When the Google Nest Hub (initially $149, now $70 at most places) arrived on our desk, we were surprised. This tiny little box can’t be it, we thought. Smart displays (smart speakers with built-in voice assistants like Google Assistant or Alexa) are supposed to have gigantic screens for reading, big footprints, and plenty of bells and whistles — right? Google’s Nest Hub has other ideas, and though it’s tiny, it has some powerful features that make it mighty under the hood in being a central figure in the ever growing smart home. In a way, its simple approach is a refreshing take on the smart display — but it also feels watered down given some of the new options out there. Since its release, we’ve seen its bigger brother — the Google Nest Hub Max. It shares many of the same features, but comes with a larger screen, superior audio performance, and a front-facing camera for video calls. With that camera, it can even act as a security watchdog while you’re away. It’s also more expensive at...
Easy smart home control; No camera on device; Small size means it can be placed anywhere; Doubles as a digital photo frame; Affordable;
No camera means no video chatting; Poor sound quality; Screen is too small for media consumption;