Google has surprisingly confirmed a redesigned Nest Home speaker, shortly after the device leaked earlier this week.
The overdue refresh of the smart speaker offers a pill-like design that can stand vertically or horizontally, with a speaker grill taking up the entire face of the device.
Google shared an official photo and a video that looks like it was created in-house, on the fly, also appearing to confirm the speaker will be portable. The clip shows the speaker detached from the base and placed on a table for playback via a built-in battery pack. However, the feature is yet to be officially confirmed by Google.
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The grey/blue device also seems as if it will be accompanied by a pink model, which appears in the background during the brief promo video shared by Mishaal Rahman of XDA Developers. The firm is also sharing the image above with the media, referring to it simply as something “the Nest team is working on from home.”
Here's the 13 second video they shared with us. pic.twitter.com/TMw9HSeSbC
— Mishaal Rahman (@MishaalRahman) July 10, 2020
Google isn’t giving anything else away beyond the photo and video, including the price and release date for the model. It may drop alongside the Pixel 4a phones, or perhaps the forthcoming Pixel 5, which we’re still expecting to see this October alongside Android 11.
The first Nest Home (nee Google Home) was unveiled way back in November 2016, so it’s about time Google issued a refresh. Google has since launched the Nest Mini and Nest Max speakers while also focusing on a range of Made by Google-branded smart displays like the Nest Hub and Nest Hub Max.
Adding portability would be a nice little boon and give the range a little more flexibility to take on rival smart speakers from Amazon, Sonos, Apple and more. The key to its success is likely to be the price point. We’re hoping Google will keep it under £100.
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
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We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
