Google Nest Hub Max: To Be Released Soon

At last, Google will produce a new smart display that will compete with the Amazon Echo Show. Google's Home Hub 7in smart display will have a new big brother, the Google Nest Hub Max. First announced in May at Google I/O, the Google Nest Hub Max now has an official release date. The smart display with a 10-inch touchscreen, gesture controls, and a built-in Nest Cam will hit shelves on Sept. 9 for $229. Let’s have a look first.

What is the Nest Hub Max?

The name — Nest Hub Max — shows that the company is combining its family of Nest cams with the Google Home Max smart speaker, and adding a display and a smart home hub to the mix. This is part of a more general branding of all the smart home products under the new Google Nest brand. In fact, the Google Home Hub has been renamed as Nest Hub.

The Nest Hub Max is a Google Assistant-powered 10-inch touchscreen display with stereo speakers and a Nest cam built-in for making Duo calls. That's larger and more functional than the current Nest Home Hub (formerly known as the Google Home Hub), which has a 7-inch display, but lacks a camera and only has a single speaker.

 

The new Google Nest Hub Max looks a lot like the display formerly known as Google Home Hub — at first glance. The Nest Hub Max has the same general design as its smaller sibling, the same fabric speaker cover on the rear, and the same color scheme. Where the Nest Hub Max’s hardware differs is in the addition of a camera, a larger 10-inch panel, and beefier speakers. 

With an almost identical design apart from physical size, how do Google's two Nest Hub's compare? 

Both are smart displays with integrated Google Assistant, which means the majority of the features are the same. 

There are five key differences, as outlined below: 

1. Color options 

Nest Hub Max comes in just two color options: Charcoal and Chalk. The smaller model additionally comes in Aqua and Sand. The Max Hub also features a physical switch for its new camera. The design, though, is largely the same. 

2. Screen size

The original Hub has a 7in screen, while the new Nest Hub Max has a 10in display. It's still an HD (720p) panel which seems sufficient for most uses.

3. Better speakers

With more room inside the chassis, Google Nest Hub Max also has room to improve the audio. Earlier feedback that speakers were a weak spot for the original Hub. Nest Hub Max should improve on this with its 2.1-channel setup.

4. Nest Cam

The new Google Nest Hub Max also integrates a camera, which was not part of the Hub’s features due to privacy concerns. However, Google has introduced a physical switch to turn off the camera and has added an LED that lights up green when someone is monitoring or recording the camera's view.

5. Price and Availability

Google Nest Hub is available now and will be reduced to $99 in response to the launch of the newer model. The Max model will not go on sale until September 9 and will cost approximately $229.

So what more does the Google Nest Hub Max has to offer? 

Google Nest Hub Max supports Google Duo Video Calling.

While other Google smart displays already supported video calling via Google Duo, the Google Home Hub didn’t. The new 127-degree field-of-view front camera opens up the Hub series to video calling, while also adding a few special additions like auto-framing, letting it automatically zoom in and pan around during a call. 

Google Nest Hub Max doubles as a security camera

Perfect for a small room, the Google Nest Hub Max allows you to remotely monitor what’s going on from the Nest app. Just like the Nest Cam you can see event history, enable Home/Away Assist, and even get notifications if motion is detected. The Hub Max is also compatible with the Nest Aware subscription service, letting you get continuous video recording and more.

Get a more personalized experience with Face Match

The new Face Match feature recognizes you and provides a more personalized experience that shows just the information that matters to you such as your messages, reminders, schedule, music/video recommendations, and so forth.

Quick Gestures Feature

The Google Nest Home Hub adds a new Quick Gestures feature, letting you pause and resume media just by looking at it and raising your hand. This is perfect for those situations where the noise in the room is so loud that Google Assistant can’t hear you.

Comparative Table

	Nest Hub (Former Home Hub)	Nest Hub Max
Display	7-inch, LCD, touchscreen	10-inch, 16:10, HD, touchscreen
Size	178.5 x 118 x 67.3mm	To be confirmed
Sound	Full-range speaker	2.1 speaker arrangement
Camera	No camera	Built-in Nest camera
Color	Chalk, Charcoal, Aqua, and Sand	Chalk and Charcoal
Features	* Google Assistant *  YouTube *  Chromecast * Smart home control * Digital photo frame * Music  * Duo audio calls	* Google Assistant * YouTube * Chromecast * Smart home control * Digital photo frame * Music *  Duo audio and video calls  * Quick gesture  recognition * Facial recognition  * Security camera
Price	$99	$229
Availability	Available now	Available on September 9

Main Takeaways

• In addition to the new features and improvements above, the Google Nest Hub Max is also capable of all the same features as the older Google Home Hub including easy ways to control your smart home.
•  When it comes down to the Google Nest Hub Max vs Google Home Hub, it all depends on what you’re looking for. If you want a cheap kitchen helper the Google Home Hub still makes a lot of sense. After all, the Google Home Hub is currently just $99 — a fair bit cheaper than the $229 asking price of the Hub Max.
• Google Nest Hub Max is a lot more expensive than its smaller sibling, but with 10 inches of screen space, it's a lot more useful for all your every day viewing needs.
•  It also has better audio firepower - a weak spot for the smaller Hub - and the addition of a camera that unlocks some fantastic new functionality not seen before on Google smart speakers. 

If you want a device that has better entertainment features, camera-based security features, and a bunch of new bells and whistles, then the Hub Max might be worth the premium, but you’ll have to wait until it goes on sale September 9.