Google shows off next-gen smart speaker, the Google Home replacement

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  The new Google Nest smart speaker. This is an official photo from Google. [credit: Google ]

Say hello to Google's next smart speaker, which is expected to be a replacement for the original Google Home. Earlier this week, the speaker leaked via testing at Japan's FCC equivalent (which has the way-cooler name of "Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications" or "MIC"), and because MIC took some pretty unflattering pictures, Google decided to set the record straight and send an official press shot to various press outlets.

9to5Google previously mentioned the existence of this device in June. The report said the speaker was codenamed "Prince" and would be a replacement for the original Google Home. According to the report, the speaker had a "high excursion speaker with 2-inch driver" which would supposedly be a sound upgrade over the current Google Home.

The new speaker has an all-cloth design, with four lights on the front, which matches the Nest Mini/Google Home Mini and the Google Home Max. The old Google Home is the one outlier in Google's lineup, with a hard plastic top and 12 lights. There's not much to the design other than the cloth exterior. On the back, you'll find a DC barrel connector for power, a "G" logo, and a mute switch. A brief video Google sent to XDA Developers features a person sitting between a pair of speakers, which suggests the speakers can be paired as stereo devices, a feature previously reserved only for the Google Home Max.

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