Check out the tall, thin, and awkward Google Home sequel in these certification pics

But while we still have no idea when the search giant’s upgraded Amazon Echo rival might end up seeing daylight, a commercial release can’t be far away now that the second-gen Google Home has visited both the Federal Communications Commission and its Japanese equivalent (via Android Police).

The latter regulatory agency was actually kind enough to do what the US FCC couldn’t, divulging the curious design of the as-yet-unnamed Google Assistant speaker expected out sometime this summer. This is entirely different from the OG Google Home, as evidenced by a number of pictures showcasing both the device itself from every possible angle and its proprietary 30W DC power supply. 

While said power brick is likely to look familiar to owners of 2016’s cylindrical smart speaker, despite hopes of a transition to modern USB-C technology, the new Nest-branded device is clearly significantly taller and thinner than the ancient Google Home. Believe it or not, this thing may even exceed the high-end Google Home Max in overall height, at 220mm.

 

This is certainly an… interesting move, especially considering the fact Amazon made the second and third-gen Echos much shorter than the first-gen cylinder released all the way back in 2014. In case you’re wondering, the Google Home sequel is actually slightly shorter than the OG Echo too, but when compared to its forerunner, the upcoming model looks… weird. Not necessarily ugly, just weird.

Covered in fabric from top to bottom (minus the silicone base), the device could be dubbed something along the lines of Google Nest Home (or even just Google Nest), featuring a physical mute switch, a familiar Big G logo, and presumably, hidden touch controls and LED lights. 

There are obviously no references to any under-the-hood improvements in these certification documents, but we expect the point of this upgrade to be delivering better sound quality at a similar price as the $129 charged back in the day.