Google Expands Smart Home Lineup with 2K HDR Cameras, AI Speaker

Google has launched new smart home devices powered by its Gemini for Home AI assistant. According to the company, the updated Nest Cam Indoor (3rd gen), Nest Cam Outdoor (2nd gen), and Nest Doorbell (3rd gen) feature 2K HDR video, built-in smart alerts, and up to a 166-degree diagonal view. The new Google Home Speaker, powered by Gemini, is designed for more natural conversations. It supports 360-degree audio, Google TV streamer pairing, and many other features.

The Google Home Speaker costs $99.99 (about Rs. 8,900) and will be available in Spring 2026 in the US, Canada, UK, France, Germany, Spain, and select other countries. It comes in four colors: Berry, Hazel, Jade, and Porcelain.

The Nest Cam Indoor (3rd gen) and Nest Cam Outdoor (2nd gen) are priced at $99.99 (around Rs. 8,900) and $149.99 (around Rs. 13,300), respectively. They will be available starting October 1 in the same markets as the Google Home Speaker.

The Nest Doorbell (3rd gen) costs $179.99 (approximately Rs. 16,000) and will initially only be sold in the US and Canada.

Google states that the new wired devices—Nest Cam Indoor (3rd gen), Nest Cam Outdoor (2nd gen), and Nest Doorbell (3rd gen)—are designed to capture detailed data for better understanding multimodal AI. They can send alerts about activities at home, like "The dog jumped out of the playpen."

With natural language questions, users can now ask general questions instead of searching for exact details. For example, "What happened to the vase in the living room?" The Gemini for Home-powered devices will then provide event descriptions and related video clips.

They also feature an improved camera that supports up to 2K HDR video recording. This lets users zoom in digitally on a specific spot and crop the view. Alerts will include zoomed-in animated previews for a quick look at what caused the event.

Google says its new cameras use encrypted video and support two-step verification through the user's Google account. They also have a visible green LED that shows when the camera is streaming or processing video. The Nest Cam Indoor (3rd gen), Nest Cam Outdoor (2nd gen), and Nest Doorbell (3rd gen) are IP65-rated, meaning they are dust-tight and resistant to light water spray.

The new Google Home speaker is built to maximize Gemini for Home's capabilities. It has custom processing for better handling of advanced AI, making interactions more natural. It also has a dynamic glow with a light ring that shows when Gemini is in Listening, Reasoning, Responding, or Gemini Live mode.

According to Google, the speaker delivers omnidirectional sound with 360-degree audio. It can be paired with another Google Home speaker and a Google TV streamer for a home theater experience. It also keeps features like grouping with other Home and Nest speakers and the option to pair two speakers for stereo sound. A physical mute toggle for the microphone is included as well.