New Google Home with touchscreen spotted in Google app code

When it comes to smart devices, Google is on a roll. The company recently announced the Google Home Mini and the Google Home Max to accompany its Google Home, but information found in the Google search app suggests that Google could be producing a new speaker with a touchscreen, possibly to rival Amazon's Echo Show.

Spotted by AndroidPolice, the code appears to hint at multiple on-display features including YouTube video playback, web browsing, Google Maps support, personalised home screens, notifications, timers, weather, photo galleries and more.

It is still unknown what form this might take. It could be something akin to the Echo Show, or be a separate tablet device entirely - like how Amazon integrated the Alexa smart assistant into its Fire tablets. Similarly, it could mean integration with Google's Chromecasts, to allow Google Home to send more information to your television.

Amazon and Google have been battling it out for supremacy in the smart speaker market recently. Amazon's storefront still doesn't sell the Google Chromecast, while Google pulled YouTube from the Echo Show following a dispute over terms and conditions. It's possible that a new smart speaker with YouTube integration could give Google the edge.

Rumours are that it could launch mid-2018, so we'll have to wait and see...

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Adam was a staff writer for What Hi-Fi?, reviewing consumer gadgets for online and print publication, as well as researching and producing features and advice pieces on new technology in the hi-fi industry. He has since worked for PC Mag as a contributing editor and is now a science and technology reporter for The Independent.