What you need to know
- Google is said to be working on a new Nest-branded smart speaker to succeed the original Google Home.
- The smart speaker is codenamed 'prince' after music legend Prince.
- It is tipped to come with significantly larger speaker drivers compared to the Google Home.
Google is reportedly working on a new Nest-branded smart speaker that will be a direct successor to the Google Home from 2016. According to a report from 9To5Google, the upcoming smart speaker is codenamed 'prince' after musical genius Prince.
Just like the Sonos One, the upcoming Nest-branded smart speaker will not have a display. In terms of design, the device is tipped to look 'familiar' with the same fabric-based design language that we have seen with Google's Nest Mini, Nest Hub, and Home Max.
To justify the smart speaker's codename, Google has apparently equipped it with larger speaker drivers compared to the original Google Home. Provided the information is accurate, the smart speaker will likely deliver significantly more impressive sound quality than its predecessor. However, it won't be nearly as impressive as the Google Home Max, which has two 4.5-inch woofers and two tweeters.
When it comes to software, the Google Home successor will have all the usual features such as Google Assistant and stereo speaker pairing. There is no word on when the smart speaker will be launched, although it is possible that Google will unveil it along with its other new hardware products this fall. In terms of pricing, the device is expected to be priced higher than the original Google Home, which was launched at $129.
