Google's new speaker and your smart home questions

June 24, 2026

AI Summary

5 min read

The new Google Home Speaker costs $99, comes in a bright red that David Pierce specifically requested, and sounds dramatically better than an Echo Mini. It is also Google’s first smart speaker in six years, and it arrives at a moment when the company has spent nine months re-architecting the software foundation of Google Home around Gemini. That long gap — and Google’s history of abandoning products — raises an uncomfortable question that the hosts spend the episode wrestling with: should anyone trust Google with their smart home? The same question applies to Amazon and Apple, though for different reasons. The conversation moves from the speaker hardware to the state of AI-powered home control, the surprising absence of “AI” features in smart thermostats, and the slow, hopeful promise of the Matter standard — with IKEA cast as the sleeping giant that could finally make interoperability real.

The new speaker and the trust problem

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What you'll learn

1 (03:42) **Introducing the Smart Home Q&A and the New Google Home Speaker** - David and Jen preview the episode: answering listener smart home questions and discussing the new Google Home Speaker.
2 (04:23) **First Impressions of the Google Home Speaker** - Initial hands-on reactions to the $99 device.
3 (05:40) **Google's Last Chance in the Smart Home** - Jen provides context on Google's renewed effort.
4 (08:30) **The Hardware Form Factor: Finding the Sweet Spot** - Why the speaker's size and shape are a deliberate choice.
5 (11:05) **Gemini for Home vs. Alexa Plus: The AI Smart Home Reality Check** - Are AI-powered assistants actually improving the smart home experience?
6 (14:04) **The Future: AI for Home Security and Queries** - Where the real value of AI in the smart home might lie.
7 (19:31) **Listener Question: Why No AI Smart Thermostats?** - A listener asks why their decade-old thermostat hasn't been updated with "AI."

+ Full timestamped outline available in the app

Guests on this episode

David Pierce

Show Notes

Google is shipping its first smart speaker in six years, and we're starting to test it. The Verge's Jennifer Pattison Tuohy joins the show to explain why the Home Speaker matters, whether Google actually cares about the smart home, and more. Then, she helps answer a few questions from the Vergecast Hotline (call 866-VERGE11 or email [email protected]!) about the power of Ikea and the future of your thermostat.