5 things to expect from a revamped Google Home smart speaker

After a four-year run, the original Google Home has finally shuffled out of Google’s smart speaker lineup, and now comes word that a successor is likely on the way. What are we likely to see in a revamped Google Home, or whatever Google ends up calling it? We already have some ideas.

The Google Home smart speaker, which made its debut back in 2016, has been listed as “not available” on the Google store for weeks, and a Google rep recently confirmed to TechHive that the original Google smart speaker has indeed been discontinued. If you still want to snag a Google Home, you can grab one on Best Buy for $30Remove non-product link, a steep discount considering its original $129 price tag.

Meanwhile, a source tells 9to5Google that a successor to the Google Home is in the works, although beyond its code name—”Prince”—details about the revamped speaker are scarce.

Still, between what 9to5Google’s source has revealed and what we’ve been seeing in the latest smart speakers, we can make some educated guesses about what the Google Home 2 will look like and what’s inside.

Goodbye “Home,” hello “Nest”

First of all, you can be certain that the new Google Home will ditch the “Home” branding. Starting with the Google Nest Hub Max last May, Google has been giving the “Nest” name to all its latest smart speakers and displays (the Google Home Hub from 2018 was renamed as the Google Nest Hub), and it’s a sure bet that a successor to the Google Home will follow the same pattern.

So…what exactly will the new Google Home be called, then? The Google Nest? Eh, doubt it, and while the Google Nest Prince sounds cool, the whole “Prince” thing is yet another Silicon Valley code name, so that seems unlikely as well. Google Nest One? That sounds too similar to the Sonos One, a premium Google Assistant-enabled speaker from a company that’s currently suing Google (and which Google sued right back). Speaking of the Sonos One, though….

Better sound

9to5Google’s tipster claims that the new speaker will be “display-less” and “in a similar vein to the Sonos One.” Well, if the new Google Home is indeed going to be in a “similar vein” to a Sonos One, it sure better sound good.

To be fair, the original Google Home was no slouch when it came to sound, and in our 2016 review, we said the speaker’s 2-inch driver and dual 2-inch radiators could “fill a single room with perfectly respectable sound.”