Google Home Hub (Google Nest Hub) Review: A Good Cheap Echo Show Alternative
Our Verdict
While it'due south not as large or loud as the Echo Show, the Google Home Hub is an affordable and capable alternative for those looking for a smart display.
For
- Doesn't crowd your counter
- Like shooting fish in a barrel phone calling
- YouTube and Google Photos integration
- Centralized Smart Home control
Against
- Besides small for movies and TV
- Weak bass
- No video calls
Tom's Guide Verdict
While it'southward non equally big or loud equally the Repeat Show, the Google Domicile Hub is an affordable and capable culling for those looking for a smart display.
Pros
- +
Doesn't crowd your counter
- +
Like shooting fish in a barrel phone calling
- +
YouTube and Google Photos integration
- +
Centralized Smart Abode command
Cons
- -
Too modest for movies and TV
- -
Weak bass
- -
No video calls
The original Google Nest Hub has been replaced by a new version. Read our total Google Nest Hub (2nd Gen) review to learn virtually all the upgrades you can look.
The Google Assistant-powered Lenovo Smart Display was the first to take on Amazon'southward original Echo Show, and it did a pretty solid job of it. Only Amazon's second-generation Repeat Show was a complete upgrade, with an first-class display, solid design, and powerful sound making information technology ane of the all-time smart speakers on the market.
Can Google answer? The $149 Google Home Hub—now called the Google Nest Hub—is much cheaper than the $229 Echo Show and $199 or $249 Lenovo Smart Brandish, and while it doesn't have as many flashy features as those more expensive devices, it gets the basics of a smart speaker, smart-home controller, and miniature tablet just correct. Plus information technology packs all the best Google Assistant skills.
Google Nest Hub: Design
In contrast to the large and flashy Echo Show and Lenovo Smart Display, the 7 10 4.5 x 2.seven-inch Google Nest Hub is small and unobtrusive. It looks very much like a miniature tablet attached to a round base of operations. It's non ugly, merely not cute either -- information technology blended and so well into my countertop that dinner guests didn't find it.
The back is covered in a similar mesh cloth to that which covers the Echo Show. It'south not as prissy and smooth as the bamboo backing of the ten-inch Lenovo Smart Brandish, but it is comfortable to hold and bear.
The display itself is simple. Ane push on the top of the device turns the microphone on and off, and another on the left side controls the book. Y'all'd never need to use these if you didn't desire to since y'all tin arrange these settings with Google Banana besides, but they're squeamish to take if y'all need to be tranquillity, or don't feel similar barking commands.
The device'southward small size makes it pretty portable. Dissimilar the Echo Show and Lenovo Smart Brandish, which are both heavy and a hassle to bear effectually, I could very hands bring this from my kitchen to my bedchamber and dorsum (though at that place'due south no battery).
More than: Our Favorite Smart Habitation Gadgets and Systems
It too won't accept up much space on your nightstand, tabular array, or kitchen counter. The device'due south base of operations is only two.vi inches wide, and not quite as long as the 7-inch screen. I was able to perch information technology on my bedpost and the corner of my dresser, which I couldn't accept done with Lenovo'due south brandish, and never had to move whatsoever of my belongings to make room for it.
Google Nest Hub: Interface
At commencement, I had a bit of trouble figuring out how I was supposed to use the Nest Hub's touchscreen. When you aren't using the device, it cycles through your Google Photos equally a screensaver. That'due south a dandy feature, but at kickoff, I couldn't remember whether I needed to swipe left, right, upward, downward, or just tap to get back to the home screen. (Tapping and swiping right did the trick).
There's non a lot to the domicile screen; it's essentially the homepage of the Google Assistant app laid out horizontally. You'll come across a unproblematic interface displaying the conditions forecast and upcoming events on your calendar. If you lot continue to swipe left, yous'll become recommendations for YouTube videos to watch, recommended news headlines, music to mind to, and commands to endeavor.
Google Assistant itself is a cakewalk to interact with, and uses the Hub'due south display to its reward very nicely.
At the end of that listing, you'll reach the Explore icon. Clicking on that leads to still another list of things y'all can do, including finding recipes and setting alarms, laid out much more nicely on cards.
This Explore folio is the home screen on the Lenovo Smart Display, and I adopt that to the Google Nest Hub's. It looks nicer and more colorful and feels more than friendly -- similar a page I would browse through to get ideas of what to practise, rather than a list I have to swipe through to find what I want.
Swiping upwardly from the bottom brings up a menu where y'all can change the brightness, volume, and toggle Practice Non Disturb Mode. Swiping down from the top brings upwardly Habitation View, a convenient interface that allows you to control all of your smart devices.
MORE: Apple tree HomePod vs. Alexa vs. Google Dwelling
Google Banana itself is a breeze to collaborate with and uses the display to its advantage very nicely. For example, when I said "Goodnight, Google" information technology automatically dimmed the display and asked if I wanted to set an alert. I likewise appreciated that when I made a asking, Google Assistant displayed the words information technology heard me say on the screen, then I knew if it had misheard me. (And information technology rarely did).
Google Nest Hub: Audio
The Google Nest Hub has a unmarried 40-millimeter (around 1.6 inches) speaker in the bass backside the screen. The smaller Lenovo smart display has a 1.75-inch speaker with two passive tweeters, while the new Echo Show has dual two-inch drivers with a passive bass radiator.
I found the Nest Hub'southward sound surprisingly good for such a modest display. The high guitar strums and trumpet solo in Justin Bieber's "Beloved Yourself" were about every bit clear and crisp as the treble tones on the Echo Show and the Lenovo, and I could feel them reverberating through the table the display was sitting on.
However, I could hear virtually no bass. In Fifth Harmony's "That'southward My Daughter," the powerful vocals entirely drowned out any low tones. The bass was a bit more present in Selena Gomez'southward "Same One-time Love," but still not comparable to the booming bass of the Echo Show.
MORE: Google Abode Setup: Settings to Enable and Disable
The Google Nest Hub supports a number of music streaming services, including Google Play Music and YouTube Music, Pandora, Spotify and Deezer. And as a bonus, you lot can pull upwardly videos just by maxim "Hey, Google, play a cat video." You'd have to navigate to YouTube through a browser to exercise the same on the Repeat Show.
Google Nest Hub: Display
The Nest Hub has a seven-inch LCD brandish. Google hasn't revealed its resolution.
The screen comes with a feature chosen Ambient EQ which, when enabled, automatically adjusts the screen's brightness to its surround. When I began testing the device, the colors on the screen looked a bit washed out. When I turned on Ambient EQ, still, everything instantly looked much better. Strangely, Ambient EQ was the just setting I couldn't modify with a voice command.
The screen is and so modest, nonetheless, that it's not something I'd e'er utilize to lookout man a movie or TV episode. In a few YouTube videos, the people were then tiny that I could barely make out their facial expressions.
In our last virtual assistant face-off of Alexa vs. Google Assistant, we found that Google Banana was generally evenly matched with Alexa in a number of categories, including music and amusement options, ordering food, online shopping (despite Alexa's integration with Amazon), but Alexa was much ameliorate for smart-home control.
Alexa has a slight border in general knowledge (despite Google'due south access to, well, Google), only can't give directions, an area where Google (unsurprisingly) excels. That's a big deal on the Google Nest Hub, as you can wait up an address on the smart display, and and then transport Google Maps directions to your telephone.
Google Nest Hub: Cooking and recipes
When I asked Google for fried rice recipes, I got a list of ten recipes from sources including Food Network, Delish, and Allrecipes. This was in stark dissimilarity to the Repeat Evidence, which displayed a seemingly countless list of at least 20. But Google'due south list--presumably pulled from Google results--came from a wide variety of sources, while all of Amazon'southward results come from a few sources.
I could roll through and select one, or ask Google to do information technology for me (though that was less helpful since many of the recipes had the same name). I could read through the list of steps and ingredients, and become back and forth betwixt steps every bit needed with my vox or a button.
MORE: Best Smart Domicile Hub
I do wish that Google had a like feature to Alexa's Follow-Up Mode to keep it listening for the elapsing of a job. It would have been nice to be able to say "Next footstep" throughout the recipe, rather than "Hey, Google, next step" upwards of ten times.
Google Nest Hub: Smart home control
1 of the Google Nest Hub's unique features is the Home View.
By swiping up from the top of the screen, you lot'll see a control console listing all of the smart devices in your home. Yous can select a smart device category, or a room in the "Rooms" overview, to control them individually.
Not only can you plow your lights on in this overview, only you can also change their brightness and colors.
If yous have smart devices from dissimilar brands and don't want to switch between multiple apps on your phone, Home View offers a convenient way to command everything in one place.
Google Nest Hub: Vocalisation calling
The Nest Hub lacks a photographic camera, so you can't video call. Privacy advocates may welcome this selection, but as someone who enjoys video calling, I found information technology disappointing. I call back the Lenovo Smart Display, which has a camera merely also a shutter that tin cover it upwardly, has found a good middle footing.
Voice calling from the Google Nest Hub, nonetheless, is very easy and doesn't require Google Duo similar calls from the Lenovo Smart Brandish do. You lot can call either an private in your Google contacts listing, or give Google a number to phone call. (Information technology can't phone call 911).
More: Smart Home Guide: What to Know Before You Buy
I could hear a friend that I chosen very clearly, and much louder than I could with an iPhone on speaker. My friend said that my voice was clear as well, but a tiny bit distorted and "robotic."
Google Nest Hub: Verdict
Google's Nest Hub isn't bully for watching videos or TV, or for blasting dance music, but it wasn't designed for those things. It'southward meant to add a convenient visual element to Google's voice assistant and to aid with a bunch of everyday tasks, from cooking dinner and calling grandma to checking the weather condition and reading the news, all in 1 place. And the Google Nest Hub does that well for a reasonable price.
Lenovo'southward Smart Display and Amazon's Echo Evidence are better options if you prefer a bigger display and want to do video calling. But, overall, Google's Nest Hub is a pretty skilful value.
Credit: Tom'due south Guide
Source: https://www.tomsguide.com/us/google-home-hub,review-5864.html
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