Google is playing a dangerous game by killing off the Nest Mini

It’s rare that a tech product is so affordable that it becomes an impulse buy, but that’s exactly what the Google Nest Mini was for the better part of a decade. The tiny smart speaker launched as the Google Home Mini in 2017, was later rebranded to Nest Mini, and got a second-generation successor in 2019. Google largely left the Nest Mini untouched, although that wasn’t much of a problem. The smart speaker continued to serve its purpose as an affordable smart speaker with passable sound and Google Assistant (later Gemini) help.

I’ve purchased a few Nest Mini speakers over the years, and I’ve never paid more than $30 for one. Once, I got one for free when I bought a Nest Hub display. That’s the spirit of the Nest Mini in a nutshell. It’s an accessible entry point into the Google Home ecosystem that anyone can try cheaply.

As Nest Mini and Nest Audio stock runs out for what could be the final time, it’s clear that the Nest Mini will leave an impossibly big hole for the upcoming Google Home Speaker to fill.

Nest Mini was my Google Home gateway

There’s a reason the Nest Mini speaker is so affordable, and it’s not because of Google’s goodwill. The smart speaker costs $50 at retail, but if you wait for annual sales, you could score it regularly for half that. It’s cheap because the Nest Mini is competing with devices like the Amazon Echo Dot or Apple HomePod to become the starting point for your smart home ecosystem. Chances are, if you buy a Nest Mini, you’ll want to complement it with other Google Home and Nest hardware. That’s the point.

The first-generation Nest Mini became my personal gateway into the Google Home ecosystem. I later saw the value in having a digital assistant with a screen, so I upgraded to the Google Nest Hub. The Nest Mini speakers I acquired along the way were scattered around my house, and Google Assistant could listen to smart home commands from anywhere. Years later, I still own that Nest Mini and Nest Hub, but I’ve also tacked on a Nest Hub Max, Nest Thermostat, Nest Doorbell Battery, and two Nest Cam Indoor security cameras.

Although I’m not sure it’s something to be proud of, I’m a case study in why having a low entry point into a smart home ecosystem matters. Considering I bought my first Nest Mini as a broke student, I doubt I would’ve paid $100 for something like the forthcoming Google Home Speaker to start. Instead, buyers like me will likely flock to competitors such as Amazon. If that ends up being the case, Google won’t just miss out on budget sales today — it could lose out on significant upgrade opportunities down the line.

I don’t need Google’s Home Speaker upgrades

I’m no longer a broke student clipping coupons to buy a Nest Mini, but that doesn’t mean I want to pay more for the Google Home Speaker. I’ve completely transitioned to the other end of the spectrum. I already own multiple Nest Hub displays, and the Home Speaker won’t replace those in my kitchen or home office.

The Home Speaker isn’t a good fit for my living room either, because I have a Dolby Atmos-ready surround-sound speaker system for all my music listening. A smart speaker with marginally better sound than a Nest Mini or Nest Audio offers little value to someone like me.

My preferred use case for smart speakers is as listening stations throughout my home. Google Nest Hub screens cover some areas of my home, but the bedroom and bathroom are left out. For less than $50, I can drop a Nest Mini speaker into those areas to listen for my Gemini commands without standing out. Back in the day, I used to hook a Chromecast Audio up to my sound system and set it as the default audio output for my Nest Mini. I’m willing to bet that old setup would sound better than the Home Speaker.

If the Nest Mini is truly not long for this world, there won’t be a Google smart speaker priced like an impulse buy. It’s easy to justify adding a Nest Mini to a few rooms of your home at the sub-$50 price point. At double the price of the Nest Mini, the Google Home Speaker doesn’t offer nearly the same value proposition. Somehow, it simultaneously turns off both entry-level buyers who need a cheap smart speaker and power users who have advanced gear.

Google is leaving money on the table if it axes Nest Mini

There are a handful of things about the Google Home Speaker that catch my attention, like its attractive, friendly design and the colors that match my other Nest products. From a functionality standpoint, I can’t see how Home Speaker meaningfully upgrades the Nest Mini experience. The biggest upgrade will likely be the sound quality, but midrange smart speakers can be hard to sell. Budget buyers won’t want to pay more for sound quality they don’t need, and audiophiles won’t want to pay more for speakers they’ll never use for music.

If anything, this is another sign that Google’s Nest hardware lineup is in need of a major refresh. The Google Home Speaker isn’t enough. The Nest Mini, Nest Hub, and Nest Hub Max could all use updates to ensure Google Home products cover every price point and potential use case. Without the Nest Mini covering the basics, I’m worried Google will leave money on the table as new customers and prosumers look elsewhere.