Short answer: the Sonos Era 300 for better sound quality, the Google Home Speaker for the lower price. The Sonos Era 300 ranks #4 of 5 powered desktop speakers at $499. The Google Home Speaker ranks #7 at $99.99, $399.01 cheaper.
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.
The case for the Sonos Era 300: RTINGS calls it an excellent choice for voice assistants: built-in Alexa has no trouble hearing commands from a distance or in a noisy room, with a mic mute button on the back. The tradeoff: RTINGS’ one listed con is some compression at max volume.
Buy the Google Home Speaker if the price matters more than sound quality. Buy the Sonos Era 300 if sound quality matters more than the price.
The Google Home Speaker is not a sound-quality pick. It sits near the bottom of the 9 powered desktop speakers; there are better options higher up.
Want more options? Browse the full Powered Home rankings.
Specifications Side By Side
| Google Home Speaker | Sonos Era 300 | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $99.99 each | $499.00 each |
| Ranked | #7 of 9 in Small Size Powered Desktop Speakers | #4 of 5 in Large Size Powered Desktop Speakers |
| Aux Input | No | No |
| Battery Life | No Battery | No Battery |
| IP Rating | None | None |
| Party Mode | Yes (Wi-Fi multi-room, Chromecast built-in) | Yes (Sonos multi-room, AirPlay 2) |
| Power Input | USB-C (30W adapter, power only, no USB Audio) | External AC adapter |
| Stereo | No | Yes |
| Weight | 0.9 lbs (396 g) | 9.9 lbs (4.47 kg) |
| Wi-Fi | Yes (Wi-Fi 6, dual-band) | Yes (Wi-Fi 6) |
| App | Yes (Google Home) | Yes (Sonos S2) |
| Bluetooth Codecs | SBC | SBC |
| Built-in Microphone | Yes (3 far-field mics, hardware mute switch) | Yes (far-field, mic mute button) |
| EQ | Yes (Bass/Treble, via Google Home app) | Yes (Bass/Treble + Trueplay room correction) |
| Power Bank | No | No |
| TWS | No (two units pair only through a Google TV Streamer, not with each other directly) | Yes (stereo pairing via Sonos app) |
| Drivers | 58mm full-range driver | 4x tweeters (1 forward, 2 side, 1 upward-firing), 2x angled woofers |
| Discontinued | No | No |
| Inputs | Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Chromecast | Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, USB-C (line-in adapter sold separately) |
| XLR Input | No | No |
| RCA Input | No | No |
| TRS Input | No | No |
| Optical Input | No | No |
| Coaxial Input | No | No |
| USB Input | No | Yes (line-in adapter sold separately) |
| HDMI Input | No | No |
| AES Input | No | No |
| Bluetooth | Yes, 5.4 | Yes, 5.0 |
| Dimensions | 3.4" x 4.2" x 4.2" (86.6 x 107 x 107 mm) (H x diameter) | 7.3" x 10.2" x 6.3" (185 x 260 x 160 mm) |
| Voice Assistants | Google Assistant / Gemini for Home | Amazon Alexa |
| Streaming Services | Chromecast built-in, Spotify Connect | Sonos app streaming (Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music and more), AirPlay 2, Dolby Atmos Music |
Related Speaker Comparisons
More top alternatives to Google Home Speaker:
- Amazon Echo Studio 2nd Gen vs Google Home Speaker
- Amazon Echo Dot Max vs Google Home Speaker
- Google Home Speaker vs Google Nest Audio
- Apple HomePod Mini vs Google Home Speaker
- Amazon Echo Dot 5th Gen vs Google Home Speaker
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.
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The Two Speakers In Full
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 Apple HomePod Mini
- 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
- See all 23 comparisons
Sonos Era 300: $499.00 each Amazon eBay
Pros: RTINGS calls it an excellent choice for voice assistants: built-in Alexa has no trouble hearing commands from a distance or in a noisy room, with a mic mute button on the back. Six drivers, one forward-firing tweeter, two side-firing tweeters, one upward-firing tweeter, and two angled woofers, each with its own Class D amp, give real stereo separation plus Dolby Atmos spatial audio on supported content. Trueplay room correction (now including a quicker Android tuning option) is a genuine strength, and it pairs with Sonos soundbars like the Arc Ultra for a home theater setup.
Cons: RTINGS’ one listed con is some compression at max volume. Out of the box the tuning leans bass-heavy enough that vocals can get shrouded in the mix on some tracks, though Trueplay largely corrects this. There’s no Google Assistant, no battery, and at $499 it’s the most expensive speaker in this ecosystem comparison.
Full Sonos Era 300 review and specifications →
| AES Input | No |
|---|---|
| App | Yes (Sonos S2) |
| Aux Input | No |
| Battery Life | No Battery |
| Bluetooth | Yes, 5.0 |
| Bluetooth Codecs | SBC |
| Built-in Microphone | Yes (far-field, mic mute button) |
| Coaxial Input | No |
| Dimensions | 7.3" x 10.2" x 6.3" (185 x 260 x 160 mm) |
| Discontinued | No |
| Drivers | 4x tweeters (1 forward, 2 side, 1 upward-firing), 2x angled woofers |
| EQ | Yes (Bass/Treble + Trueplay room correction) |
| HDMI Input | No |
| IP Rating | None |
| Inputs | Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, USB-C (line-in adapter sold separately) |
| Optical Input | No |
| Party Mode | Yes (Sonos multi-room, AirPlay 2) |
| Power Bank | No |
| Power Input | External AC adapter |
| RCA Input | No |
| Stereo | Yes |
| Streaming Services | Sonos app streaming (Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music and more), AirPlay 2, Dolby Atmos Music |
| TRS Input | No |
| TWS | Yes (stereo pairing via Sonos app) |
| USB Input | Yes (line-in adapter sold separately) |
| Voice Assistants | Amazon Alexa |
| Weight | 9.9 lbs (4.47 kg) |
| Wi-Fi | Yes (Wi-Fi 6) |
| XLR Input | No |
- Links
- Reviews, Comparisons and Sound Samples
- Head-to-Head Comparisons
- Sonos Era 300 vs B&O Beosound 2
- Sonos Era 300 vs JBL Authentics 500
- Sonos Era 300 vs Amazon Echo Dot 5th Gen
- Sonos Era 300 vs Amazon Echo Dot Max
- Sonos Era 300 vs Amazon Echo Pop
- Sonos Era 300 vs Amazon Echo Studio 2nd Gen
- Sonos Era 300 vs Apple HomePod 2nd Gen
- Sonos Era 300 vs Apple HomePod Mini
- See all 23 comparisons