Google Home Hub review: This is the Smart Display you should buy
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As with all the devices launched at the Pixel event, the Home Hub comes with a free six-month subscription to YouTube Premium, which also includes Google’s YouTube Music streaming service as part of the package. For now, the Google Home is simply a smart novelty with access to YouTube Music, built-in Google Cast and the ability to save you a trip to the light switch. Google Home can do some of that already, making it far and away a better system now than the Echo was when it first launched. But, speaking from experience, it’s only going to get better, smarter and more robust in the coming weeks, months and years. Where it’s unable to create new events , make phone calls with Google Voice or jot down some quick notes in a Google Doc.
We also couldn’t get Netflix to cast from our iPhone at launch, despite the device showing up as an option in the app. You can link your Netflix account, but confusingly, you can’t view Netflix content on the device (you can ask the Home Hub to play Stranger things on your Google-powered TV, though). Sure, it was nice to have a screen to show you information as well as tell it to you, but it struggled to do even basic things such as showing YouTube videos, and it’s a lot more expensive than its speaker lineup.
Google Home Hub review: the smart display to buy
Swiping down from the top edge shows the products connected to the Home Hub that you can command using the touchscreen. For example, you can use the screen to finely adjust the brightness of Hue lights and it’s often quicker and more convenient than opening an app on a phone. Also, there are many occasions where a screen is easier than using your voice and, for those occasions, the Home Hub comes into its own. As you’d expect, you can use it to play music and YouTube videos, and it can also show cooking instructions and display your best snaps from Google Photos.
For those who fear the privacy implications of this, there is a switch round the back that disables the camera, although it also knocks out the microphone. It’s a pity you can’t turn off just the camera while leaving the microphone on this way, although you can do this on the display with a swipe upwards. If you use Google Photos, the Google Nest Hub can display them on your home screen, but instead, we opt for Google’s splendid art gallery slideshow. The screen, which also boasts ambient adaptive brightness, won’t blow you away in terms of resolution, depth and clarity, but it’s more than acceptable for the money. PCMag.com is a leading authority on technology, delivering lab-based, independent reviews of the latest products and services. Our expert industry analysis and practical solutions help you make better buying decisions and get more from technology.
Google Home Hub review: The small smart display with big potential
At most, the Home Hub will display three videos on screen at a time - which can mean it might take a few minutes to find what you’re looking for. Those companies and products are just the tip of the iceberg of what’s supported with more makes and models being added to the platform all the time. Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you. If you’re more interested in controlling your smart devices than you are watching movies or making video calls, the Google Home Hub makes a compelling claim to be the center of your smart home.
It’s a big step up from the chunky original Echo Show and a bit nicer to look at than the Echo Show . 26 Early Black Friday 2022 Deals You Can Get TodayAll the worthwhile early offers on TVs, phones, streaming sticks, vacuum cleaners, and more. Bar a few small gripes with the way its software works – it seems impossible to clear recipes and videos you’re finished with manually, for example – my overall experience with the Home Hub has been overwhelmingly positive. One is slightly ahead of the other in terms of overall intelligence and breadth of knowledge and from a pure knowledge graph perspective, Google seems to know the answer to a lot more queries.
Google Nest Hub Max review: Design and display
There’s a free version of Spotify as well as the option to use Deezer, Google Music or YouTube Music, but there are still a lot of services missing, including Tidal and Apple Music. What isn’t a bonus feature is the speaker itself, so how is the sound quality? Well, the larger footprint means that the Nest Hub Max gets a slight upgrade on the original Google Home Hub. The new model comes with a 75mm, 30W woofer and two 38mm, 10W mid-high drivers, and the sound quality is pretty reasonable – although no match for an Apple HomePod. The screen looks like a 2015’s idea of a tablet, with half-inch-thick bezels all the way around but I like its chunky charms.
The Ambient EQ feature is undoubtedly why videos look so good on such a small screen, but it's at its best when the Nest Hub has a picture on display. Unlike most of the other smart displays, the Nest Hub doesn't have a camera, which might be a negative for some, but privacy-minded folks will appreciate its absence. Otherwise, it offers all the same features as the other smart displays for a reasonable price.
Setup and Google Assistant
The device’s base is only 2.6 inches wide, and not quite as long as the 7-inch screen. I was able to perch it on my bedpost and the corner of my dresser, which I couldn’t have done with Lenovo’s display, and never had to move any of my belongings to make room for it. A grey fabric texture covers the speaker returns, and the rest of the hub is clad in a utilitarian white plastic. You’ll find the familiar microphone mute slider on the rear, accompanied by a volume rocker on one side. The hub isn’t powered by a USB port like the Home Mini but takes an older looking DC adapter from the originalGoogle Home.
Yes the Echo Show has its advantages but, for the vast majority of folks just starting to build out their smart home, the Home Hub is what we’d recommend instead. Google Home Hub released on October 22, 2018 for $149, £139 (around AU$210 and R2,999) in the US and UK, with availability for Australia to follow after. However, you're now able to get a sizable discount on the speaker in both regions thanks to Black Friday 2018. Combine the Home Hub’s simplicity and intelligence with the functionality offered by the speaker itself and you have the makings for a must-have smart home ecosystem that has only a couple of shortcomings.
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.
The device only has two front-facing microphones, but we found voice pickup to be excellent, even from afar. Sound is less good, lacking punch in the bass, so if you’re looking for a music-playing device, we’d suggest a dedicated speaker as the Google Home Hub has no audio out port. On the video side, YouTube is supported, so you can search for the latest trailers, music videos and Fortnite videos using your voice.
Google hasn’t released the specification for its LCD display, but it’s excellent for the price. Photos and videos look beautiful, with great colour reproduction and superb viewing angles. The interface is also beautifully presented, with nice big icons and text that you can read from across a room.
Swipe down from the top of the display to show the smart home panel, or tap view rooms to show the complete smart home control dashboard. The Google Home Hub combines smart speaker and display to create an attractive, simple and effective package. Google Assistant itself is a breeze to interact with and uses the display to its advantage very nicely. For example, when I said “Goodnight, Google” it automatically dimmed the display and asked if I wanted to set an alarm.
Google Nest Hub: Design
That might sound unimportant but, for curious folks and/or parents of young, inquisitive children, that could impact which assistant you want in your home. But, while its small stature might have you concerned, it’s a surprisingly well-built product. It feels sturdily made and while the screen could break if something heavy came in contact with it, we felt more than safe with it sitting on our kitchen shelves and dining room table. TikTok said the termination was due to allegations Pornhub has profited from content involving children and others without consent.
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