Good things take time, but not all things that take time are good. The Google Home Speaker, which first announced its arrival in August last year, is finally available for preorder. The device, a small and round oblate spheroid covered in recycled fabric, promises '360-degree sound' for a uniform listening experience anywhere in the room.

While previous Google speakers included Assistant-style illuminated lights, the new Google Home Speaker features a light ring around the bottom that glows when the device is listening or responding. This follows a trend with Google, as they will require a similar glowing lightbar on their upcoming laptops too. With three far-field microphones and a mute switch for privacy, users can control media playback using touch controls on top.

Inside, the speaker houses a quad-core A55-based processor clocked at 2 GHz with a dedicated NPU that runs local AI models to filter out background noise better than past smart speakers. This could make it less frustrating when the device mishears commands. Google says the device produces '360-degree sound' for a uniform listening experience anywhere in the room, although this remains to be seen.

The new speaker is small and round—technically an oblate spheroid—and comes in four colors: hazel, porcelain, jade, and berry (with jade and berry limited to the US). It’s Google’s first home audio device in almost six years since the Nest Audio debuted back in September 2020. With a release date of June 25 and a preorder price of $100, it’s time for those nostalgic for Google Home to act.