Short answer: the Google Home Speaker. It ranks #6 of 8 powered desktop speakers by sound quality at $99.99; the Google Home Max ranks #10 and costs $399, so there is little reason to consider the other one.
The case for the Google Home Max: The most capable driver set of Google’s own smart speakers, with two 4.5-inch high-excursion woofers and two 0.7-inch tweeters across six Class-D amplifiers. The tradeoff: Discontinued by Google since 2020, so it can no longer be bought new; used and refurbished stock is what remains, and RTINGS calls its soundstage mediocre despite the driver count.
The case for the Google Home Speaker: Built-in Gemini support makes it a capable smart home hub, with a Thread border router and Matter support, and the compact 107mm sphere fits almost anywhere. The tradeoff: This is Google’s current speaker, and reviewers agree it is a downgrade in sound from the discontinued Nest Audio it replaces: SoundGuys measured its acoustic hardware directly against the Nest Audio and found a single 58mm full-range driver against the Nest Audio’s 75mm woofer plus dedicated 19mm tweeter, calling it ‘half the audio hardware for the same sticker price.’ In their listening test there was barely any bass, the sound turned thin and tinny outside the midrange, and pushing the volume up made high notes shrill.
Buy the Google Home Speaker. It ranks higher for sound quality than the Google Home Max and costs less, which settles it without a real tradeoff to make.
Skip the Google Home Speaker if sound quality matters to you. It ranks near the bottom of the 8 powered desktop speakers.
Want more options? Browse the full Powered Home rankings.
Specifications Side By Side
| Google Home Max | Google Home Speaker | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $399 each Discontinued | $99.99 each |
| Ranked | #10 of 14 in Medium Size Powered Desktop Speakers | #6 of 8 in Small Size Powered Desktop Speakers |
| Aux Input | Yes | No |
| Battery Life | No Battery | No Battery |
| IP Rating | None | None |
| Party Mode | Yes (Wi-Fi multi-room, Chromecast built-in) | Yes (Wi-Fi multi-room, Chromecast built-in) |
| Power Input | AC power cord | USB-C (30W adapter, power only, no USB Audio) |
| Stereo | No | No |
| Weight | 11.7 lbs (5.3 kg) | 0.9 lbs (396 g) |
| Wi-Fi | Yes (2.4GHz/5GHz) | Yes (Wi-Fi 6, dual-band) |
| App | Yes (Google Home) | Yes (Google Home) |
| Bluetooth Codecs | SBC, AAC | SBC |
| Built-in Microphone | Yes (6 far-field mics for Smart Sound room correction) | Yes (3 far-field mics, hardware mute switch) |
| EQ | Yes (Media EQ + Room EQ, automatic via Smart Sound) | Yes (Bass/Treble, via Google Home app) |
| Power Bank | No | No |
| TWS | Yes (Wi-Fi stereo pairing via Google Home app) | No (two units pair only through a Google TV Streamer, not with each other directly) |
| Drivers | 2x 4.5in high-excursion woofers, 2x 0.7in tweeters | 58mm full-range driver |
| Discontinued | Yes | No |
| Inputs | Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Aux, USB-C | Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Chromecast |
| XLR Input | No | No |
| RCA Input | No | No |
| TRS Input | Yes (3.5mm) | No |
| Optical Input | No | No |
| Coaxial Input | No | No |
| USB Input | Yes | No |
| HDMI Input | No | No |
| AES Input | No | No |
| Amplifier Power | 6x Class-D amplifiers | - |
| Bluetooth | Yes, 4.2 | Yes, 5.4 |
| Dimensions | 7.5" x 13.2" x 6.1" (190 x 336 x 154 mm) (H x W x D) | 3.4" x 4.2" x 4.2" (86.6 x 107 x 107 mm) (H x diameter) |
| Voice Assistants | Google Assistant | Google Assistant / Gemini for Home |
| Streaming Services | Chromecast built-in, Spotify Connect, Pandora, TuneIn, iHeartRadio | Chromecast built-in, Spotify Connect |
Related Speaker Comparisons
How Google Home Max compares with other leading options:
- Google Home Max vs JBL Authentics 200
- Google Home Max vs Google Nest Audio
- Google Home Max vs Google Nest Mini 2nd Gen
- Google Home Speaker vs JBL Authentics 200
- Amazon Echo Dot Max vs Google Home Max
Prices on this page were last checked September 22, 2026 at 5:11 AM UTC. Product prices and availability are accurate as of that date/time and are subject to change; the price and availability shown on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.
As an eBay Partner, we may be compensated if you make a purchase.
The Two Speakers In Full
Google Home Max: $399 each Discontinued eBay
Pros: The most capable driver set of Google’s own smart speakers, with two 4.5-inch high-excursion woofers and two 0.7-inch tweeters across six Class-D amplifiers. Its Smart Sound feature uses six built-in microphones to measure the room and adjust the equalizer automatically. Owner reviews on Walmart consistently single out its bass depth and clarity, with one directly comparing it favorably to the Amazon Echo Studio and Apple HomePod. Two units can be wirelessly stereo-paired for left/right separation, and it can be grouped with other Google/Nest speakers for multi-room audio.
Cons: Discontinued by Google since 2020, so it can no longer be bought new; used and refurbished stock is what remains, and RTINGS calls its soundstage mediocre despite the driver count. It never gained Apple Music or Tidal support over Wi-Fi. At launch, voice commands could fail to register over loud music, and Bluetooth tops out at version 4.2 with no aptX. At 5.3kg it is heavy and needs real shelf space, and $399 was expensive even in 2017 next to the far cheaper Nest Audio. Discontinued.
Full Google Home Max review and specifications →
| AES Input | No |
|---|---|
| Amplifier Power | 6x Class-D amplifiers |
| App | Yes (Google Home) |
| Aux Input | Yes |
| Battery Life | No Battery |
| Bluetooth | Yes, 4.2 |
| Bluetooth Codecs | SBC, AAC |
| Built-in Microphone | Yes (6 far-field mics for Smart Sound room correction) |
| Coaxial Input | No |
| Dimensions | 7.5" x 13.2" x 6.1" (190 x 336 x 154 mm) (H x W x D) |
| Discontinued | Yes |
| Drivers | 2x 4.5in high-excursion woofers, 2x 0.7in tweeters |
| EQ | Yes (Media EQ + Room EQ, automatic via Smart Sound) |
| HDMI Input | No |
| IP Rating | None |
| Inputs | Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Aux, USB-C |
| Optical Input | No |
| Party Mode | Yes (Wi-Fi multi-room, Chromecast built-in) |
| Power Bank | No |
| Power Input | AC power cord |
| RCA Input | No |
| Stereo | No |
| Streaming Services | Chromecast built-in, Spotify Connect, Pandora, TuneIn, iHeartRadio |
| TRS Input | Yes (3.5mm) |
| TWS | Yes (Wi-Fi stereo pairing via Google Home app) |
| USB Input | Yes |
| Voice Assistants | Google Assistant |
| Weight | 11.7 lbs (5.3 kg) |
| Wi-Fi | Yes (2.4GHz/5GHz) |
| XLR Input | No |
- Reviews, Comparisons and Sound Samples
- Head-to-Head Comparisons
- Google Home Max vs JBL Authentics 200
- Google Home Max vs Amazon Echo Dot 5th Gen
- Google Home Max vs Amazon Echo Dot Max
- Google Home Max vs Amazon Echo Pop
- Google Home Max vs Amazon Echo Studio 2nd Gen
- Google Home Max vs B&O Beosound 2
- Google Home Max vs Google Nest Audio
- Google Home Max vs Google Nest Mini 2nd Gen
- See all 9 comparisons
Google Home Speaker: $99.99 each Amazon eBay
Pros: Built-in Gemini support makes it a capable smart home hub, with a Thread border router and Matter support, and the compact 107mm sphere fits almost anywhere. Vocals come through clearly on most tracks, which SoundGuys’ side-by-side listening called the one thing this speaker does well.
Cons: This is Google’s current speaker, and reviewers agree it is a downgrade in sound from the discontinued Nest Audio it replaces: SoundGuys measured its acoustic hardware directly against the Nest Audio and found a single 58mm full-range driver against the Nest Audio’s 75mm woofer plus dedicated 19mm tweeter, calling it ‘half the audio hardware for the same sticker price.’ In their listening test there was barely any bass, the sound turned thin and tinny outside the midrange, and pushing the volume up made high notes shrill. There is no aux input or any wired audio connection at all, the single USB-C port is power only, and Bluetooth is limited to the SBC codec with no AAC support. SoundGuys scored it 6.0 of 10 overall, with a Value score of 4.0.
Full Google Home Speaker review and specifications →
| AES Input | No |
|---|---|
| App | Yes (Google Home) |
| Aux Input | No |
| Battery Life | No Battery |
| Bluetooth | Yes, 5.4 |
| Bluetooth Codecs | SBC |
| Built-in Microphone | Yes (3 far-field mics, hardware mute switch) |
| Coaxial Input | No |
| Dimensions | 3.4" x 4.2" x 4.2" (86.6 x 107 x 107 mm) (H x diameter) |
| Discontinued | No |
| Drivers | 58mm full-range driver |
| EQ | Yes (Bass/Treble, via Google Home app) |
| HDMI Input | No |
| IP Rating | None |
| Inputs | Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Chromecast |
| Optical Input | No |
| Party Mode | Yes (Wi-Fi multi-room, Chromecast built-in) |
| Power Bank | No |
| Power Input | USB-C (30W adapter, power only, no USB Audio) |
| RCA Input | No |
| Stereo | No |
| Streaming Services | Chromecast built-in, Spotify Connect |
| TRS Input | No |
| TWS | No (two units pair only through a Google TV Streamer, not with each other directly) |
| USB Input | No |
| Voice Assistants | Google Assistant / Gemini for Home |
| Weight | 0.9 lbs (396 g) |
| Wi-Fi | Yes (Wi-Fi 6, dual-band) |
| XLR Input | No |
- Links
- Reviews, Comparisons and Sound Samples
- Head-to-Head Comparisons
- Google Home Speaker vs Amazon Echo Dot 5th Gen
- Google Home Speaker vs Google Nest Mini 2nd Gen
- Google Home Speaker vs Amazon Echo Pop
- Google Home Speaker vs Google Nest Audio
- Google Home Speaker vs Amazon Echo Dot Max
- Google Home Speaker vs Amazon Echo Studio 2nd Gen
- Google Home Speaker vs B&O Beosound 2
- Google Home Speaker vs JBL Authentics 200
- See all 9 comparisons