Table of Content
Read our full Google Nest Hub review to learn about all the upgrades you can expect. The Home Hub provides great value, providing that you're happy using Google's other services. The software has seen some improvements, though most of the core features remain the same.
This list includes Google mainstays like Google Calendar and Google Play Music, but also apps like Spotify, HBO Now, Uber, NPR, ESPN, Walmart, Target and many, many others. For one, photos - especially those shot on a phone - look great on the smaller screen. Had Google gone for something larger, say in the the 10- to 12-inch range, photos would not have looked as rich or as clear as they do on the Home Hub. Even if you are afraid of what might happen to it, you might not want to put it too far away - the 7-inch HD touchscreen is great up close and, unsurprisingly, much less dramatic when seen from afar. Despite what it may look like in press photos, at just 178.5 x 118 x 67.3mm , the Home Hub is surprisingly small.
Google Nest Hub Max review: Price and competition
It already hooks into some of the largest platforms now by including Nest, Philips and Samsung’s SmartThings, and given a few months that number will grow even more. Then there’s the issue of selecting specific episodes, which Google Home is unable to do. Ask it to play a show and it will start from where you last left off, but you can’t ask it to play a specific episode. Also, if you have an Android smart TV, you can now use Google Assistant to communicate with Netflix, asking it to play content just like if you had the Nvidia Shield set top box. In more positive news, Google announced that Assistant has now made its way to more than 500 million devices. That means not only does it come built-in to Google Home, it works on over 5,000 different devices - from cars to phones.
He wants the smart home to make him feel powerful, and it's getting there. Home View is also available in the Google Home app, giving roughly the same level of control, although it doesn’t currently let you change bulb colour, which is a little strange. Third-party services are available, such as to give you Tube line status updates, but you can’t see or install the list of skills; rather, when you ask a question, Google will ask if you want to use a third-party skill to answer.
A Google-Powered Alarm Clock
Although the display might be the main draw, the Home Hub functions as a speaker too. Sound quality feels on par with the standard Google Home and is certainly better than the Mini. Although we certainly wouldn’t recommend it as a replacement for a proper set of speakers. It can’t control all your devices, such as Apple TVs or Sonos smart speakers, but I’m sure it will get smarter with future software updates. If you ask "how much tomato sauce?" Google will understand that you're referring to the recipe and will give the appropriate answer. You can also multitask while you cook and watch videos, play music, set a timer or add something to your shopping list.
Its music performance is closer to that of the Echo Spot than the Echo Show or the JBL Link View. The Nest Hub's speaker is loud enough to hear Google Assistant's answers from across a small room, but it can't fill a room with compelling audio. Recently Google turned its Home app into a one-stop-shop for controlling connected devices.
Everything the Google Home Hub can do
There’s a white frame just over 1cm deep all the way around the Hub that is nicely curved at the edges, but it is a functional, value screen rather than something you’ll happily sit back and watch movies on. Filters can also restrict YouTube to certain content, such as that included in YouTube Kids, or block it entirely. They can also block explicit music tracks or all music, block voice calls, restrict Assistant’s answers to basic things like the weather and block third-party app actions except for those specifically designed for families. Ask how to make beef bourguignon and the screen will display a selection of recipes from the web. Selecting one shows you the recipe, from which you can tap to start cooking and get step-by-step instructions read out and displayed on screen one at a time.
Even better, right now adverts seemed to have been removed, which made the viewing experience better than if you were on a phone or computer. If you’re on a Google Android device, you can cast other services to the Home Hub, but you can’t easily cast to it from an iOS device. Voice control works well across the supported services though, allowing you to say “Play pop music on Spotify”, or “Play BBC Radio 2” and Google will do as you command. The small, affordable Google Assistant-powered Nest Hub smart display is functional and convenient, but won't impress anyone with its sound quality.
From this point of view, Google has nailed what it is to have a smart display. In my Google Assistant guide, I’ve covered everything in more detail, but I’ll cover the specific points for the Home Hub here. Around the back of the screen, there are dedicated volume buttons and a switch that turns of the microphone to stop the Home Hub from listening in. For sound, you can just swipe up from the bottom of the display and use the touch controls instead. It’s perfectly adequate as a kitchen or bedside radio, but I wouldn’t recommend buying it as the main speaker for listening to music. For this, you’re better off picking up a Chromecast Audio to add to existing speakers and simply selecting it as the primary music output for your Home Hub.
Overall, the addition of a touch display makes interacting with most applications easier and faster, as it cuts down on the “OK, Google” rigmarole. There’s also something oddly satisfying about watching Assistant translate your speech into text in real time. We were only played a very brief audio clip from YouTube and the Home Hub did struggle to be heard over the hustle and bustle in the background. You got the impression in a quieter environment it’s probably going to be fine playing in the background or serving up the odd music track or perhaps an instruction video in the kitchen.
It’s also where you’ll be when using the broadcast feature to call everyone down for dinner. The Google Home Hub is about much more than just adding a display — it’s designed as the Hub for all of your other smart appliances. To this end, Google has also revamped it’s Home app to simplify common functions and introduced the Home View to the Home Hub.
Asking Google Assistant for location information will bring up a map, contact info, reviews and descriptions of those places while asking about a movie will bring up information on its cast. Click any of these cards and you’ll be drawn deeper down the rabbit hole where you can then see even more information. In fact, one of the biggest changes Google's made since launch is integrating YouTube Music into the device and allowing you to play music on-demand at no additional cost and without a subscription . Beyond the tangible products that integrate with Google Assistant, there are a vast number of apps and services that work here, too.
Perhaps my favourite thing about the Home Hub, though, is how it interfaces with Google Photos. Along with various other options, the Google Home mobile app lets you show albums from your Google Photos on the Home Hub when it’s not in use. It’s a very similar feature to that on the Chromecast, except that you’re actually likely to see your pictures on the Home Hub because the display is always turned on. Aside from this, though, you’re still encouraged to control the Home Hub using your voice – and when you do, it quickly becomes clear how much it has to offer compared to its display-less siblings. Ask how cold it is outside, for example, and the Home Hub will give a verbal response, but also detail the weather forecast for the next six hours in an eye-friendly graphic. And when you ask how long it’ll take to drive somewhere, the Home Hub can illustrate any areas affected by bad traffic and let you expand the map to look at the route in more detail.
The device is also equipped with an ambient light sensor, called Ambient EQ, which automatically adjusts the screen’s brightness based on the time of day. It's the pricing of the Echo Show 8 that really makes the comparison harder than it was last year. Even when it's not on sale, the Echo Show 8 offers a lot of benefits over the Nest Hub for manageable price increase.
Google Home Hub (Google Nest Hub) review
Setting up the Home Hub is a breeze, and the general interface is intuitive. The home screen will be immediately familiar to anyone who has used an Android phone, with cards showing information about what you’ve watched recently, the weather, news or your commute, and so on. Google’s search prowess clearly gives Google Assistant an advantage in the richness of information displayed, but it is the integration with Android that really stands out, here. Another standout feature is being able to find recipes and follow their step-by-step instructions on screen, but you can also benefit from seeing countdown timers, calculations, translations and to-do lists on screen.
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