Google unveiled a premium smart speaker called the Google Home Max along with its new line of hardware back in October. The company is finally opening up the sales of its new premium smart speaker, which costs $399 — around $270 more than the regular Google Home. For the extra price, you are getting a lot of things on the Home Max, and if you care about sound quality, you will want the Max over the regular Home.

That’s because of the Smart Sound feature that comes with the Home Max. It’s an AI-powered feature that utilizes the 6 built-in microphones to adapt to the surrounding environment and automatically adjust the music. The feature works from the get-go, so you don’t have to worry much about setup every time you move it around your house.

For the speakers, Google has packed two 4.5-inch “high-excursion” woofers and 0.7-inch tweeters that make the Max 20x more powerful than the regular Home, according to the company. Just like other Home devices, it comes with Google Assistant and there are four LEDs on the top that’ll light up when you activate the assistant.

Design wise, the Google Home Max actually looks pretty good. It has a polycarbonate housing with an acoustically transparent fabric covering the front. You can get it in Chalk or Charcoal, both of which look gorgeous. And yes, you can place it vertically without compromising the sound quality thanks to Smart Sound.

Google’s Home Max speaker is available for purchase today from the Google Store, Walmart, Verizon, and Best Buy. It costs $399, but you can get a free 12-month YouTube Music subscription if you have not used YouTube Red or Music in the past. You can also check out the speaker in-person at Google’s pop-up stores in NYC and Los Angeles, as well as select Verizon stores.

Tagged with Google, Google Home, Google Home Max