Did Google Just Tease a HomePod Mini Competitor at Its Latest Keynote?

The latest Made by Google keynote has generated plenty of buzz with new Pixel phones and the highly anticipated Pixel Watch, but an intriguing detail went largely unnoticed by many. As the presentation featuring F1 star Lando Norris unfolded, eagle-eyed viewers spotted a small, spherical speaker casually placed on a side table.

But this speaker wasn’t just any ordinary device – it looked remarkably like Apple’s popular HomePod Mini.

Now, to be clear, this was a Google event, so there’s no chance that the company would intentionally showcase a competitor’s product as part of their set. However, the speaker in question seemed to share the same fabric-covered aesthetic as Google’s Nest range, yet its compact, round shape strongly resembled Apple’s iconic HomePod Mini.

So, what’s going on here? Is Google hinting at something new? The HomePod Mini has become a significant player in the smart speaker market thanks to its impressive sound quality and deep integration with Apple’s ecosystem, offering users a compact yet powerful smart home hub. Google, on the other hand, has its own Nest Mini, which serves as an affordable entry point for Google Assistant, but it’s never been praised for its audio quality. The Nest Mini is more about functionality than audio experience.

If this mysterious speaker is indeed a new Google product, it could be the answer to Apple’s successful compact smart speaker. A new, smaller, more powerful speaker would fill a significant gap in Google’s hardware lineup, offering better sound quality than the Nest Mini without sacrificing size. It’s a theory that fits well with the company’s strategy of challenging competitors with improved products.

While we can’t confirm anything for sure just yet, the appearance of this speaker during the keynote feels intentional – perhaps a soft launch of what could be a “Nest Audio Mini” that could compete directly with the HomePod Mini. We’re excited to see how this one plays out.