Google Home Speaker nails the hardware; Gemini for Home still a work in progress

The Google Home Speaker delivers strong, stylish hardware with good sound for its size and features like Matter/Thread control, stereo pairing, and compatibility with a Google TV Streamer, though some features are paywalled and the power cable isn’t removable. Gemini for Home adds impressive conversational ability but remains slow and unreliable for routine smart‑home tasks, with memory issues and subscription gates, leaving it as a great speaker waiting for Gemini to catch up (Alexa Plus remains the more reliable smart‑home option today).