Google’s Gemini-powered smart speaker leaks – and it looks like a HomePod

The Made by Google event took place last week with the brand celebrating Pixel's 10th birthday. During the launch event, Google announced the Google Pixel 10, 10 Pro, 10 Pro XL, 10 Pro Fold, Buds Pro 3, and Buds 2A – but eagle-eyed smart home fans spotted a potential smart speaker hidden in plain sight in the launch video.

A ‘blink and you might miss it’ cameo showed a Google smart speaker sitting on a table which caused many outlets to speculate whether it was real or not. Now, as reported by Android Headlines, the Google Gemini-powered smart speaker is real – and here are all the details we know so far.

As pictured in the keynote video, the Google Home Speaker – as it’s been dubbed by Android Headlines – is a rounder, chunkier version of the Google Nest Mini. I think it looks like a mix between an Apple HomePod and an Amazon Echo Dot, and it seems to be made from a fabric material with a light around the base.

More details surrounding the Google Home Speaker have stated that it’ll be powered by Gemini rather than Google Assistant. This is somewhat to be expected as Google announced that Gemini for Home will be added to existing Nest smart speakers later in the year. The Google Home Speaker could also include Gemini Live as well.

Gemini for the Google Home Speaker is expected to offer the standard assistant experience that you get from smart speakers, including playing music, controlling smart home devices and automations, and setting timers. It’s also expected to be able to detect certain sounds like alarms or glass breaking to alert you of anything unusual.

Another feature that the Google Home Speaker is expected to have is pairing with the Google TV Streamer to enhance your entertainment experience. It’s also been stated that the Google Home Speaker could act as a Matter hub so users can connect and control more compatible devices that are both Google and non-Google products.

Aside from these new details, the name of the new smart speaker hasn’t been confirmed – although I think the Google Home Speaker has a nice ring to it. A release date also hasn’t been announced, but Android Headlines did report that it saw additional images of the Google Home Speaker and it should come in four colours.