Google is said to have plans to upgrade its Home Mini smart speaker by launching a new Nest Mini with a wall mount design. The new Nest Mini would have roughly the same size as the first-generation Google Home Mini but deliver a better audio experience, according to the report. At I/O 2019 back in May, Google announced that its smart home devices that previously carried the Google Home branding would sell under the Nest brand. This, thus, makes sense to presume the Google Home Mini successor as the new Nest Mini, which would technically be the second-generation Home Mini speaker.
The new Google Nest Mini will have a built-in wall mount, according to the report by 9to5Google, citing a person familiar with the development. The wall mount could help users hang the speaker on a screw — just like how you hang a photo frame or a wall clock. Some third-party wall mounts for the present Google Home Mini speaker are already available for purchase through various online and offline channels.
Apart from the wall mount, the overall design of the new Nest Mini speaker is said to be in line with what we saw on the Home Mini. The report, however, highlights that users would get enhanced audio with improved sound, higher maximum volume, and better bass.
The Nest Mini is also reported to include a 3.5mm audio jack. This means that users would be able to connect their smartphones with the speaker using an auxiliary cable. Google Home Mini rival and Amazon’s budget smart speaker Echo Dot notably has a 3.5mm audio jack since the debut of its first-generation model back in March 2016.
Additionally, Google is said to add some proximity awareness to the new smart speaker. The experience could be similar to the Nest Hub Max smart display and the Nest Protect smoke detector that have built-in motion sensors.
Google is likely to unveil the Nest Mini alongside the Pixel 4 at its hardware-focussed event later this year. Moreover, the speaker would retain the pocket-friendly price tag of $49 in the US (or Rs. 4,499 in India).