Smart speakers are all the rage nowadays, offering all the smarts of an AI assistant paired with a Bluetooth-enabled speaker that delivers room-filling sound. Google has been at the forefront of the smart speaker push with their Nest products and the latest iteration of their Nest Audio speaker is one of the best you can buy on the market today.

Following a similar design aesthetic as many of their latest generation of devices, the Nest Audio features an elegant elongated oval design devoid of straight edges and branding and its internal housing is made from partially recycled aluminum and magnesium. It is also wrapped in what Google claims is a recycled plastic soft-touch fabric available in Chalk, Charcoal, Sky, Sage, and Sand colorways and looks great. There are also three touch-sensitive buttons with LED lights that can control volume and music playback plus indicate connectivity and smart assistant activation. Lastly, a single toggle switch on the back can disable the built-in microphone if privacy is an issue. It is a clean unassuming minimalist design that we think works exceptionally well in most environments.

Sound-wise, this iteration claims to deliver 75% more volume and 50% more bass from its two drivers: a 75mm (2.95in) woofer and one 19mm tweeter besting previous models, sound quality was also quite good, even though this is a 2-channel mono arrangement and not a stereo setup like the recent Amazon echo releases. Having said that, the sound quality was better from the Nest. Sound is rich and full and should satisfy even the most discerning of ears. It should be noted that purchasing two of these units could function as a neat stereo setup, especially at just $99.

The real magic of the Nest Audio is again the integration of Google’s own powerful AI assistant which continues to impress with its versatility and overall smarts. Using the ‘Hey Google’ activation phrase, the new triple microphone array can pick up your voice-over background noise and the assistant responds instantaneously to answer questions, set timers, control smart devices, play music, and even make calls. For those using an Android device, you know just how useful Google’s AI has become.

To sum up, this compact smart speaker delivers quite the punch in sound quality, smarts, and overall aesthetic and falls right in the middle of Google’s product line of smart speaker offerings. The Nest Audio truly is a Goldilocks’ device, delivering enough ‘just right’ to make this a home run in our books.

BUY yours here – Google Nest Products