Smart & Connected Life Smart Home Google Nest Audio Price, Release Date, Specs, and News Smarten up your home with the new Nest: Here's what you need to know by Tim Fisher General Manager, VP, Lifewire.com Tim Fisher has 30+ years' professional technology support experience. He writes troubleshooting content and is the General Manager of Lifewire. our editorial process Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Tim Fisher Updated on October 27, 2020 Google Smart Home Google Your Best Year Ever: College Tech Tips Amazon Appliances & Lighting Tweet Share Email Nest Audio is the successor to the original Google Home from 2016. It’s not the biggest or smallest smart speaker in Google’s lineup, nor is it the most or least expensive, but it does offer some improved features and upgraded hardware. When Will the Google Nest Audio Be Released? The Nest Audio was announced on September 30, 2020. It launched on the Google Store and other retailers in the US, Canada, and India on October 5. Target, Best Buy, and other stores in 21 countries began offering the smart speaker on October 15. Google Nest Audio Price The Nest Audio is priced at $99.99 in the US, $30 less than the original Google Home when it first came out and the same price as some competing speakers like Apple's HomePod mini. The Latest Google Nest Audio News Check out our smart home hub for everything we have on smart home devices. Nest Audio: Big Upgrade, Less Privacy CNET: Amazon Echo vs. HomePod Mini vs. Nest Audio The Top 100 Google Assistant and Google Home Commands The 8 Best Smart Speakers Google Nest Audio Features Compared to the original Google Home, the Nest Audio is easier to listen to. Not only is it 75% louder with bass that’s reportedly 50% stronger, it also automatically adapts, using a feature Google calls Media EQ, to whatever you’re listening to. Similar is Ambient IQ which adjusts the volume of Nest Audio in response to other sounds in the room. If you’re running the vacuum while listening to an audiobook, the sound will increase automatically so that you can still hear it. US customers can also enjoy faster Google Assistant responses than the original Google Home since some of the assistant's processing power can be done entirely offline on the device itself. According to Google, Nest Audio learns your most common music commands and responds two times faster than the original Google Home. It's list of features is extensive, but some highlights include listening to music and podcasts, hear the weather forecast, control your other smart home devices, create a shopping list, locate recipes online, and use Nest Aware to detect things around your house like broken glass or a smoke alarm. Google Nest Audio Specs and Hardware The Nest Audio comes in five colors, and the fabric, housing, foot, and a few other parts are made up of 70% recycled plastic. Compared to the original Google Home, Google Nest Audio is upgraded to Bluetooth 5.0 from 4.1, stands over an inch taller and weighs more than double, has a slightly shorter power cable, lacks a 3.5mm audio jack, and includes an additional microphone. Nest Audio Specs Dimensions Height: 6.89" / Width: 4.89" / Depth: 3.07" Colors Chalk, Charcoal, Sage, Sand, Sky Connectivity 802.11b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi / Bluetooth 5.0 / Chromecast Power and Ports 30W, 24V external adapter / DC power jack Sound 75 mm woofer and 19 mm tweeter / 3 far-field mics / 2-stage mic mute switch Technology Google Assistant / Voice Match Sensors Capacitive touch controls / 3 far-field mics Processor Quad Core A53 1.8 GHz / High-performance ML hardware engine OS Support Android / iOS