Why You Can Trust CNET Upgrade to bigger, better home audio with the Google Home Max for $150 (Update: Sold out)
Google's original smart speaker has never been priced this low.
The big, sweet-sounding Google Home Max is a pretty stellar deal at $150.
Before Google switched its smart speaker branding to Nest Audio, there was the Google Home Max -- a product that's still in production, by the way, despite it being several years old. It's a big fella, one that competes with the likes of the Apple HomePod ($299) and Sonos One ($199).
It originally sold for $399 and still runs for about $300 at most stores. That's what makes this deal so surprising: For a limited time, and while supplies last, A4C has the Google Home Max (Chalk) for just $150 with promo code SLICK25. That's the lowest price I can recall seeing.
Weirdly, Google was reportedly discontinuing Home Max production back in December, with closeout pricing of $179 and full focus on the Nest Audio lineup. But as noted above, Google proper still sells the speaker, and it's available at lots of other stores as well.
Even if it had been discontinued, this would be a deal worth considering. "By itself the Google Home Max is an excellent speaker, especially if you're already invested in Google's system and want it to anchor a multiroom setup," said CNET's Ty Pendlebury in his Google Home Max review. That's from 2017 (with an update in 2018) and based on the original $399 price tag.
Right now, I'd say the closest competitor is Amazon's Echo Studio, which sells for $200 but will almost certainly be discounted on Prime Day. But, of course, that's an Alexa-powered product; if you're a Google Assistant fan, this is definitely the way to go.
Your thoughts?
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