Google Home Max for Audiophiles Launches in December
Google Home Max was announced today as a high end smart speaker targeting audiophiles. Voicebot reported on the rumored product last week and it appears to be one of the only products Google was able to keep mostly secret before its launch event today. Google Home Max will be available in December for $399. That is $50 more than the listed price for the Apple HomePod and double the cost of the new Sonos product with Alexa announced earlier today. Below is the official product video and a recording from today’s launch event.
Google Home Max is Larger Than Other High End Smart Speakers
The final specs aren’t online yet, but Google Home Max is considerably larger than the forthcoming Apple HomePod. Whereas HomePod will be only seven inches high, Google Home Max includes two 4.5 inch woofers alongside the tweeters. There was emphasis on the bass quality likely for this reason.
The announcement also highlighted Smart Sound technology which uses machine learning to optimize sound distribution based on the room dimensions. This is similar to a highlighted feature for the Apple HomePod. Another interesting feature is automatically raising or lowering the volume depending on surrounding noise in the room.
However, Google Home Max isn’t just going to compete with the HomePod. JBL and Pioneer have recently announced integration with Google Assistant for high end smart speakers. Three months ago, there were no high-end smart speakers and now the space looks increasingly crowded. Audiophiles will have a lot of choice for smart speakers this holiday season.
