Google Nest Audio Review (2024)

Design

Design

Style

RGB Lights No

The Google Nest Audio has a fairly discreet and minimal design. It sits vertically on its base and has a unique, somewhat oval shape. It isn't very tall or wide, so it'll fit easily into most home decor. Four horizontal lights display when the speaker is active. You can get this speaker in several different colors, including Chalk, Charcoal, Sky, Sage, and Sand.

5.4

Design

Portability

Volume

93 in³ (1,522 cm³)

Weight

2.6 lbs (1.2 kg)

Power Source

AC Only

One-Hand Carry

Yes

This speaker isn't very portable since it needs to remain wired to a power outlet for it to work. That said, since it's fairly small and lightweight, you can easily move it from one room to another in your home.

6.4

Design

Build Quality

Material Quality

Good

Water Resistance

Unspecified

Dust Resistance

Unspecified

Impact Resistance

Unspecified

Floats In Water

Unspecified

The speaker's mostly made of plastic, which feels solid and durable. It sits on a rubber-like base. The body is covered in a tight fabric, which feels very nice, though it could collect dust over time. Also, it isn't water-resistant, so be cautious if you plan to use it near water.

8.0

Design

Controls

Ease Of Use

Great

Feedback

Great

Music Play/Pause

Yes (Tactile)

Call Answer/End

Yes (Tactile)

Volume Up/Down

Yes (Tactile)

Track Next/Previous

No

Microphone On/Off

Yes (Physical)

Additional Controls

No

On the top of the speaker, there are touch-sensitive controls that let you adjust the volume, play/pause your music, and answer/end a call. That said, there aren't any markings or lights to let you know where they are, so you need to know where to tap the speaker. The horizontal lights on the front help display the volume level. There's a physical mic mute switch on the rear of the speaker, which you can use when you no longer want the voice assistant to listen to you.

Design

In The Box

  • Google Nest Audio speaker
  • Power cable
  • User manual

Sound

6.4

Sound

Frequency Response Accuracy

Slope

-0.44

Std. Err.

4.62 dB

Low-Frequency Extension

56.6 Hz

High-Frequency Extension

13.7 kHz

The speaker's frequency response accuracy isn't bad. Out of the box, it has a pretty even sound, especially in the mids, where most voices and lead instruments are reproduced. As a result, it's suitable for listening to lots of different types of audio content. That said, the dip in the treble makes audio sound a bit dull, and it doesn't have as much low-bass as other smart speakers like the Apple HomePod (2nd generation). There are bass and treble adjustments in the app to customize its performance, though.

LEARN ABOUT FREQUENCY RESPONSE ACCURACY

Sound

Raw Frequency Response

Binaural Recording @ 1m

Binaural Recording @ 2m

6.4

Sound

Soundstage

Directivity Index

3.13 dB

Stereo

No (mono)

The soundstage is mediocre. It needs to be paired to another speaker to play stereo audio, and otherwise downmixes stereo content to mono when using it on its own, which doesn't sound as immersive. Fortunately, its directivity is very good, so its soundstage is perceived as more open and spacious. For a mono speaker with better directivity, check out the Apple HomePod mini.

LEARN ABOUT SOUNDSTAGE

5.4

Sound

Dynamics

SPL @ Max Volume

84.0 dB SPL

DRC @ Max Volume

4.14 dB

The speaker gets loud enough to fill an average-sized living room with sound. That said, it isn't meant to fill larger or more open spaces, and as you turn up the volume, there's more compression in the mix.

LEARN ABOUT DYNAMICS

Active Features

0

Active Features

Battery

Battery Life

N/A

Charge Time

N/A

Power Saving

No

Charging Port

No Battery

Battery Powered

No

LEARN ABOUT BATTERY

9.1

Active Features

Voice Assistant

Alexa

No

Google Assistant

Built-in

Speakerphone

Yes

Siri

No

Voice Assistant

Yes

Voice Activation

Yes

Microphone Mute

Yes

Far-Field Performance

Excellent

Ambient Noise Performance

Decent

Like the Google Nest Mini, this speaker comes with Google Assistant built-in, which you can activate with your voice. It does an excellent job of understanding your commands from far away, though it doesn't perform as well in noisier settings. There's a mute mic button you can use when you no longer want it to listen to you. If you're looking for a speaker that can understand you better in noisier environments, consider the Sonos One Gen 2/One SL or the Amazon Echo Gen 4.

LEARN ABOUT VOICE ASSISTANT

9.3

Active Features

App

App Name

Google Home

iOS

Yes

Android

Yes

EQ

Bass/Treble

Stereo Pair Mode

Yes

Party Mode

Yes

Multi-Room

Yes

The Google Home app is fantastic. There are bass and treble adjustments to tweak the speaker's sound to your liking, and you can pair the speaker to another Nest Audio to create a stereo pair. You can also use it to connect it to multiple other compatible speakers when you want to amplify your audio across a large space or play different audio in different rooms of your home at once.

Connectivity

Connectivity

Wired

Aux Input

No

USB Audio

No

Other Ports

No

This speaker doesn't have any wired inputs, aside from the connection for the power cable.

6.8

Connectivity

Bluetooth

Bluetooth

Yes

Bluetooth Version

5.0

Bluetooth iOS Latency

236 ms

Bluetooth Android Latency

252 ms

Bluetooth Range

254.3 ft (77.5 m)

Multi-Device Pairing

No

This speaker is Bluetooth-compatible and has an outstanding range, so it can stay connected even if your device isn't very close to the speaker. Unfortunately, unlike the Google Home Max, you can only pair it to one device at a time. Its latency is also likely too high to be suitable for watching movies since it can cause syncing issues between the visuals you see and the audio you hear. Some apps compensate for latency, so your experience may differ.

LEARN ABOUT BLUETOOTH

7.3

Connectivity

Wi-Fi

Wi-Fi Version

Wi-Fi 5

Wi-Fi Frequency Band

2.4GHz & 5GHz

Wi-Fi

Yes

Apple AirPlay

No

AirPlay Latency

N/A

Google Chromecast

Yes

Chromecast Latency

322 ms

The Google Nest Audio is Wi-Fi compatible and allows for Google Chromecast. However, it has high latency over this connection which can cause synching issues between audio and visuals, so it isn't great for watching videos and movies. Some apps compensate for latency, so your experience may vary.

LEARN ABOUT WI-FI

Google Nest Audio Review (2024)
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