Source: Google is planning an update to the Home Mini, called the Nest Mini, with a similar form factor, wall mount, improved sound, and 3.5mm jack
Google plans to launch a followup to 2017's Google Home Mini with a second-generation ‘Nest Mini,’ a reliable source tells 9to5Google.
Context & Ripple Effects
The Home Mini arrived in 2017 at $49 as Google's entry point into smart speakers, and this report captures the moment that product line gets its first true successor — rebranded under the Nest name Google has been folding its hardware into. The claimed spec sheet (same form factor, wall mount, better sound, a 3.5mm jack) reads as an incremental refresh aimed squarely at Amazon's Echo Dot.
What followed validates the report's core claims while cutting one: Google did ship the Nest Mini at $49 with improved audio and a wall mount, but reviewers found the promised 3.5mm jack missing, leaving Echo Dot as the only sub-$50 speaker with wired audio out. The line's arc since then runs from refresh to retirement — Google ended production of both the Nest Mini and Nest Audio in 2026.
First-order effects
- Buyers of Google's cheapest speaker get a modest hardware bump — better sound and a wall-mount option at the same $49 price point — while losing nothing but gaining little new capability.
- Amazon's Echo Dot gains a differentiator by default: with the 3.5mm jack absent from the Nest Mini despite the source's claim, wired audio-out becomes a spec only Amazon offers at this tier.
Second-order effects
- The rebrand to 'Nest' signals Google consolidating its speaker naming under one umbrella, setting up the later jump upmarket to the $99 Google Home Speaker announced for 2026 once the budget models were retired.
- At an unchanged $49, Google keeps the entry tier as a volume play rather than a margin play, pressuring Amazon to compete on features (the jack) rather than price.
Third-order effects
- The full cycle — 2017 debut, 2019 refresh, production ended by 2026 with continued software support — shows Google treating small smart speakers as short-lifecycle hardware it will sunset rather than iterate indefinitely, shifting its home lineup toward fewer, pricier devices built for the Gemini era.
The trend: Smart speakers are moving from annual cheap-refresh cycles to consolidated premium lineups, with vendors like Google retiring budget models rather than iterating them.