- A Google Home speaker is revealed in a first unboxing
- The sound quality and interface of the app would be impressive
- However, the power cable cannot be removed from the device
The all-new Google Home speaker is about to finally go on sale, but a first unboxing video posted online reveals a design decision Google made that many users likely won’t be happy with: the power cable can’t be removed.
You can check out the unboxing on Reddit (via Android Authority), which shows off the aesthetics of the device we’ve known since the first official reveal last October – as well as the power cable reveal.
The Nest Mini device that the Google Home Speaker more or less replaces has a detachable USB-C power cable, which means that when it’s not in use you can put it away more easily. On the other hand, the Nest Audio – another speaker now discontinued since the arrival of the new model – has a fixed power cable.
It seems like a detachable power cable is something that many smart speaker owners are interested in. “This is a repairability nightmare, of which I am a firm believer,” writes the original unpacker.
Some positives, one negative
Look on it
According to the information provided in the video, the Google Home speaker comes with an approximately 5-foot-long USB-C cable that cannot be unplugged. There is a 30W power supply on the other end which can be removed.
On the plus side, our unboxer reports that the speaker’s sound quality is good, the app component has a “cool” interface, and setting up the device is simple – apparently it takes less than 10 minutes.
As with the Nest Mini, touch controls are apparently available on the top of the speaker, along with hidden lights to signal status information and volume levels. Overall, this user’s first impressions are positive.
It’s just the power cord situation that’s drawing criticism: “the non-removable cord killed it for me,” writes one poster (apparently worried about cats playing with the cord), while the original poster says they’re “extremely disappointed in the engineers.” Another comment is also negative: “The reason is always money”.
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