Externally, there's not much to tell the Google Nest Hub (2nd gen) apart from the original. Design-wise that's not a problem, as this is still one of the best-looking smart displays. Inside, you get the Google Soli motion sensor, which gives you gesture control to manage media playback, and this enables the new Sleep Sensing technology, which will tell you how well you slept. In practice, positioning the display properly can be hard if you don't have the right features, and Sleep Sensing wasn't that useful. For owners of the existing Nest Hub, there's not much reason to upgrade, but if you need a new (or second) smart display, this one is great value and works well.

Good price; Clever motion sensing for gestures; Brilliantly combines voice and touchscreen actions;

Not that much new; Sleep Sensing has some tough restrictions;

The smartest display for the bedroom, but it can't stop my husband snoring

Elegant design, Device-free sleep tracking, Handy gesture controls, No camera, Great price, Thread-enabled

Sleep Sensing won't stay free, Screen too small for some, No camera, Touch screen can be sluggish

Google Nest Hub is a control panel for your smart home. Now also with sleep sensor and (slightly) better sound.

Perfect as a dashboard for Google Home.

Navigation is not easy on the small screen. The sound is still in clock radio quality. More apps would make it far more useful.

The Google Nest Hub (2nd generation) may look very similar to its predecessor, but with Soli radar technology built in, it can track your sleep, making it Google’s most innovative smart display to date. Sleep sensing works well, although you won’t get the detailed statistics a wearable sleep tracker offers, and with handy features such as the Sunrise alarm too, this is a device that will help you both wind down and wake up.

Smart display can track your sleep; Can help you wind down and wake up gently; Watch Netflix, Disney+, and cast other videos on the 7-inch screen;

No camera for video calls; Audio doesn’t have powerful bass; Sleep tracking not as accurate as a wearable

The Nest Hub 2 improves on an already good smart display but potentially paying for Sleep Sensing in the future puts a big question mark on value.

Sleek design; Good sleep tracking; Quick Gestures; Improved sound;

Laggy at times; Sleep Sensing may cost money;

The original Nest Hub was a perfectly capable smart display, but as Google's only model at the time, it felt a bit lacking compared with Amazon's much larger Alexa-powered lineup. The second-generation Nest Hub ($99.99) improves upon it predecessor with a feature you won't find on any other smart display: sleep tracking. Thanks to a built-in Google Soli motion sensing chip, the 7-inch Nest Hub can accurately track your sleeping and breathing when placed on a bedside table. While it still lacks a camera for video calls, it offers several other upgrades, including 50% more bass for improved audio, a Quick Gestures feature that lets you pause or play content simply by waving your hand, and a machine learning chip that caches your common commands for faster response times. Offering tremendous value for the price, the second-generation Nest Hub earns our Editors' Choice award for Google Assistant smart displays. Getting to Know the New Nest Hub At $99.99, the second-gen Nest Hub is deb...

With the ability to track your sleep in addition to all of the voice control capacity of the original, the second-generation Nest Hub smart display is an ideal bedside companion for Google Assistant users.

Tracks sleep and breathing; Intuitive interface; Excellent smart home controls; Google Assistant responds quickly; Compact design

Might attribute co-sleeper's coughing/snoring to you; No camera for video calls

The Google Nest Hub 2 is a fantastic, feature-packed smart display that’s now available at a better price than ever. The sound it’s capable of isn’t going to replace your dedicated audio speakers, and the new Sleep Sensing feature will only be useful if you want a smart display in your bedroom, but in terms of its core smart home control and voice assistance functionality, it’s a slick little performer. It’s just missing a camera for video calling to make it the complete package.

Great for smart home control; Improved sound; Gorgeous digital photo frame; More video streaming options;

No camera;

At this level and with this music and video content support, the Nest Hub is a viable smart home contender

Great streaming service support, Good-value screen, Sleep Sensing tech

Making calls requires app, Basic sound

Google released the original Nest Hub (née Home Hub) in 2018, and we liked it even at $150. That price came down substantially, giving more people a chance to try out what was arguably the best Assistant smart display.

Display The resolution isn't the highest, but this screen gets dim enough for use in a bedroom, and Ambient EQ makes it blend in very well., Performance boost The new Hub is faster, exhibiting fewer slowdowns in the UI than the OG device.

Sleep Sensing again Google has yet to provide me with any suggestions beyond common sense—it needs to do more before Google can charge for it. Medium and large pets will interfere with your tracking if they get on your bed, too.

Does a cheaper price tag, better audio, and sleep tracking make this a better buy than the original? You bet....

Improved sound with strong bass Intuitive software with regular updates Unique, hands-off way to track sleep Affordable price (not including Sleep Sensing)

Unknown sleep tracking subscription fee in 2022 Missing sleep tracking metrics compared to wearables Google Fit is simple to a fault