A nightmare for repairability: Early Google Home Speaker unboxing reveals design choice that many users won't be happy with

Date:
Wed, 24 Jun 2026 11:34:52 +0000

Description:
According to an early look at the new Google Home Speaker, there's a controversial choice regarding the power cable.

FULL STORY ======================================================================Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Threads Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Subscribe to our newsletter A Google Home Speaker is revealed in an early unboxing The sound quality and app interface are reportedly impressive However, the power cable can't be removed from the device The brand new Google Home Speaker is about to finally go on sale, but an early unboxing video posted online reveals a design decision made by
Google that a lot of users are likely to be less than pleased about: the
power cable can't be removed.

You can check out the unboxing over on Reddit (via Android Authority ), which shows off the aesthetics of the device that we've known about since the first official reveal last October as well as giving us the revelation about the power cable. The Nest Mini device that the Google Home Speaker is more or
less replacing does have a removable USB-C power cable, which means when it's not in use, you can tidy it away more easily. On the other hand, the Nest Audio another speaker now discontinued since the new model arrived has a fixed power cable. Latest Videos From Watch full video here:

It seems that a removable power cable is something that quite a few smart speaker owners care about. "This is a nightmare for repairability, for which
I am a massive proponent," writes the original unboxer . Some positives, one negative Google Home Speaker Unboxing 06/23/26 - YouTube Watch On As per the information supplied in the video, the Google Home Speaker comes with a USB-C cable that's around 5 feet (1.52 meters) in length that can't be unplugged. There's a 30W power brick on the other end that can be removed. You may like New Google Home Speaker Expected to Go on Sale Next Week Nest speaker shortages suggest the new Google Home Speaker may be imminent Google's first smart speaker in six years is tipped to launch this month

On the plus side, our unboxer reports that the sound quality from the speaker is good, that the app component has a "cool" interface, and that setting up the device is straightforward apparently it takes less than 10 minutes.

As with the Nest Mini, there are apparently touch controls available on top
of the speaker, as well as hidden lights to report status information and volume levels. On the whole the first impressions from this user are positive ones. Get daily insight, inspiration and deals in your inbox Sign up for breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals, and more. Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

It's just the power cable situation that's drawing criticism: "the non-removable cord killed it for me" writes one poster (who is apparently worried about cats playing with the cord), while the original poster says they're "extremely disappointed in the engineers". Another comment takes a
dim view too: "The reason is always money." Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds. Today's best smart speaker deals Amazon Echo Studio (2025) 219.99 View See all prices Apple HomePod (2nd Gen) 299 View See all prices We check over 250 million products every day for the best prices



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Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/home/smart-speakers/a-nightmare-for-repairability-ea rly-google-home-speaker-unboxing-reveals-design-choice-that-many-users-wont-be -happy-with


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