Google held its annual Made by Google showcase this week, during which it unveiled the latest Pixel phones and various new AI features. What it didn’t announce is a Gemini-powered smart home speaker, but it might have snuck one into the presentation as an easter egg.
As spotted by The Verge, about 15 minutes into the stream, on a table next to F1 driver Lando Norris during a Gemini demonstration, you can clearly see what looks a lot like a smart speaker. The fabric-wrapped device we see in the video is white with a light around its base, and it looks more like an upside down HomePod mini than any of Google’s other speakers. According to Android Headlines, it’s called the Google Home Speaker, and is unsurprisingly powered by Gemini.
Android Headlines claims to have seen more images of the as-yet unannounced smart speaker, which it says will also be available in red, light green and black. It adds that Google’s Gemini Live AI assistant will be a baked-in feature for voice conversations, though without a screen or camera there’s no visual element here. There could also be new natural voice options on the speaker, as well as standard features like media control and smart home automations. It can reportedly also detect unusual sounds like breaking glass or smoke alarms and can send an alert to your phone or tablet if this happens.
According to the Android Headlines report, the Home Speaker can pair with a Google TV Streamer and double as an additional surround sound speaker, much like the HomePod does with Apple TV. It functions as a smart hub too, with support for Matter. Google announced Gemini for Home this week, which will gradually replace Google Assistant on the company’s existing smart devices, with free and paid tiers offered to users.
What the leak doesn’t contain is a launch date for this mysterious speaker. But given that Google was seemingly happy enough to have one sitting there in its most important keynote of the year, the smart money would be on an official reveal pretty soon. Engadget reached out to Google for comment, but the company said it had nothing to share at this time.
Google held its annual Made by Google showcase this week, during which it unveiled the latest Pixel phones and various new AI features. What it didn’t announce is a Gemini-powered smart home speaker, but it might have snuck one into the presentation as an easter egg.
As spotted by The Verge, about 15 minutes into the stream, on a table next to F1 driver Lando Norris during a Gemini demonstration, you can clearly see what looks a lot like a smart speaker. The fabric-wrapped device we see in the video is white with a light around its base, and it looks more like an upside down HomePod mini than any of Google’s other speakers. According to Android Headlines, it’s called the Google Home Speaker, and is unsurprisingly powered by Gemini.
Android Headlines claims to have seen more images of the as-yet unannounced smart speaker, which it says will also be available in red, light green and black. It adds that Google’s Gemini Live AI assistant will be a baked-in feature for voice conversations, though without a screen or camera there’s no visual element here. There could also be new natural voice options on the speaker, as well as standard features like media control and smart home automations. It can reportedly also detect unusual sounds like breaking glass or smoke alarms and can send an alert to your phone or tablet if this happens.
According to the Android Headlines report, the Home Speaker can pair with a Google TV Streamer and double as an additional surround sound speaker, much like the HomePod does with Apple TV. It functions as a smart hub too, with support for Matter. Google announced Gemini for Home this week, which will gradually replace Google Assistant on the company’s existing smart devices, with free and paid tiers offered to users.
What the leak doesn’t contain is a launch date for this mysterious speaker. But given that Google was seemingly happy enough to have one sitting there in its most important keynote of the year, the smart money would be on an official reveal pretty soon. Engadget reached out to Google for comment, but the company said it had nothing to share at this time.
Google held its annual Made by Google showcase this week, during which it unveiled the latest Pixel phones and various new AI features. What it didn’t announce is a Gemini-powered smart home speaker, but it might have snuck one into the presentation as an easter egg.
As spotted by The Verge, about 15 minutes into the stream, on a table next to F1 driver Lando Norris during a Gemini demonstration, you can clearly see what looks a lot like a smart speaker. The fabric-wrapped device we see in the video is white with a light around its base, and it looks more like an upside down HomePod mini than any of Google’s other speakers. According to Android Headlines, it’s called the Google Home Speaker, and is unsurprisingly powered by Gemini.
Android Headlines claims to have seen more images of the as-yet unannounced smart speaker, which it says will also be available in red, light green and black. It adds that Google’s Gemini Live AI assistant will be a baked-in feature for voice conversations, though without a screen or camera there’s no visual element here. There could also be new natural voice options on the speaker, as well as standard features like media control and smart home automations. It can reportedly also detect unusual sounds like breaking glass or smoke alarms and can send an alert to your phone or tablet if this happens.
According to the Android Headlines report, the Home Speaker can pair with a Google TV Streamer and double as an additional surround sound speaker, much like the HomePod does with Apple TV. It functions as a smart hub too, with support for Matter. Google announced Gemini for Home this week, which will gradually replace Google Assistant on the company’s existing smart devices, with free and paid tiers offered to users.
What the leak doesn’t contain is a launch date for this mysterious speaker. But given that Google was seemingly happy enough to have one sitting there in its most important keynote of the year, the smart money would be on an official reveal pretty soon. Engadget reached out to Google for comment, but the company said it had nothing to share at this time.
Google held its annual Made by Google showcase this week, during which it unveiled the latest Pixel phones and various new AI features. What it didn’t announce is a Gemini-powered smart home speaker, but it might have snuck one into the presentation as an easter egg.
As spotted by The Verge, about 15 minutes into the stream, on a table next to F1 driver Lando Norris during a Gemini demonstration, you can clearly see what looks a lot like a smart speaker. The fabric-wrapped device we see in the video is white with a light around its base, and it looks more like an upside down HomePod mini than any of Google’s other speakers. According to Android Headlines, it’s called the Google Home Speaker, and is unsurprisingly powered by Gemini.
Android Headlines claims to have seen more images of the as-yet unannounced smart speaker, which it says will also be available in red, light green and black. It adds that Google’s Gemini Live AI assistant will be a baked-in feature for voice conversations, though without a screen or camera there’s no visual element here. There could also be new natural voice options on the speaker, as well as standard features like media control and smart home automations. It can reportedly also detect unusual sounds like breaking glass or smoke alarms and can send an alert to your phone or tablet if this happens.
According to the Android Headlines report, the Home Speaker can pair with a Google TV Streamer and double as an additional surround sound speaker, much like the HomePod does with Apple TV. It functions as a smart hub too, with support for Matter. Google announced Gemini for Home this week, which will gradually replace Google Assistant on the company’s existing smart devices, with free and paid tiers offered to users.
What the leak doesn’t contain is a launch date for this mysterious speaker. But given that Google was seemingly happy enough to have one sitting there in its most important keynote of the year, the smart money would be on an official reveal pretty soon. Engadget reached out to Google for comment, but the company said it had nothing to share at this time.
Google held its annual Made by Google showcase this week, during which it unveiled the latest Pixel phones and various new AI features. What it didn’t announce is a Gemini-powered smart home speaker, but it might have snuck one into the presentation as an easter egg.
As spotted by The Verge, about 15 minutes into the stream, on a table next to F1 driver Lando Norris during a Gemini demonstration, you can clearly see what looks a lot like a smart speaker. The fabric-wrapped device we see in the video is white with a light around its base, and it looks more like an upside down HomePod mini than any of Google’s other speakers. According to Android Headlines, it’s called the Google Home Speaker, and is unsurprisingly powered by Gemini.
Android Headlines claims to have seen more images of the as-yet unannounced smart speaker, which it says will also be available in red, light green and black. It adds that Google’s Gemini Live AI assistant will be a baked-in feature for voice conversations, though without a screen or camera there’s no visual element here. There could also be new natural voice options on the speaker, as well as standard features like media control and smart home automations. It can reportedly also detect unusual sounds like breaking glass or smoke alarms and can send an alert to your phone or tablet if this happens.
According to the Android Headlines report, the Home Speaker can pair with a Google TV Streamer and double as an additional surround sound speaker, much like the HomePod does with Apple TV. It functions as a smart hub too, with support for Matter. Google announced Gemini for Home this week, which will gradually replace Google Assistant on the company’s existing smart devices, with free and paid tiers offered to users.
What the leak doesn’t contain is a launch date for this mysterious speaker. But given that Google was seemingly happy enough to have one sitting there in its most important keynote of the year, the smart money would be on an official reveal pretty soon. Engadget reached out to Google for comment, but the company said it had nothing to share at this time.
Google held its annual Made by Google showcase this week, during which it unveiled the latest Pixel phones and various new AI features. What it didn’t announce is a Gemini-powered smart home speaker, but it might have snuck one into the presentation as an easter egg.
As spotted by The Verge, about 15 minutes into the stream, on a table next to F1 driver Lando Norris during a Gemini demonstration, you can clearly see what looks a lot like a smart speaker. The fabric-wrapped device we see in the video is white with a light around its base, and it looks more like an upside down HomePod mini than any of Google’s other speakers. According to Android Headlines, it’s called the Google Home Speaker, and is unsurprisingly powered by Gemini.
Android Headlines claims to have seen more images of the as-yet unannounced smart speaker, which it says will also be available in red, light green and black. It adds that Google’s Gemini Live AI assistant will be a baked-in feature for voice conversations, though without a screen or camera there’s no visual element here. There could also be new natural voice options on the speaker, as well as standard features like media control and smart home automations. It can reportedly also detect unusual sounds like breaking glass or smoke alarms and can send an alert to your phone or tablet if this happens.
According to the Android Headlines report, the Home Speaker can pair with a Google TV Streamer and double as an additional surround sound speaker, much like the HomePod does with Apple TV. It functions as a smart hub too, with support for Matter. Google announced Gemini for Home this week, which will gradually replace Google Assistant on the company’s existing smart devices, with free and paid tiers offered to users.
What the leak doesn’t contain is a launch date for this mysterious speaker. But given that Google was seemingly happy enough to have one sitting there in its most important keynote of the year, the smart money would be on an official reveal pretty soon. Engadget reached out to Google for comment, but the company said it had nothing to share at this time.
The Flipper Zero is mired in controversy again. The electronic multitool, with its array of various antennas, has long been demonized for simply existing — the Canadian government has even talked about banning it entirely due to a theorized but then-unproven link to car thefts. Now, an investigation from 404 Media has revealed an underground market of Flipper software designed to break into modern cars, but there’s a catch: The Flipper itself still isn’t the problem, because the problem lies with the cars and keys themselves.
This new attack method defeats modern cars’ use of rolling codes, unique data a keyfob sends on every interaction with the car, and it starts by intercepting a genuine transmission from a keyfob — much like a relay attack. Unlike a relay attack though, where that genuine transmission is artificially range-extended to gain access to a car without the driver in proximity, this new approach uses the real keyfob’s information to reverse-engineer the algorithm with which the unique data is calculated. With that algorithm in hand, a device with the proper antenna can act as its own, fully independent key, even going so far as to desynchronize the car’s genuine keyfob in favor of the impostor. That impostor can be a Flipper Zero, a Raspberry Pi, and likely plenty more devices.
The issue is bigger than Flippers
Amber DaSilva / Jalopnik
The issue here isn’t the existence of a handheld device with a radio antenna, it’s the fact that the malicious actors developing the software for those devices have access to automakers’ source code. Rolling codes are meant to prevent these types of attacks, by generating new codes on each interaction, but that security disappears when hackers know how the code is generated — simply knowing one code seems to be enough to run the algorithm back and know what the next entry in the sequence will be. At that point, the device transmitting the code is trivial. Flipper Zero, Raspberry Pi, laptop, it truly doesn’t matter.
The Flipper Zero, like the Raspberry Pi, has plenty of genuine uses. I personally own one, and it acts as everything from a TV remote to a Tamagotchi for me — I’ve even had a friend use their Flipper to copy their apartment’s key fob to send me, so my device could unlock their door when I visited for a few days. The Flipper has never been the problem with automotive security, the problem is that automakers’ security code has either leaked to or been reverse-engineered by malicious actors.
The Flipper Zero is mired in controversy again. The electronic multitool, with its array of various antennas, has long been demonized for simply existing — the Canadian government has even talked about banning it entirely due to a theorized but then-unproven link to car thefts. Now, an investigation from 404 Media has revealed an underground market of Flipper software designed to break into modern cars, but there’s a catch: The Flipper itself still isn’t the problem, because the problem lies with the cars and keys themselves.
This new attack method defeats modern cars’ use of rolling codes, unique data a keyfob sends on every interaction with the car, and it starts by intercepting a genuine transmission from a keyfob — much like a relay attack. Unlike a relay attack though, where that genuine transmission is artificially range-extended to gain access to a car without the driver in proximity, this new approach uses the real keyfob’s information to reverse-engineer the algorithm with which the unique data is calculated. With that algorithm in hand, a device with the proper antenna can act as its own, fully independent key, even going so far as to desynchronize the car’s genuine keyfob in favor of the impostor. That impostor can be a Flipper Zero, a Raspberry Pi, and likely plenty more devices.
The issue is bigger than Flippers
Amber DaSilva / Jalopnik
The issue here isn’t the existence of a handheld device with a radio antenna, it’s the fact that the malicious actors developing the software for those devices have access to automakers’ source code. Rolling codes are meant to prevent these types of attacks, by generating new codes on each interaction, but that security disappears when hackers know how the code is generated — simply knowing one code seems to be enough to run the algorithm back and know what the next entry in the sequence will be. At that point, the device transmitting the code is trivial. Flipper Zero, Raspberry Pi, laptop, it truly doesn’t matter.
The Flipper Zero, like the Raspberry Pi, has plenty of genuine uses. I personally own one, and it acts as everything from a TV remote to a Tamagotchi for me — I’ve even had a friend use their Flipper to copy their apartment’s key fob to send me, so my device could unlock their door when I visited for a few days. The Flipper has never been the problem with automotive security, the problem is that automakers’ security code has either leaked to or been reverse-engineered by malicious actors.
After months of waiting, we finally learned that the Xbox Ally and its premium variant, the Xbox Ally X, are both launching on October 16, 2025.
We’re still a few weeks out from release, but if you’re excited about getting your hands on one of these devices, then you’ve come to the right place.
At the time of writing, listing pages for the Xbox Ally handhelds have gone up at Best Buy; however, preorders are not yet open, and the official prices of these devices haven’t been revealed.
However, you can do what I did by clicking the links below and then clicking on the Notify Me button. That way, Best Buy will send you an email when these handhelds are in stock.
Should I get the Xbox Ally or the Xbox Ally X?
Why you can trust Windows Central
Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you. Find out more about how we test.
The black Xbox Ally X is the premium handheld while the white Xbox Ally is better for people on a budget. (Image credit: Windows Central / Xbox / ASUS ROG)
Before I explain the differences between these two Windows handhelds, take a gander at the specs.
2x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C, microSD reader, 3.5mm Combo Audio Jack
1x USB4 Type-C with Thunderbolt 4, 1x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C, microSD reader (DDR200), 3.5mm Combo Audio Jack
Network
Wi-Fi 6E (2×2) + Bluetooth 5.4
Wi-Fi 6E (2×2) + Bluetooth 5.4
Audio
Dual Smart Amp speakers, Dolby Atmos, AI noise-canceling microphone
Dual Smart Amp speakers, Dolby Atmos, AI noise-canceling microphone
Dimensions & Weight
290.8 × 121.5 × 50.7 mm, 670g
290.8 × 121.5 × 50.7 mm, 715g
Launch Date
October 16, 2025
October 16, 2025
Price
Unknown
Unknown
It’s important to note that the white Xbox Ally and the more premium black Xbox Ally X serve different gaming needs.
If you’re on a budget, then the white Xbox Ally handheld will be more within your price range, due to its more modest specs. Since these devices haven’t been released yet, we haven’t been able to conduct testing to see how different the performance is between the two devices, but we’ll do this as soon as possible.
If you want the best handheld performance, you’ll want to go with the Xbox Ally X. Its Ryzen AI Z2 Extreme processor features eight cores and 16 threads compared to the four cores and eight threads in the base Xbox Ally’s Ryzen Z2 A processor. Plus, having more RAM and storage space helps the system work better overall for a smoother gaming experience. It also has a 33% larger battery capacity, which could help it last longer unplugged if the system is designed well.
Outside of the casing color, memory, storage, and the processors, many of the features between these two devices are the same.
The Xbox Ally X utilizes a Ryzen AI Z2 Extreme processor, 24GB RAM, and 1TB SSD. (Image credit: Jez Corden / Windows Central)
They both offer grips that were inspired by the official Xbox Wireless Controller, have 7-inch FHD IPS touchscreens, provide the same dual amp speakers, and feature the same Bluetooth 5.4 and Wi-Fi 6E connectivity.
One other major difference, though, is that the base Xbox Ally has two USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 ports while the Xbox Ally X has a USB4 Type-C with Thunderbolt 4 and then a USB-C 3.2 Gen 2.
In case you didn’t already know, despite both having a USB-C connection, a USB4 Thunderbolt 4 port offers much faster speeds for video, data, and power delivery.
What can an Xbox Ally handheld do?
(Image credit: Jez Corden / Windows Central)
The Xbox Ally and Xbox Ally X are both Windows 11 devices, meaning that they function much like a gaming laptop, but with controllers instead of a keyboard and touchpad.
What this means is that you’ll be able to access a wide range of gaming services and programs on this device. For instance, you could play games via Steam, Epic Game Store, Battle.net, Xbox App, and more, as long as the Xbox Ally handheld meets a game’s system requirements.
To help with this, Microsoft recently revealed a new Handheld Compatibility Program, which will mark compatible games with either “Handheld Optimized” or “Mostly Compatible.”
On top of that, Microsoft has created Windows Performance Fit indicators to explain how well a game will run on Xbox Ally or Xbox Ally X. These can either be “Should play well” or “Should play great.”
Together, this dual-part compatibility system will help you figure out which games to purchase for your Xbox Ally handheld.
If you have a compatible dock, you can play your games using a connected controller from the comfort of your couch. Alternatively, you can connect the handheld to a monitor and use it like a regular computer.
Outside of gaming, the Xbox Ally handhelds can be used to run most PC programs. If you connect a keyboard to them, like this Artcietty Foldable Bluetooth Keyboard ($34.43 at Amazon), you can even type up documents or browse the internet like you would on a laptop.
After months of waiting, we finally learned that the Xbox Ally and its premium variant, the Xbox Ally X, are both launching on October 16, 2025.
We’re still a few weeks out from release, but if you’re excited about getting your hands on one of these devices, then you’ve come to the right place.
At the time of writing, listing pages for the Xbox Ally handhelds have gone up at Best Buy; however, preorders are not yet open, and the official prices of these devices haven’t been revealed.
However, you can do what I did by clicking the links below and then clicking on the Notify Me button. That way, Best Buy will send you an email when these handhelds are in stock.
Should I get the Xbox Ally or the Xbox Ally X?
Why you can trust Windows Central
Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you. Find out more about how we test.
The black Xbox Ally X is the premium handheld while the white Xbox Ally is better for people on a budget. (Image credit: Windows Central / Xbox / ASUS ROG)
Before I explain the differences between these two Windows handhelds, take a gander at the specs.
2x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C, microSD reader, 3.5mm Combo Audio Jack
1x USB4 Type-C with Thunderbolt 4, 1x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C, microSD reader (DDR200), 3.5mm Combo Audio Jack
Network
Wi-Fi 6E (2×2) + Bluetooth 5.4
Wi-Fi 6E (2×2) + Bluetooth 5.4
Audio
Dual Smart Amp speakers, Dolby Atmos, AI noise-canceling microphone
Dual Smart Amp speakers, Dolby Atmos, AI noise-canceling microphone
Dimensions & Weight
290.8 × 121.5 × 50.7 mm, 670g
290.8 × 121.5 × 50.7 mm, 715g
Launch Date
October 16, 2025
October 16, 2025
Price
Unknown
Unknown
It’s important to note that the white Xbox Ally and the more premium black Xbox Ally X serve different gaming needs.
If you’re on a budget, then the white Xbox Ally handheld will be more within your price range, due to its more modest specs. Since these devices haven’t been released yet, we haven’t been able to conduct testing to see how different the performance is between the two devices, but we’ll do this as soon as possible.
If you want the best handheld performance, you’ll want to go with the Xbox Ally X. Its Ryzen AI Z2 Extreme processor features eight cores and 16 threads compared to the four cores and eight threads in the base Xbox Ally’s Ryzen Z2 A processor. Plus, having more RAM and storage space helps the system work better overall for a smoother gaming experience. It also has a 33% larger battery capacity, which could help it last longer unplugged if the system is designed well.
Outside of the casing color, memory, storage, and the processors, many of the features between these two devices are the same.
The Xbox Ally X utilizes a Ryzen AI Z2 Extreme processor, 24GB RAM, and 1TB SSD. (Image credit: Jez Corden / Windows Central)
They both offer grips that were inspired by the official Xbox Wireless Controller, have 7-inch FHD IPS touchscreens, provide the same dual amp speakers, and feature the same Bluetooth 5.4 and Wi-Fi 6E connectivity.
One other major difference, though, is that the base Xbox Ally has two USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 ports while the Xbox Ally X has a USB4 Type-C with Thunderbolt 4 and then a USB-C 3.2 Gen 2.
In case you didn’t already know, despite both having a USB-C connection, a USB4 Thunderbolt 4 port offers much faster speeds for video, data, and power delivery.
What can an Xbox Ally handheld do?
(Image credit: Jez Corden / Windows Central)
The Xbox Ally and Xbox Ally X are both Windows 11 devices, meaning that they function much like a gaming laptop, but with controllers instead of a keyboard and touchpad.
What this means is that you’ll be able to access a wide range of gaming services and programs on this device. For instance, you could play games via Steam, Epic Game Store, Battle.net, Xbox App, and more, as long as the Xbox Ally handheld meets a game’s system requirements.
To help with this, Microsoft recently revealed a new Handheld Compatibility Program, which will mark compatible games with either “Handheld Optimized” or “Mostly Compatible.”
On top of that, Microsoft has created Windows Performance Fit indicators to explain how well a game will run on Xbox Ally or Xbox Ally X. These can either be “Should play well” or “Should play great.”
Together, this dual-part compatibility system will help you figure out which games to purchase for your Xbox Ally handheld.
If you have a compatible dock, you can play your games using a connected controller from the comfort of your couch. Alternatively, you can connect the handheld to a monitor and use it like a regular computer.
Outside of gaming, the Xbox Ally handhelds can be used to run most PC programs. If you connect a keyboard to them, like this Artcietty Foldable Bluetooth Keyboard ($34.43 at Amazon), you can even type up documents or browse the internet like you would on a laptop.
