Hands-on: Google Nest Hub Max

Price: £219 from fave.co/2Ynkm97

As well as new Pixel 3a phones, Google used its I/O developer conference to announce another smart display. Now branded with the Nest name, we’ve taken a look at the Nest Hub Max.

We loved the Home Hub when we reviewed it last year and still do, but it was a shame that Google didn’t offer a larger option with a built-in camera. Well that’s exactly what the Nest Hub Max offers, so we’re rather pleased.

Before we begin, it’s worth explaining that the branding is now ‘Google Nest’ with the two coming together. Google has owned Nest for five years now, so it’s no surprise that it has decided to use the names together. The Hub Max combines Google and Nest technology, so it makes sense, apart from the slightly lengthy product name.

Design

As you might expect, the Nest Hub Max is a super-sized version of the regular Home Hub. So the headline here is that you get a larger screen. It’s 10in versus 7in, but feels like a bigger jump in real life. This will give you a nice amount of extra real estate to see what you’re doing, especially handy if you want to view the Hub from a distance.

The firm has stuck with the same style and combination of materials including fabric. The idea is that it’s like a floating display you can place almost anywhere in the house. It’s simple and elegant, so didn’t need changing.

On the back is just a volume rocker and a switch to deactivate the microphones and camera in one go. LEDs indicate whether things are in use or not.

The larger base also means more room for speakers, which we’ll talk about later.

This time around there are just two colours to choose from: Chalk and Charcoal. That means you can’t get one to match your Sand or Aqua Hub if you have one. Either way, the bezel around the screen is white and is still a little bit chunky. We think it would look better in black, but it’s not the end of the world.

Hardware

We asked for a bigger screen and we got it. This 10in display feels huge compared to the 7in Home Hub. It has an HD resolution (1,280x720), which isn’t that high for a modern device. We’d prefer Full HD, but it somehow doesn’t look that bad either. The ambient EQ light sensor remains, so the screen can adjust automatically to the conditions.

It helps the screen blend into the background a little rather than standing out, giving is a slightly glossy photo quality rather than an actual screen. It is, of course, touch sensitive so you can interact with your finger instead of just voice.

The other exciting new feature is the introduction of a camera, and there’s a lot more to it than just being

able to make video calls, although you can indeed make them with Google Duo. It’s actually a Nest Cam with a wide 127-degree field of vision and various tricks up its sleeve. For starters, it can intelligently follow you around the room if you move by cropping and zooming the image.

Plus, because it’s a Nest Cam, you can use the Hub Max like a security camera, logging into it when you’re not at home. A green LED will show the camera is being accessed for transparency. If you subscribe to Nest Aware, you can get the camera to record, as well.

There are more things the camera can do, including being used for gestures such as pausing music or videos. Just hold your hand close to the lens.

The software is also able to recognize different users with their face – up to six different people – so that each person using the Max can get a personal

experience rather than the display simply be set up for one account. It works even from across the room.

With the merging of Google Nest, existing Nest customers will be given the opportunity to swap over to a Google account.

As mentioned earlier, the Nest Hub Max has more space for speakers due to its larger size. So it’s got a 2.1 system for much more power than it’s smaller brother. Google’s demo, even at about volume eight out of 10 sounded significantly better than the regular Home Hub. We doubt it can beat the JBL Link View in this area, though.

There’s no need to worry about battery life because the Nest Hub Max plugs into the mains. It’s not designed to be moved around.

First impressions

We’re really excited about the Nest Hub Max. Google has address the two things we didn’t like about the original Home Hub by adding a larger screen and a camera. It costs more money, but you’re getting a lot more this time around including better audio and the camera can do a lot more than just make video calls. The price matches the Amazon Echo Show, so there’s little to dislike at the moment. Hopefully, it works as advertised when we try it properly. Chris Martin

Specifications

• 10in (1,280x800) LCD touchscreen • Google Assistant built in • 6.5Mp camera with 127-degree wide field of view and auto-framing

• Stereo speaker system (2x 18mm 10-watt tweeters, 1x 75mm 30-watt subwoofer) • Far-field microphones • Voice match technology • Ambient EQ light sensor • Dual-band 11ac Wi-Fi • 802.11b/g/n/ac (2.4GHz/5GHz) Wi-Fi • Bluetooth 5.0 • Chromecast built in • 250.1x182.55x101.23mm • 1.32kg