We now finally have release details about Google's next smart speaker in Canada, though one point will make some Canadians a little sad.
The brand-new Google Home Speaker swaps out its old virtual assistant infrastructure for Gemini for Home, its cutting-edge Artificial Intelligence (AI), for a more fluid and natural conversation experience.
The speaker is up for pre-order now and releases June 25th. Here's a few of the ways Google predicts it will be a game-changer for Canadian households.
A Speaker That Understands How Humans Actually Talk
That talking-to-robots-voice you've trained to sound so authoratative, specific, and clear is no longer necessary! The new Google Home Speaker features "natural language understanding" which is going to fit into your daily routine in a few ways:
You Can Change Your Mind Mid-Sentence
- Easy corrections: You don't have to start over if you make a mistake. You can literally say, "Hey Google, play that song by Simple Plan… wait, I meant Sum 41 where they're rapping at the beginning and then do the 'I don't wanna waste my time,' part" and Gemini will seamlessly follow your logic.
- Logic-based requests: You can give nuanced commands like, "Turn off all the lights except for my bedside lamp," and it will understand exactly what to leave on.
Multi-Tasking in a Single Breath
- String tasks together: Instead of giving three separate commands and waiting for the speaker to respond to each one, you can knock out an entire evening routine in one sentence.
- One and done: You can tell Gemini to "Dim the kitchen lights, play some relaxing music, and set a timer for 20 minutes," and it will execute all three simultaneously.
Actual Back-And-Forth Conversations
- Short-term memory: Gemini has conversational context. This means it remembers what you just asked, allowing you to ask follow-up questions without re-explaining everything from scratch.
- No more broken records: Thanks to an updated Continued Conversation feature, the microphone stays open for a few seconds after the speaker responds (indicated by a soft light ring underglow). You can jump right back in with a follow-up query without having to say "Hey Google" all over again.
Processing Complex Brain-Teasers
Because Gemini is an advanced AI model rather than a simple command-handler, it can think through multi-step logic to answer complicated questions.
For example, if you ask, "What's the weather going to be like for the next Blue Bombers game?" Gemini doesn't get confused. It will intelligently figure out when the team plays next, look up the stadium location, check the specific forecast for game time, and give you a precise answer in seconds.
You can also use this processing power to simplify life's messy logistics:
- In the kitchen: You can ask Gemini to brainstorm quick, healthy school lunch ideas based on whatever random ingredients are left in your fridge, and then instantly add those missing items to your digital shopping list.
- Planning trips: You can brainstorm family weekend outings, look at your calendar for a free afternoon, block it off, and check the weather for the destination all in one conversational session.
Google Home Speaker: Other Key Features
There's a few other things worth knowing about the new speaker. You'll be able to connect it to your Google TV streamer either as a solo speaker or a stereo pair which will nicely round out this excellent piece of tech for controlling your smart home and media from your TV.
If you have a Google Home Premium subscription Plan (or a Google AI Pro plan that includes Google Home Premium) you'll be able to search your camera history by asking things like "Hey did my cat sneek out of the house when I went to grab that delivery?" or "what happened while I was gone" and get answers about the things your camera "saw" withouth manually scrolling yourself.
Google Home Speaker: The Catch In Canada
When Google first showed off these speeakers last fall (teasing they'd be released in "spring 2026" they also showed off four different colours. Unfortunately, the coolest colours that could add a pop of colour to your home decor are not available in Canada.
Instead of getting the pink berry shade or the sage green finish, Canadians will be choosing between hazel (dark grey) and porcelain (off-white). At least those colours will "go" with anything in your home, but that's too bad we can't get the same pizzazz as our American friends.
The "So What?" Takeaway
At $139 CAD, the Google Home Speaker seems like a fair price for such a big leap in smarts. Of course we'll wait on that recommendation until we get some first hand experience (and first ear since a speaker also needs to sound great, too). But everything is looking very promising for this new version of Google Home to use the best of Gemini to create a better experience for monitoring and commanding the smart gadgets in our homes.
Pre-orders are open right now through Google's store if you want to secure one before the June 25 release date.
Read more
Don't Buy the Nest Cam Outdoor Wired if Your Winter Hits -20°C
The newest version of Google's Outdoor security cameras benefit from improved video quality and significantly smarter notifications.
Google powers up Canadian smart homes with latest device lineup
Google's latest smart home hardware and software updates will make monitoring your smart home easier than ever.
Google Gemini Can Now Keep Your Secrets with 'Temporary Chat'
Google has just updated the Gemini experience which can help you keep sensitive information more private.
Sleek and Smart: Nest Learning Thermostat Review
A smart thermostat is a device you’re not planning on upgrading year-to-year like some other tech. So when the time comes to pick one, you really want to choose right since you’ll be living with this decision for years!