Walmart dropped a round of serious price cuts on Google Home smart home devices for its Labor Day sales event. It’s been just a month since Walmart’s last major sales push for Google devices during Prime Day 2019. Amazon also has good deals on smart speakers and smart displays.
We’ve found the best discounts on Google Home smart speakers and smart display plus two Google Home smart kits, one for smart lighting and the other to set up a smart TV in your home. The common factor with all of these deals is their compatibility with the Google Assistant digital voice assistant. Whether you are curious to see what smart home devices are about, adding to an existing configuration, or want to make life a bit more convenient, these five deals can help you save up to $50.
Google Home Mini
— $20 off
Google Home MiniImage used with permission by copyright holder
If you’re taking a first, tentative step with smart home technology and you use an Androidsmartphone, the Google Home Mini smart speaker is an excellent entry point. The Mini gives you hands-free access to Google searches, but it will also set timers and alarms, play the music you request, and answer questions all in response to your saying, “OK, Google” or “Hey, Google.” Even if you never connect a smart light, a smart camera, or any other device, the Google Home Mini is a convenient time saver for those times when you don’t want to stop to use a keyboard. If you do have other smart devices, the Google Home Mini lets you manage them with voice commands.
Normally priced at $49, the Google Home Mini is just $29 during the Labor Day sale. If you want a low-risk first smart home device, this is a good price for the smallest smart speaker in the lineup.
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Google Home
— $50 off
The Google Home smart speaker isn’t any more intelligent than the Mini, but it plays better-sounding music. A 1 x 2-inch high-excursion speaker does a better job of filling a room with sound than the Mini. The Google Home doesn’t compete with home stereo systems or the larger and more expensive Google Home Max, but for casual listening, the Google Home is a significant step up in audio quality.
Usually $129, the Google Home smart speaker is just $79 during this sale. If you’re looking for a smart speaker that adds reasonably good music listening, this is a chance to buy at an attractive price.
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Google Nest Hub
— $50 off
Google Nest HubImage used with permission by copyright holder
The Google Nest Hub is the smallest of the brand’s smart displays. Previously called the Google Home Hub, the Nest Hub is unchanged other than by name after an internal company division shuffle. The Nest Hub’s 7-inch diagonal color smart display adds visual and video content to the smart speaker functionality of the Google Home and Google Home Mini. You can view weather and news reports and video clips, use it for voice calls or one-way video calls (it has no camera), and display your favorite photos.
Regularly priced $149, the Google Nest Hub is just $99 while this sale lasts. If you’re shopping for a smart device but want the richer content of a smart display, this could be the time to snap up a Google Nest Hub at this discounted price.
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Google Smart Light Starter Kit
— $20 off
The Google Smart Light Starter Kit is an inexpensive and easy way to put a Google Home Mini to work switching a lamp on and off. The Starter Kit includes a Google Home Mini and, for just $6 more than the sale price for the Mini alone, a GE C-Life Smart Bulb. Just install the bulb in a lamp in the same room as the Mini and control it with your voice.
Ordinarily $55, the Google Smart Light Starter Kit is just $35 during this sale. If you would like to experience the convenience of voice-controlled lighting, this is an excellent opportunity to get started at a compelling price.
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Google Smart TV Kit
— $14 off
The Google Smart TV Starter Kit includes a Google Home Mini and a Google Chromecast. Use the two devices together to control your TV hands-free, to search and select streamed television content, and to stream content from your smartphone or another mobile device directly to your TV screen.
Instead of the usual $74 price, Walmart cut the price of the Google Smart TV Starter Kit to just $60 for this sale. If you want to experience smart TV without buying a new set, here’s a solution that includes the full array of Google Nest smart home functions.
If you're all-in with Android and the Google ecosystem, there are some smart lights that may work better with your setup than others. Once installed, these smart lights play nice with Google Home, so you can manage all of your connected devices under one roof and issue hands-free commands by way of Google Assistant.
Google Home is a great platform to work with for home lighting, especially if you have lights that span between multiple manufacturers and you want to look at everything in one spot. By using Routines, Google Home can fire off multiple commands all at once, including setting lights in certain rooms to go on, go off, dim, or change color.
The 10 best smart home products not made by Google or Amazon (or their subsidiaries)
Amazon and Google might dominate the smart home market, but that doesn’t mean they’re the only companies churning out high-end products in that category. Companies like Wyze, Arlo, and even Apple have shown time and again they’re capable of competing with the two well-known companies — and they’ve got plenty of highly rated products to prove it.
If you don’t want to pick up smart home products from Amazon or Google (or their subsidiaries), here are the best smart home products to buy.
Eve MotionBlinds Upgrade Kit and Blinds Collection join the Matter lineup
Eve is a prominent name in the smart home world, with the company responsible for a variety of devices covering everything from smart plugs and security cameras to smart light switches and motion sensors. Its catalog is growing even more enticing today, with the Eve Blinds Collection and MotionBlinds Upgrade Kit gaining Matter support.
The MotionBlinds Upgrade Kit will likely appeal to more customers, as it costs just $200 and works with most existing setups. Installation is as simple as removing your shades, placing the MotionBlinds Upgrade Kit through the roller rod, then reinstalling the unit on your windows. Blinds with a roller between 1.5 inches and 2.0 inches are compatible with the upgrade kit.
