Google’s Nest Audio: Midrange Smart Speaker
The Nest Audio is a compact, entry-level smart speaker designed for music enthusiasts who appreciate simplicity. It offers impressive audio quality for its size and serves as a versatile all-around performer. Integrated Google Assistant and Chromecast capabilities enable effortless task management, information retrieval, podcast streaming, and more. Priced below $100, the Nest Audio speaker delivers excellent value.
Google Nest Audio has set its sights on the midrange market, positioned between the Nest Mini and Home Max in terms of pricing, size, and output. Priced at $99.99, it offers a more affordable option than the original Google Home. Despite its lower price point, the Nest Audio surpasses its predecessor in almost every aspect. It features a larger design that seamlessly fits into various home areas, delivers faster response times to voice commands, and notably improves Google Home’s sound quality.
Google Nest Audio: Facing Tough Smart Speaker Competition
However, Google faces intense competition from Amazon, which has released multiple generations of Echo models, surpassing Google Home regarding audio quality, design, and features. Sonos, known for its wireless streaming and exceptional audio quality, has also entered the innovative speaker game. Even Ikea has joined the market, combining Sonos’ technology with its design sensibilities and competitive pricing. With these formidable competitors, Nest Audio has its work cut out to establish its place among consumers seeking a midrange smart speaker.
Overall, the Nest Audio presents a better value proposition than the outdated Google Home. While facing strong competition from Amazon, Google has succeeded in creating a speaker that stands out in terms of design, sound quality, and affordability.
Stylish Design and Enhanced Sound Quality
The Nest Audio is a stylish, solid, smart speaker with improved sound quality. It features touch controls, LED indicators, and optimized sound for different media types. Compact and powerful, it excels in design and audio performance.
The Nest Audio has a sleek and subtle design that complements most home decor styles in contrast with the unique look of the Google Home. Additionally, the speaker is shaped like a tall rectangle with rounded edges, covered in a recycled plastic mesh fabric that adds a touch of sophistication. Furthermore, this fabric is long-lasting and doesn’t collect dust easily.
In terms of performance, Nest Audio offers improved sound quality compared to its predecessor, making it a compelling choice for music enthusiasts. It delivers directional sound through a 75mm woofer and a 19mm tweeter. The speaker integrates seamlessly with the Google Assistant ecosystem, supports stereo pairing, and is compatible with other Nest products for multi-room playback.
The Google Nest Audio features a discreet and minimal design with a smooth and nearly seamless construction. Its unique oval shape is complemented by a vertical orientation, making it easy to fit into various home decor settings. The speaker showcases a single vertical line that divides it into front and back halves. When active, four horizontal lights illuminate, providing visual feedback. With color options like Chalk, Charcoal, Sky, Sage, and Sand, the Nest Audio can be customized to match personal preferences.
Notably, the presence of a dedicated mute switch highlights Google’s commitment to privacy, and when activated, all four LEDs glow amber until the speaker receives a new command.
Pros:
Lovely design
The Nest Audio features an attractive modern design with durable plastic construction and a sleek fabric cover, making it a stylish addition to any space.
Bass and treble adjustments
The speaker allows users to customize the audio experience by adjusting bass and treble levels, ensuring optimal sound quality.
Bluetooth and Wi-Fi compatibility
With Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity options, the Nest Audio offers versatile connectivity, allowing users to stream music from various devices and services easily.
Solid sound performance
Thanks to its dual-driver system comprising a 75mm woofer and a 19mm tweeter, the Nest Audio delivers improved sound quality compared to its predecessor, producing fuller and clearer audio with enhanced bass.
Great Google Assistant integration
As a smart speaker, the Nest Audio seamlessly integrates with the Google Assistant, allowing users to control various tasks and access information using voice commands, such as playing music, checking the weather, controlling smart home devices, setting alarms, and more.
Cons:
Some hiss around Google Assistant audio
While the Nest Audio performs well in picking up voice commands, some users have reported a slight hissing sound when playing Google Assistant responses, which can be a minor inconvenience.
Compression at max volume
At maximum volume levels, the audio quality on the Nest Audio may experience some compression, resulting in a slight loss of clarity and detail in the sound.
Requires AC power
The Nest Audio must always be plugged into an AC power source, limiting its portability compared to battery-powered speakers.
No Zigbee controller for direct, smart product setup
Unlike some other smart speakers, the Nest Audio lacks a built-in Zigbee controller, which means it cannot directly set up and control Zigbee-based intelligent devices in the home.
Google nests have a large number of products e.g google nest thermostat
Despite these minor drawbacks, the Nest Audio offers a compelling package with its stylish design, customizable sound settings, seamless Google Assistant integration, and solid audio performance, making it a desirable choice for those seeking a versatile and capable smart speaker.
