From that point on, you can go into the Google Store and see that a new Nest Hub is available. It is Google Nest Hub 2nd generation and is available for 99 euros or 99 dollars. This is Google’s second bet for the assistant with screen, something that also has, for example, Amazon with Alexa. We tested it for a few days to find out What are you doing, if it is worth it and in what situations can it be better or worse than any of the Google speakers without screen.
Google Nest Hub 2nd Gen: A minimalist design focused on the screen and sensors
We do not test the Google Nest Hub first generation but we can see that it is the same product when we talk about design. The enclosure with screen has not been renovated that encourages the purchase or improvements of its release.
He has one fabric covered base, which contains a 7-inch screen with various sensors, a few buttons and a switch. The buttons are located on the back, so you can’t see them when looking at the speaker from the front. This is not a problem, as they are in an easy to remember position and you can still use voice commands to increase or decrease the volume.
The rear also has a switch which is used to mute the microphone. By default it is deactivated and if you activate it you will make sure that the speaker does not hear anything. Here end the buttons, which lets us see the simplicity and the main objective: to interact with the main screen.
The front part has as predominant element the 7 inch screen, two microphones on the top and also a new sensor which integrates this second generation, a Solar radar. Later we will tell you what it is for and if it is really a point to take into account.
The device has a good overall design, robust and with good support. It will be difficult to “dance” on the surface and will fit almost any house design. Of course, the color options are limited: front always white and base available in light gray or very dark gray.
Google Nest Hub 2nd Gen does (almost) the same as your mobile assistant or a smart speaker
It may be interesting to have an assistant with screen, but keep in mind that the hardware gives little advantage to Google Assistant, or at least not as much as you might expect. The reality is that this Nest Hub can do the same as a speaker without a display or the assistant of your Android mobile.
It listens to the same thing, it sounds great, it answers the questions you ask it, it can write notes, set reminders, set alarms, turn smart home appliances on or off …
Yes it is true that this slightly improves certain voice commands such as asking for the time or pictures: here the speaker has own interfaces to add more information to the voice coming out of the speaker on the stand.
You can request the same as any electronic device you own Google Assistant and he will answer you in the same way. In case of power support the description or explanation visually, it will be. In our daily use, this visual support has been positive, for example, when we ask for the weather and the screen shows us an interface with the forecast for the following days.
The question here is whether, as a user, you need this visual on-screen support when asking Google Assistant for something. Until you did not have it with the mobile or the speakers And you probably did well, so is it worth paying more for a screen or is it better to buy a speaker?
YouTube and Netflix, the great allies of the screen
Indeed, having a screen should not only be used to see the time more visually. The Google Nest Hub can play YouTube videos and also platforms like Netflix. You can ask Google Assistant to put “Narcos” for you and, if you set up Netflix when you started the Nest Hub, it will open the app and start playing it.
The same goes with YouTube videos and music services. And yes, of course you can interact with the screen with its own interface in each app. Of course, you may already have other screens to reproduce this content, which are larger and of better quality.
The screen is the most important and not the best
Before testing the Nest Hub We thought the screen, for obvious reasons of prominence, would be one of the best parts of the device. We quickly realized that no. The Nest Hub display has a fair enough resolution, poor fluidity and terrible tactility.
We don’t know which processor it understands, but many times your finger will go faster than the interface. Going from one section to another is reminiscent of the mid / low-end mobiles of 5 or 6 years ago, when we knew that it was necessary to give it time so that it does not collapse. Plus, the screen’s tactility leaves a lot to be desired.
It’s hard to believe that a screen-focused product, launching in 2021, doesn’t have decent performance or a quality screen. We can’t say it’s horrible but we expected a lot more from this panel. Can you consume Netflix or YouTube? Yes, is it the most comfortable thing in the world? Not too.
Two key locations: kitchen or bedroom
While the google speakers you can place them anywhere in the house that Nest Hub isn’t compatible with anywhere. You can really place it anywhere you want, but there are two places in the house where it will bring out its full potential: the kitchen and the bedroom.
The Solar radar The one we told you about before is able to tell how you’re sleeping each night if you place the Nest Hub on the nightstand. When you get up, you can ask how you slept and you will be able to know several interesting parameters. Of course, it is important to indicate that this measure could become a payment very soon. And honestly, it’s not something we would pay for.
Another place where you can take advantage of the Nest Hub is the kitchen. If you don’t have a TV and love to cook, this can be a great ally. This is the part of the house where we suffered the most. You can put Youtube videos while you cook or even follow cooking recipes with your own cookbook.
With voice commands, you can pause or resume playback without touching the screen. Of course, everything loses its meaning if in the kitchen you have a TV connected to a Chromecast or something like that.
Is the Google Nest Hub 2nd Gen recommended?
After several days of testing, we can say that not for us. It costs 99 euros, an attractive price, but still high for many users. It is a well thought out device and from which each user can get different things, for this reason we are not saying that it is not recommended, but in our case, we would not buy it.
It all depends on whether you like to cook, you have other smart gadgets at home, you have a place to place it and your way to use smart assistants. It is a relatively inexpensive product, but with a very large: performance and display.
We recommend that you go somewhere where they have the Google Nest Hub in a physical way so that you can interact with it, see its size, test its speaker and decide if you want to live with its screen and interface, say, not very fluid.
