Best Google Home Devices: What Google Sells Now

Buy the Nest Hub (2nd gen) if you want a screen and the Google Home Speaker if you do not. Either one also works as the Matter hub that Google Home needs before it will accept Matter devices from other makers, so it is the sensible first purchase. After that, add only what the house needs.

The 2022 version of this page listed five devices, three of them made by other companies. This one covers what Google itself sells on its US store, described from Google’s own pages. We have not handled any of them.

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What Google sells for the home

Prices are from the Google Store in the US, rounded.

The store also shows a Yale Smart Lock with Matter and a First Alert smoke and carbon monoxide alarm. Google does not sell either itself. Both pages send you to other retailers. The full range is on the Google Store’s smart home page.

From Google Assistant to Gemini for Home

Google’s announcement says Gemini for Home will, over time, replace Google Assistant on existing speakers and displays, in free and paid versions. The Google Store now calls Google Assistant “our previous voice assistant”. You still start with “Hey Google”.

The details below are from Google’s help page for the Gemini for Home voice assistant.

• It is still arriving. Google calls the current stage early access and lists 20 countries: the US, Canada, Mexico, the UK, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, Japan and twelve in mainland Europe. India and Nigeria are not on the list. Google says other countries and languages will follow over time.
• The new speaker brings it. Adding a Google Home Speaker to a home makes that home eligible to opt in.
• There is no way back. The switch applies to every compatible device in the home, and Google says a home that has switched cannot return to Google Assistant.
• The basics are free. Smart home control, media search and playback, alarms, timers, calendar events, notes, lists, reminders and general questions need no subscription.
• The rest is paid. Gemini Live, the back-and-forth conversation mode, needs Google Home Premium. Searching camera history by voice and the daily Home Brief need its Advanced plan.

Google Home Premium is the new name for Nest Aware. The Standard plan is $10 a month or $100 a year. Advanced is $20 a month or $200 a year.

Google lists these as getting the complete Gemini for Home assistant: the Google Home Speaker, Nest Hub (2nd gen), Nest Hub (1st gen), Nest Hub Max, Nest Audio, Nest Mini (2nd gen) and the first Google Home Mini. The original Google Home, the Home Max, the Nest Wifi point and speakers from other makers get most features but not Gemini Live. Google’s help page has the current list. If you own a speaker from another maker, see our guide to speakers with Google Assistant.

Speaker and displays

Google Home Speaker, about $100

Google’s new speaker, built around Gemini for Home. The spec sheet lists a 58mm driver that fires in all directions, three microphones with a hardware mute switch, Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.4. It is a hub for Matter and a Thread border router. Google says it can pair with a Google TV Streamer for surround sound, and that it groups with Nest speakers, Nest displays and other Google Cast devices.

A trial of Google Home Premium comes with it. The store page gives the length as 30 days in one place and six months in another, so read the offer at checkout. When the trial ends, Google says you keep a more basic Gemini for quick answers, smart home control and tasks. Google Home Speaker on Amazon

The Nest Audio and Nest Mini have gone from the store. Their old addresses now open the Google Home Speaker’s page.

Nest Hub (2nd gen), about $100

One of two survivors from our old list. It has a 7-inch touchscreen for tapping lights, locks and the thermostat, and for video from Netflix and YouTube. There is no camera. A motion sensor reads hand gestures, and a feature called Sleep Sensing tracks your sleep. Google’s spec sheet now lists the Gemini for Home voice assistant, a Thread border router and Matter hub duties. Google Nest Hub (2nd gen) on Amazon

Nest Hub Max, $229

The 10-inch display with stereo speakers and a built-in Nest Cam for video calls. The Google Store shows it as out of stock, so we would not plan around it.

Streaming and Wi-Fi

Google TV Streamer (4K), about $150

A set-top box with 4K HDR, Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos, 32GB of storage and an Ethernet port. Google says it is a hub for Google Home and Matter with Thread built in, and that a home panel on the TV controls cameras, lights and thermostats. It needs an HDMI 2.1 cable, which is not in the box. Google TV Streamer (4K) on Amazon

Nest Wifi Pro, from about $200

A Wi-Fi 6E mesh router. Google gives each unit up to 2,200 square feet of coverage, and it is also a Matter hub and Thread border router. Buy it if you need a router anyway. Google Nest Wifi Pro on Amazon

Thermostats

The Nest Thermostat, about $130, follows a schedule you set in the Google Home app and can turn itself down when you leave. Google Nest Thermostat on Amazon

The Nest Learning Thermostat (4th gen), about $280, learns the temperatures you like and suggests its own schedule. It comes with one Nest Temperature Sensor for another room, and Google says it works with Matter, so other Matter apps can control it too. The gap is $150. Pay it if one room runs hotter or colder than the hallway where the thermostat sits. Google Nest Learning Thermostat (4th gen) on Amazon

Both control a central heating and cooling system. Google’s store has a compatibility checker, and it is worth running before you order.

Doorbells and cameras

The three newest models record in 2K: the Nest Doorbell (wired, 3rd gen), the Nest Cam Indoor (wired, 3rd gen) and the Nest Cam Outdoor (wired, 2nd gen). The older battery models are still sold, the Nest Doorbell (battery) from our old list among them. Google’s comparison gives the battery doorbell 960p video and the Nest Cam (battery) 1080p.

The wired doorbell and the battery doorbell cost the same, about $200. Take the wired one if the house has doorbell wiring, for the sharper picture. Google Nest Doorbell (wired, 3rd gen) on Amazon · Google Nest Doorbell (battery) on Amazon

For cameras, the indoor wired model is about $130 and the outdoor wired model starts at about $200. Google Nest Cam Indoor (wired, 3rd gen) on Amazon · Google Nest Cam Outdoor (wired, 2nd gen) on Amazon

Count the subscription before you buy a camera. Without one, the new wired models keep six hours of event previews, in clips of up to ten seconds. The Standard plan keeps 30 days of events. Advanced keeps 60 days and adds 10 days of round-the-clock recording on cameras and wired doorbells. One plan covers every device in the home, so the cost is the same for one camera or five.

Which to pick

• First device: the Nest Hub (2nd gen), or the Google Home Speaker if a screen is no use to you.
• For the TV: the Google TV Streamer (4K). Buy it for the streaming. As a hub alone it costs $50 more than the speaker or the display.
• Thermostat: the Nest Thermostat, unless you want the room sensor.
• Front door: the Nest Doorbell (wired, 3rd gen) where there is wiring, the battery model where there is not.
• Cameras: the wired 2K models, and budget $100 a year for the Standard plan if you want more than six hours of history.

If you want a hub that is not tied to Google, our guide to smart home hubs compares the alternatives.

Quick answers

Is Google Assistant being replaced by Gemini?

On Google’s speakers and displays, yes. Google says Gemini for Home will replace Google Assistant on them over time, and it is rolling out now as early access in 20 countries.

How much does Gemini for Home cost?

The basic assistant is free on compatible speakers and displays. Gemini Live needs Google Home Premium, which starts at $10 a month or $100 a year.

Which Google Home devices have a screen?

The Nest Hub (2nd gen), with a 7-inch screen at about $100, and the 10-inch Nest Hub Max, which the Google Store lists as out of stock.

What replaced the Google Home speaker?

The Google Home Speaker, at about $100. The Nest Mini and Nest Audio pages on the Google Store now lead to it.

Can you buy Google Home devices in India?

Not from Google directly. Its India store lists phones, watches and earbuds but none of the home devices, and India is not among the early access countries for Gemini for Home.

Prices move, so confirm on the Google Store before you pay.