Google Nest Audio is a strange alternative to the original Google Home: unlike the company's debut smart speaker, which was deployed as a command center for Google Assistant, Nest Audio is a good-sounding but not very expensive speaker, and is positioned as a hands-free home hub.

The $99 Google Nest Audio is $30 cheaper than the original Google Home and is meant to compete with the all-new spherical Amazon Echo. With more time spent indoors, interest in increasing the IQ of the home has never been higher, and investing in one of the best smart speakers is a good place to start.

While it can't beat the more expensive Sonos One for volume or depth, this Google Nest Audio review explains how its enhanced sound performance is a reason to upgrade your Google Home. It also shows how Google's patient approach to smart speaker updates is paying off.

The Google Nest Audio has been available since October 5 for $99: it is available in five colors: chalk, charcoal, sand, sky, and sage.

Google Nest Audio looks like last year's Google Nest Mini grew out of one of those produce molds that make heart-shaped watermelons.

Some might say the oval-shaped Nest Audio looks like a 7-inch-tall pill or an oversized eyeglass case, but to me it looks like a sleek-edged smart home device that is less techie than most in a good way.

The subdued sky blue model I reviewed doesn't quite match my neutral-toned living space, but in the right color it would blend in nicely anywhere in the room. I would also place a second Nest Audio on the opposite side of the TV stand to balance out the entertainment center.

Underneath the fabric-covered, front-facing exterior, the Google Nest Audio has the expected LED status array. On the back, there is a physical microphone toggle, but no other buttons to shield the fabric sleeve. Instead, music can be controlled via capacitive touch controls located just below the top seam. Without an intentional tap, you might pause the playlist instead of turning up the volume. I ran into that problem several times.

When I set up the Google Nest Audio next to the Sonos One for a comparison test, I did not expect the Nest's 19mm tweeter and 75mm midwoofer to keep up with the Sonos' amplifier, even with the Media EQ feature that adjusts the sound to the room. The Nest Audio, despite being 75% louder than the original Google Home, is not as loud as the Sonos One.

In terms of sound quality, however, Google has made steady progress: with the help of Airplay and casting, I went back and forth between the Nest Audio and the Sonos One to listen to my favorite songs. The latter profile sounded more complex, but the Nest Audio nearly beat the Sonos One in vocal clarity.

The opening lines of Alicia Keys' You Don't Know My Name were so smooth that I could almost picture her smirking on the piano as she sang the famously difficult song to perfection The Nest Audio profile was slightly more than the artist intended I think it favors vocals, but it works well for speakers who want to flood the entire room with a uniform sound.

If you haven't yet heard Miley Cyrus cover Blondie's Heart of Glass, I urge you to change it up; with Nest Audio, you can hear the synthesized bongo drums, the sizzling cymbal rolls, and the sizzling cymbals before Cyrus' new sound of guttural depth is produced. sizzling cymbal rolls, and double-tracked bass delicately layered on top of each other.

Kendrick Lamar's "Humble," on the other hand, had a punchy sound, highlighted by a steady bass line. While I don't expect bass enthusiasts to find the gripping vibration they crave with Nest Audio, the improvement from Google Home is clear.

On a similar note, Marvin Gaye's Ain't No Mountain High Enough sounded more communicative than the Sonos One, no matter where I stood in the room. The balance is excellent for its size and price.

If desired, two Google Nest Audio speakers can be paired together for stereo sound, or the Google Nest Audio can be grouped with other brands of speakers and displays to enjoy music throughout the house. However, even with Google Chromecast with Google TV, Google Nest Audio cannot be used as a separate audio output source for a smart TV. For the same price, the new Amazon Echo supports this feature.

With the exception of the Google Nest Hub Max and perhaps the Pixel phones, nothing is better suited for the Google Assistant than the Nest Audio. This speaker unlocks all of the best Google Home commands and the best Google Assistant commands as long as your voice is heard. Whispers aren't enough, but this speaker's microphone can pick up "Hey Google" even at high volumes.

If you subscribe to YouTube Music or Spotify Premium, you can also use your voice to tell it to quiet down that song or ask Google to recommend a song that suits your taste. Of course, like all the best Google Home speakers, you can also ask Google for reminders, control the best Google Home-enabled devices you've paired it with, and make phone calls.

All communication with Google Nest Audio's is handled on the device through the speaker's TeraOPS chip, allowing the assistant to better learn your needs while reducing common privacy concerns associated with voice recording This is a great way for the Assistant to better learn your needs while reducing the privacy concerns typically associated with voice recording. Nevertheless, you can review and manage your interactions at any time in your own Google account; see this guide on how to delete recordings from Google Home.

In any case, the TeraOPS chip will also allow Google Assistant to respond more quickly. With other Google smart speakers, the virtual butler may take a few seconds to search for a song request, for example, but not with Google Nest Audio. Responses are noticeably faster, and this is coming from someone who sometimes spends half the day talking to a voice assistant.

What was less obvious was the Ambient IQ feature, which is supposed to increase the voice volume of the Google Assistant when the speaker detects additional noise sources. Turning up the volume on the TV or using the electric toothbrush did not cause any change; the Assistant's voice probably only got louder when I banged on two frying pans (sorry, neighbors) while Google was telling me the weather. But I don't have that kind of cacophony often.

Google Nest Audio won't convince Alexa users to switch, but it does offer what Google Home owners have been looking for after four years: decidedly stronger sound, faster Google Assistant response, and a more plastic less plastic-like exterior.

Amazon, meanwhile, has established a twice-yearly update process for its $99 Echo. Do smart speakers need to be replaced this often? I don't think so; the Google Nest Audio is a smart speaker that will sound good for years to come.