Google Nest Audio review: A welcome upgrade for Google’s flagship smart speaker

Google’s first smart speaker, the Google HomeIn 2016 appeared as a response to Amazon’s brand-new Echo device. Since then, the two companies have released countless smart devices, acquired startups and today expanded their voice assistants to create platforms that use millions of people.

Google Home was overdue for an upgrade, and it comes in the form of the new Nest Audio. It sits square in the middle of a $ 100 (£ 90, AU $ 149) smart speaker. Nest mini And Home maxProviding a midrange speaker that is no more or less smart than you expect. The sound is improved on the older home speakers, and the design is updated, yet keeping in mind the new, fabric-wrapped design of Google’s other Nest speakers, is familiar. A handful of new features make this intelligently updated speaker appealing, especially if you’re looking for great sound and a good price.

Google’s new speaker is just 7 inches tall, almost the largest iPhone model. It comes in five colors: chalk, charcoal, sand, sky and a new green tone called sage.

Touch point on top of speaker control audio. Tap the top center to play or pause. Tap left to lower the volume and right to turn it on. The corresponding white dots in the center of the speaker will indicate your selection. Mixes from three far away areas hear you from across the room.

Everything else about the presence of Nest Audio is on par with the Google curriculum. Wrapped around this speaker is a familiar fabric cover, made from 70% recycled materials for the first time in the Nest Mini. At the rear there is a mic-muting button and a DC power jack. Like the rest of Google’s speaker lineup, there is no USB-C or auxiliary jack. All your pairing with external speakers, TVs or devices will be via Bluetooth or Wi-Fi in the Home app.

Google claims Nest Audio is 75% loud and has 50% stronger bass than the original Google Home. This is because it is equipped with a 19mm tweeter for higher frequency coverage and clearer tone, as well as a 75mm midwoofer for bass compared to Google Home’s 50mm full-range driver.

Nest uses Google’s recently released Media EQ and Ambient IQ technology to adjust audio sound. Media EQ tunes are based on the type of sound like podcasts, music, audiobooks or supporting sounds, but also plays the type of music to accommodate the difference of sound profile in classical music versus hard rock. Ambient Ambient adjusts the volume for any ambient background noise in your home. You can find one or both of these features on the Nest Mini, Nest wifi, Nest hub And Nest hub max.

The sound quality is absolutely better than the old Google Home. The vowels are more pronounced and the sound is full. Even at 100% volume, the deformation is very low.

My only complaint is the volume range from 0-50%. Most of that range is so quiet that it does not seem useful. My old Home Mini sounded louder at 30% volume than Nest Audio. I asked the Nest team about their experience, and they pointed to the Media EQ feature that can learn and adjust the types of songs I play. Listening on Nest audio between 50 and 100% volume is great and probably where you will spend most of your time.

Like previous Google speakers, you can group Nest audio through other Nest devices such as a Mini, Hub Max, or TV Chromecast. Nest Audio’s standout feature is the ability to add two units to the stereo for left and right channel separation.

A simple setup tells you which speaker delivers the left sound and which provides the right. Stand between the two speakers and the effect is really good. It was really gratifying to hear those channels separately while playing perfectly in sync. This is a feature that makes Nest Audio feel like you are getting premium quality that should be priced much higher than this.

What about its smart?

Nest Audio comes with all the features you’d expect from a Google Smart speaker. In addition to impressive stereo pairing, the functionality is similar to the Nest Mini and Home Max.

It is not necessarily a bad thing. I did not need Nest Audio to provide the amazing new smart home feature. I needed to capture Nest Mini, Home Max and the rest of the Google line of devices in terms of design and sound. Google did the same, with features such as Google’s latest ML chip (also found in the Nest Mini) for faster voice assist response and smart audio tuning features.

Is it worth adding to your smart home set up?

A hundred bucks is not bad for those who like it, but for the same $ 100 you can get two nest minis or one nest hub. Which way to spend your money comes for your smart home needs.

Nest audio certainly sounds better than both of them, but if you’re after a more smart home-centric device, then I’ll spend my money on Nest Hub. You’ll get a display on top of good sound quality, and it opens up a whole world of smart home integrations such as cameras, doorbells, video streaming, and visual games.

Two Nest Minis will not give you smart display visuals, but you will be able to broadcast your voice to another room or play audio in two rooms at half the cost of two Nest Audios. Small and unobtrusive but effective in delivery sound and virtual support, Nest Minis offers a lot for the same money.

A correction in every way, but wait for the echo

Nest audio is strongly felt towards music enthusiasts. Not necessarily audiophiles with thin ears, but the average spotify or YouTube music subscriber, someone who keeps enough to enjoy music to spend money on services and devices that listen first.

No, Nest Audio does not come with any exciting new features. Maybe four years after the arrival of Google Home, it has become a bit difficult for us all to impress when it comes to smart home devices. A speaker who talks back is not a shiny, new gadget, whatever it sounds like. Google Assistant‘s real wow factor is in software, not devices; at least for now.

Nevertheless, where credit is due. Google provided sound and style. Nest Audio is an improvement in every way, and brings Google’s original products into the new Google Nest era. I do not have anyone recommending this assistant who is looking for a Google Assistant Smart and is offering great sound for a reasonable price. If you have not yet committed to the smart home ecosystem and you are in the market for smart speakers, then you will have to wait a few weeks to see how. New amazon echo The speaker Comparison With this before shopping.