Since then, the company has shipped no new standalone smart speakers under the Home or Nest brand, leaving the product line stagnant as rivals Amazon and Apple continued updating their own voice-assistant hardware.
Amazon refreshed its Echo lineup as recently as 2023, while Apple released an updated HomePod in February of that year.
What the Report Says
Android Police reported signs of an imminent launch but did not disclose a specific calendar date.
The report suggests Google has moved past internal development delays that stalled the product line for years.
Google has not officially confirmed any release date or product announcement.
The Smart Speaker Market
The smart speaker category — voice-activated wireless audio devices tied to digital assistants — has seen slowing growth globally after rapid expansion in the late 2010s.
Statista estimated global smart speaker shipments at roughly 140 million units in 2023, down from peak figures earlier in the decade.
Google’s share of that market depends heavily on its hardware presence, alongside its Google Assistant and, more recently, its Gemini AI platform.
Still, the company has leaned into AI-driven software updates rather than new physical hardware in recent years.
Google’s Hardware Trajectory
Google parent Alphabet has signaled continued investment in consumer hardware, with its Pixel phone line generating growing revenue.
That said, the company restructured its hardware division in 2023, cutting roughly 12% of those employees as part of broader layoffs that eliminated around 12,000 jobs across Alphabet, according to Reuters.
A new Home speaker would mark Google’s clearest statement in years that it intends to compete directly in the living room audio space.
The original Google Home, launched in 2016, was the company’s first entry into the smart speaker market, arriving roughly Two Years After Amazon introduced the Echo.
