The Verge says Google’s new $99 Home Speaker sounds good but is finicky

In short: The Verge’s early hands-on says Google’s new $99 Home Speaker has strong sound and good voice pickup, but it can be finicky.

What happened

The Verge tested Google’s new Home Speaker for two days and said it passed an important basic test, it reliably heard the “Hey, Google” wake word. A wake word is the phrase that tells the speaker to start listening, like knocking on a door before you talk.

According to the writer, the Home Speaker lowered the music and listened even when the volume was at 100 percent. It also did well hearing commands from a bathroom shower, which is a common problem area for voice assistants.

The Verge notes that Google is positioning this device as more than a music speaker. It is meant to be an “ambient” helper for Gemini, which is Google’s AI assistant, for planning your day, finding information, and helping get tasks done. The outlet says a full review of both the speaker hardware and the AI inside it is coming soon, and it also mentions the speaker comes in four colors.

Why it matters

Smart speakers only feel useful if they hear you the first time. If a device is “finicky,” it can be like a helpful roommate who sometimes ignores you for no clear reason. Early impressions suggest the Home Speaker may be good for music and voice control, but buyers may want to wait for full reviews to see how reliably the day-to-day AI features work.

Source: The Verge AI