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Hands-on: Insignia’s Voice Speaker is the bedside Google Home I’ve always wanted

In most instances, the Google Home and Home Mini are perfect little speakers that you can set in the corner of a room and forget about. But in the bedroom, it can be useful to have the functionality of the Google Assistant in a speaker that also shows the time. With the Insignia Voice Speaker, you get all of that with a price tag lower than the Google Home, even when it’s on sale…

The Insignia Voice Speaker out of the box looks and feels remarkably similar to the regular sized Google Home. It does sit a little taller and broader, but it features a similar fabric material around the lower half of the speaker. Around front, you will find the display which shows the time, timers/alarms, and the temperature.

Just like the Home, the top section of the Insignia Voice Speaker has a sloped top that has lights that blink and flash when the Google Assistant is activated. Just below these lights, you can find three capacitive-touch buttons that allow you to adjust the speaker’s volume, display brightness, launch Assistant, and more. Around back is a microphone mute button to stop the speaker from listening to you.

One welcome addition is a USB port located at the bottom of the speaker. While it’s great for charging your smartphone overnight, it only outputs at 1A so don’t expect any fantastic charge times.

Overall, this is pretty much the Google Home I’ve always wanted. It’s large enough to have decent sounding speakers, it comes with an always-on digital clock, and it doesn’t break the bank.

Oh, and if this speaker isn’t big enough for you, Best Buy sells the Insignia “Voice-Portable Voice-Activated Speaker.” It’s identical to this product, but it’s bigger, has slightly larger speakers, and a built-in battery that allows it to be used for roughly five hours on a charge. It’s available right now for $130.

Purchase the Insignia Voice Speaker from Best Buy for $90.


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Avatar for Justin Duino Justin Duino

I’m a writer for 9to5Google with a background in IT and Android development. Follow me on Twitter to read my ramblings about tech and email me at justin@jaduino.com. Tips are always welcome.