The Google Home Max, Our Favorite Smart Speaker for Music, Gets Discontinued

By Mathhew Paul On Aug 19, 2022

How unfortunate. Google has stated it would no longer be producing the Home Max, the best-sounding smart speaker currently available.

According to a statement, Google issued to TechHive, the $299 Home Max will continue to function correctly, and Google will continue to deliver software and security upgrades for the gadget. In addition, the Nest Audio, a new music-focused speaker with a more compact form and more approachable $99 price tag is recommended as an alternative to the Amazon Echo Dot by the company in its statement to smart speaker customers.

In Its Entirety, Google’s Announcement May Be Found Below

All Google Home Max units have been sold, and production has ceased. The introduction of Nest Audio has allowed us to provide a number of excellent audio options for the home, especially when two Nest Audios are used together to provide stereo sound.

For those who already use Google Home Max, there will be no noticeable disruption in service. There will be no break in service for Google Home Max devices in terms of software upgrades or security patches. All of our Assistant-enabled devices will have high-quality audio and support for multi-room listening.

This month, three years ago, the first Google Home Max units began arriving at customers’ doorsteps. Not long after its release, we gave it a glowing review, calling it a “sonic superstar” compared to competing smart speakers thanks to its “great sound reproduction” and “strong” amplifiers, not to mention the inclusion of Google Assistant.

But the Home Max has always carried a large price tag, starting at $399 and going down to $299 over time. An expensive price tag for a smart speaker, especially one without a screen.

The Google Home Max was never successful in large part because of its ungainly form factor. The Home Max measured over a foot in length, seven and a half inches in height, and six inches in depth, so it more than lived up to its name. Google executives later confirmed that the size of the speaker was a common reason given by customers as to why they did not purchase one.

What should you do today if you’re looking for a smart speaker that prioritizes music playback? Well, there’s the new Nest Audio, a great-sounding Google smart speaker considering its $99 price tag, and if you want something approaching the Home Max’s power, you could always pick up a couple of Nest Audios and link them as a stereo pair. As Dolby Atmos-enabled smart speakers go, we’re big fans of the Amazon Echo Studio, but choosing it means switching from Google Assistant to Alexa.

To sum up, if you’ve had your eye on a Home Max for a while but have been waiting for the price to drop, now is the time to make the purchase. Even if the Google Store is out of stock on the Home Max, you can still buy it from other merchants for the Black Friday price of $179.