Google has largely left the entry-level and lower mid-range markets entirely with its recent suite of devices. Sure, the Pixel A series still exists, but I wouldn’t dare call it budget. Then there’s the death of the Chromecast series, which offered users an affordable way to bring streaming smarts to their screens. It now seems that the Nest Mini, a device that rarely costs a handful of notes, is next. The speaker is currently out of stock, with little evidence of a restock ahead of the pricier Google Home Speaker debut. The lack of a budget speaker option, as my colleague Brady Snyder argues, could come back to bite Google if it doesn’t address it.

I still own a Nest Mini, but given that the replacement will cost three times as much while offering nothing revolutionary, I’m certainly going to miss the cheap-and-cheerful speakers at the heart of my modest smart home setup. But do you feel the same way? Is it time for Google to retire the Nest range in favor of the new Home era products?

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