Google continues to expand and upgrade its suite of smart home devices as it attempts to keep pace with and pass Amazon's Echo range.
The latest offering is the Nest Hub – in essence, Google’s version of the Amazon Echo Show – a screen based smart home assistant.
DESIGN
The Nest Hub looks very like the Echo Show in many ways.
Just over 7 inches wide, 4.65 inches high and 2.65 inches deep, the device is a manageable size for most desks, sideboards or shelves.
It is dominated by a 7 inch touch display which boasts a 1024x600 resolution and offers a reasonable level of viewing quality.
The screen sits on a solid base, tilted at a set angle.
There is no in-built camera though, which gets rid of many privacy concerns in rooms all over the house, but may be a drawback for some.
It comes in four colours – chalk, charcoal, sand and aqua.
There are two far-field microphones built in, along with a full-range speaker which pumps out pretty decent sound for its size.
There’s no 3.5 inch headphone socket, but it does have Bluetooth, so wireless headphones can be paired with it.
The ambient EQ light sensor adjusts the display’s output to match the colours and lighting of the environment – useful for a bedroom setting.
In terms of buttons, there is just a physical volume control and a mic mute button.
SETUP
Setting up the device is pretty straightforward.
There are the usual few hoops to jump through like downloading the Google Home smartphone app if you haven’t already, updates to the device itself, teaching it to recognise your voice, localising it and linking it to your other relevant accounts.
As part of the set up process you can select what the display shows when not in use.
Options include Google Photos slideshows (more on this in a minute), an art gallery of curated images or a full screen clock.
FEATURES
Central to the whole Hub experience is Google’s Assistant or voice controlled virtual helper.
Using it, the Nest Hub can display Google Calendar, answer questions, display the weather, offer up recipes, etc.
All the basic things you’d now expect a decent smart assistant to be able to do.
But perhaps the most obvious feature of the Nest Hub is its use for displaying photos.
As you would anticipate, it integrates seamlessly with Google Photos, with pictures looking good on the 7 inch screen.
Voice control can be used to select pictures and albums and what you see can be tailored quite significantly.
Video watching is also another no-brainer feature for the device.
YouTube clips can be called up either by voice or touch – but sometimes finding what you want can be tricky.
Tunes can also be provided from YouTube music or other compatible third party services like Spotify.
Music can also be played across multiple Google Nest Hub and Home speakers simultaneously using the multi-room function.
A recent positive addition to the feature list is support for Netflix, a first for any smart display.
To use it you simply link your Netflix account in the Google Home or Assistant app and after that Netflix shows and movies can be seamlessly played on the Hub device.
The Hub can also be used to play video that is cast from a compatible mobile device.
This means that other streaming services like Disney+ or Amazon Prime Video can be played back on the Hub’s larger screen.
Smart home devices control are also central to the Nest Hub's raison d’être.
From its Home View screen, the hundreds of devices now compatible with Google Assistant can now be managed and controlled either by voice, or touch.
The centralised dashboard makes it simple to access everything from TVs, cameras, lights and door-bells.
Routines can also be used to control multiple devices simultaneously with one single command.
Voice calling is also possible to anyone in your Google contacts
WELL-BEING:
If you want to restrict use of the device by you or your family there are a series of handy features to do this.
Filters can be used to restrict access to music with explicit lyrics, limit videos to certain age groups, or restrict search functions.
You can also stop the Hub from responding to commands or questions or providing notifications using the Downtime feature.
CONCLUSION
If you are looking for a smart assistant with screen functionality, there is much to like about the Google Nest Hub.
The device looks pretty slick and would appear at home in most settings.
The range of functionality is decent and the addition of Netflix to the video offering is a plus.
Smart home control is intuitive and pretty effective.
On the downside, there is no inbuilt camera for video-calling, finding video content isn’t always straightforward and the 7 inch screen isn’t ideal for all viewing experiences.
At around €90 to buy, it is relatively competitively priced compared to the Amazon Echo Show.
There’s not a massive amount between the two devices in terms of functionality.
So for potential buyers much will depend on which features mean more to them and which ecosystem they prefer.
