, it wasn't surprising. What's perhaps more surprising is that it's taken so long for the first Google Nest product to emerge. The result: a smart speaker with a display and a few surprises makes up for it, more or less.

I like this item because it is fun

It would be easy to dismiss the Google Nest Hub Max as a bigger version of the existing Nest Hub (previously the Google Home Hub), designed to combat the threat of the bigger Amazon Echo Show.

Face Match works brilliantly; Can act as a security camera; Excellent sound quality

Few video playback options; Nest integration doesn't work with G Suite accounts

The turbo-charged version of the Google Home Hub is better for video, music, podcasts and just about everything else. It may not be perfect, but what's not to like about that summary

Excellent screen; Good; music-friendly speaker; Neat design; Well-priced

No Netflix support; Display isn't as sharp as Lenovo's; Nest integration wobbly at launch

No product is more emblematic of the fusion of Google and Nest into a single brand than the new Google Nest Hub Max. This is the bigger brother to the Google Home Hub , later renamed the Google Nest Hub.

Audio The audio quality is much improved over the Nest Hub-it's a bit better than the OG Home; Display Bright; sufficiently sharp; and supports Ambient EQ; Face Match The Hub Max is very quick to recognize you and present personalized info; Gestures The play-pause gesture works as advertised,...

Wasted space The Hub Max is just a big photo frame when you're not using it; I'd like to see the option to display information or controls, Gestures again It would be great to see more use of gestures.

I originally ordered the amazon echo show 5 which was very tinny, so I treated myself to this and I'm so glad I did. The sound quality is perfect, with great bar which you can adjust. The technology is by far the most advanced and syncs up to my smart home products. Well done Google!

I bought this model because my husband is hard of hearing and found our previous Google assistant a bit low! But the Google nest hub max has solved that and gives him a visual answer plus when it's not in use it is a clock and photo frame showing all our fav photos!

The smart display is one of the newer areas in tech, and they are going through a bit of an awkward stage. Google and Amazon are wrestling for power over your living room, and that leads to a few annoying gaps. You can’t play Amazon Prime Video or Netflix on the Google Nest Hub Max. The second may come in time, the first probably won’t. Google’s haste to add Nest support has also led to a security cam feature that’s a bit wobbly too. However, buy-in knowing this is a bit of a work-in-progress and you’ll be happy. It also does plenty to keep you entertained already, from letting you know just how wet your shoes will get on the way to work, to playing tunes with the same panache as some wireless speakers around the same price.

Sound quality is good enough for day-long music listening; Smart small-footprint design; Screen adjusts to ambient light brilliantly; Responsive voice recognition;

Nest cam support needs some work; Screen could be sharper; No Netflix support (yet);

With onboard Google Assistant, easy-on-the-eyes Ambient EQ display technology, a built-in Nest camera, and impressive sound, the $230 Google Nest Hub...

Impressive audio quality; Excels as a digital photo frame; Built-in Nest camera; Google Assistant is one of the smartest assistants we've tried

No physical camera shutter; No analog audio output; Google Assistant's smart home compatibility still lags Alexa (though it's catching up fast

Sound quality is good enough for day-long music listening; Smart small-footprint design; Screen adjusts to ambient light brilliantly; Responsive voice recognition;

Nest cam support needs some work; Screen could be sharper; No Netflix support (yet);