Google is playing a dangerous game by killing off the Nest Mini

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It’s rare that a tech product is so affordable that it becomes an impulse buy, but that’s exactly what the Google Nest Mini was for the better part of a decade. The tiny smart speaker launched as the Google Home Mini in 2017, was later rebranded to Nest Mini, and got a second-generation successor in 2019. Google largely left the Nest Mini untouched, although that wasn’t much of a problem. The smart speaker continued to serve its purpose as an affordable smart speaker with passable sound and Google Assistant (later Gemini) help .

I’ve purchased a few Nest Mini speakers over the years, and I’ve never paid more than $30 for one. Once, I got one for free when I bought a Nest Hub display. That’s the spirit of the Nest Mini in a nutshell. It’s an accessible entry point into the Google Home ecosystem that anyone can try cheaply.

As Nest Mini and Nest Audio stock runs out for what could be the final time , it’s clear that the Nest Mini will leave an impossibly big hole for the upcoming Google Home Speaker to fill.

There’s a reason the Nest Mini speaker is so affordable, and it’s not because of Google’s goodwill. The smart speaker costs $50 at retail, but if you wait for annual sales, you could score it regularly for half that. It’s cheap because the Nest Mini is competing with devices like the Amazon Echo Dot or Apple HomePod to become the starting point for your smart home ecosystem. Chances are, if you buy a Nest Mini, you’ll want to complement it with other Google Home and Nest hardware. That’s the point.

The first-generation Nest Mini became my personal gateway into the Google Home ecosystem. I later saw the value in having a digital assistant with a screen, so I upgraded to the Google Nest Hub. The Nest Mini speakers I acquired along the way were scattered around my house, and Google Assistant could listen to smart home commands from anywhere. Years later, I still own that Nest Mini and Nest Hub, but I’ve also tacked on a Nest Hub Max, Nest Thermostat, Nest Doorbell Battery, and two Nest Cam Indoor security cameras.

Although I’m not sure it’s something to be proud of, I’m a case study in why having a low entry point into a smart home ecosystem matters. Considering I bought my first Nest Mini as a broke student, I doubt I would’ve paid $100 for something like the forthcoming Google Home Speaker to start. Instead, buyers like me will likely flock to competitors such as Amazon. If that ends up being the case, Google won’t just miss out on budget sales today — it could lose out on significant upgrade opportunities down the line.

I’m no longer a broke student clipping coupons to buy a Nest Mini, but that doesn’t mean I want to pay more for the Google Home Speaker . I’ve completely transitioned to the other end of the spectrum. I already own multiple Nest Hub displays, and the Home Speaker won’t replace those in my kitchen or home office.