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Google could be about to make Amazon Echo and Sonos speakers look like old news with its major announcement planned for October 1, 2025. The California search firm is tipped to reveal new 2K Nest Cams and a new voice-controlled speaker dubbed "Google Home Speaker" with support for 360ยบ audio.
Details about the as-yet-unannounced were unearthed in the code for a Google-developed app listed in the Play Store by 9to5Google, and it reveals fresh details about what we can expect to see next from the company.
If you've never used 360ยบ audio before, it's a feature that uses specialised technology to create an immersive sound experience by projecting audio in every direction, making you feel surrounded by music, dialogue, or other effects. Unlike traditional stereo, it adapts to head movements and the environment, delivering spatial accuracy for movies, games, and music. The result is lifelike, three-dimensional sound from all angles, which takes how you listen to entertainment to a whole new level.
If these findings are deemed to be true in Google's anticipated unveiling, it would revive the original branding of Google's smart speakers, which premiered back in 2016.
In 2019, Google rebranded its smart home products under the Nest name, unifying hardware and services like Nest Thermostat, Nest Cameras, and Nest Hub.
The Google Home speakers then became the Nest Audio and Nest Mini, while the Home Hub was renamed Nest Hub. This shift aligned all smart home devices into one ecosystem, making โGoogle Nestโ the umbrella brand.
Google rebranded its smart home products under the Nest name, unifying its hardware and services
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However, Google wouldn't be the first to launch 360ยบ audio as a new feature.
The fourth generation of Amazon Echo is built with this audio system, and it's arguably one of the most popular speaker systems on the market. The 4th-generation Amazon Echo, released in 2020, introduced a new spherical design with improved sound quality, delivering clearer highs, deeper bass, and balanced audio through the use of Dolby processing โ which is also the 360ยบ audio.
It features a built-in Zigbee smart home hub, which allows you to manage lights, sensors, locks, and more via a mobile app or voice assistant, Alexa. You can also listen to music and make calls.
The speaker system also features far-field microphones to enhance voice recognition.
The Amazon Echo is a smart speaker powered by Alexa, Amazonโs virtual assistant. It allows users to play music, control smart home devices, set reminders, get news and weather updates, and even shop onlineโentirely through voice commands | AMAZON PRESS OFFICE | GBN On the other hand, Sonos also features 360ยบ audio in several of its newer speaker systems and headphones like the Sonos Ace. If you're not familiar, Sonos is known as a premium audio company that specialises in wireless home sound products. It also sports its own wireless audio system that supports major streaming services and voice assistants like Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant.
In addition to the enhanced audio option, there are a couple of other specs Google's new speaker could include.
Google's official teaser for their announcement has shown Gemini, which is Google's next-generation AI system. It's already been confirmed that Gemini will be added to existing Nest speakers this year, so we may see a new feature or two exclusively added to the new speaker. Gemini is also expected to bring a more conversational style, which is set to replace Google's standard assistant.
Is that you, Gemini? Come in and make yourself at Home ๐
โ Made by Google (@madebygoogle) September 2, 2025
Sign up for updates: https://t.co/V85WgPJvQN pic.twitter.com/JJaVRW385A
The new speaker may also be able to pair with a Google TV Streamer. This would be responsible for delivering spatial TV audio, which is something that Apple's smart speaker HomePods already offer.
Stay tuned as GBN Tech keeps you informed with the latest announcements and reactions.
Upgrade to the latest-generation of Amazon Echoย
Upgrade to the fourth-generation Amazon Echo with a refurbished model to save money. Amazon promises "clear highs, dynamic mids and deep bass for rich, detailed sound" that's designed to adapt to the space you're in, so that it will fill any room