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- The Google Nest Hub Max is the larger version of the second-generation Nest Hub.
- The smart display’s 6.5-megapixel camera can act like a remote home security camera.
- The Nest Hub Max also offers the best sound out of any smart display on the market.
The Google Nest Hub Max is an excellent smart display that should be even more enticing if you’re already familiar with Google’s smart-home ecosystem.
The camera-equipped smart display offers access to everything you’d expect from a Google device, including smart home device control and access to apps like Spotify and Netflix. Because of its built-in camera, the Max has a few other tricks up its sleeve, like remote video monitoring, Face Match, and gestures.
Although we find the camera quality lacking overall, the sizable display and souped-up sound quality make the Google Hub Max a worthy miniature entertainment center for the kitchen or wherever families congregate. And if home monitoring is important to you, the Max offers plenty of bang for your buck.
A large display for many uses
The Nest Hub Max offers a spacious 10-inch LCD touchscreen, which is much larger than the 7-inch screen of the second-gen Nest Hub. Even though the display’s 1200×800 resolution won’t blow you away (most smartphones have higher resolution these days), the large size increases the overall practicality of the device.
The Nest Hub Max’s 10-inch screen size makes it a good fit for streaming video, where your options include YouTube, TikTok, Google TV, and Netflix. It’s also better than the second-gen Nest Hub when it comes to following recipes. The increased screen size means you can view more recipe steps at once without squinting to see things clearly.
The sizable display provides a better view of home controls, calendar alerts, and media. And, at its size, it makes an especially great digital photo frame thanks to seamless integration with Google Photos. You can easily add photos from your desktop or your phone via the Google Photos app.
At 9.85 inches wide, 7.19 inches in height, and 3.99 inches in depth, the Max is compact enough to fit almost anywhere, but it’s a most convenient assistant in the kitchen. Like other Google devices, the Hub Max is compatible with thousands of smart devices, including kitchen appliances from brands like Anova, LG, Frigidaire, and more.
Lastly, Google’s AmbientEQ light sensor feature also stands out as an excellent display feature. It automatically adjusts the screen’s brightness and color levels so everything always looks clear. At night, when you dim or shut off the kitchen lights, the screen does the same.
Improved sound quality thanks to a new subwoofer
A pair of 0.7-inch tweeters and a 3-inch subwoofer at the back of the Google Hub Max provide better sound quality than other smart displays. In testing, we appreciated the ability to crank out quality, room-filling sound from Spotify and YouTube playlists.
Two fair-field microphones mean the Max can hear you when you talk to it, whether you’re right nearby or across the room. And during video calls, people had no trouble hearing us on the other end. Another neat feature is the ability to talk to whoever is in the room via the Nest app. Even when miles away, people still at home could clearly hear us from afar.
We did experience some intermittent garbled sound issues and connectivity cut-outs. However, this isn’t a widespread complaint among Hub users, so it’s possible it was an iPhone or app issue.
A home security camera in a pinch
Perhaps the biggest draw of the Google Nest Hub Max is the built-in Nest Cam that allows you to keep an eye on your home remotely using the Nest app. While you can use the Hub as a solo indoor security camera, you can also purchase bundles that include compatible Nest doorbells and cameras to create a home monitoring system, using the Hub as a security dashboard.
The 127-degree wide field view camera provides a decent view of a room, but placement can be an issue. In testing, placing the Nest Hub Max next to the stove made it a handy sous-chef but impossible to see the entire room when away. If you’re purchasing the Max primarily for remote monitoring, ensure you have a plug in the optimal placement area.
While it’s a great option for monitoring pets when away, it’s not a replacement for a security camera because of pitfalls like placement and lack of night vision capabilities. And keep in mind that you’ll need a Nest Aware subscription (starting at $6 a month) for features like continuous video recording, video storage, and face alerts.
The multipurpose camera shows the device’s age
The 6.5-megapixel wide-field camera comes with some features that may have been impressive a few years ago, but not so much today. For one, the video quality is OK for video calls, but it’s not on par with competitors like the Amazon Echo 8, which has a more impressive 13-megapixel camera.
We do, however, appreciate the auto framing feature, which tracks your movement and automatically pans and zooms to keep you within center view. While you can use the Google Hub Max for Zoom calls, the wide field view isn’t ideal for maintaining privacy during remote work meetings.
Aside from remote monitoring, the device’s camera-specific features leave something to be desired. Face Match, which uses the camera to detect your face and display personalized content, was unreliable in testing. Google also points out that it’s not a security feature, so the device may not always be able to tell the difference between your face (or a photo of your face) and others in your household.
The device’s Face Match technology also powers the Look and Talk feature, which allows you to command the device with just a glance and without the typically required “Hey Google or OK Google” preamble. But you need to be very close to the camera to use this feature, and more often than not, it doesn’t work at all.
There’s another area where the camera falls short. The Max utilizes the camera to detect gestures, whereas the newer second-gen Nest Hub uses Google’s Soli chip. The Soli sensor can detect objects and estimate their distance and size using radar technology. Soli tech powers the second-gen Nest Hub’s Motion Sense features like Gestures and Sleep Sensing.
Unfortunately, the Nest Hub Max’s camera is incredibly bad at detecting gestures, even when up close and personal. And, oddly, the camera-ready hub is only capable of recognizing a single gesture (raising your hand) to pause and play media, stop an alarm, or get the assistant to stop talking.
A quick note on camera privacy: You don’t have to have the camera turned on at all times (a small green light lets you know it’s on). You can adjust privacy controls within the Google Home and Nest apps. And there’s a switch on the hardware itself that turns off both the camera and mic.
Should you buy the Google Nest Hub Max?
It’s been almost three years since the Google Nest Hub Max launched, and there’s a chance that Google could be gearing up for some updates this year. So it may make sense to wait to see what Google has in store for 2023.
Still, the Google Nest Hub Max offers a solid experience with its built-in Nest Cam and trio of speakers, making it worth the price tag. For those who want a multitasking assistant with the perk of remote home monitoring, the Max is a worthy option among a sea of largely subpar competitors.
But if home monitoring isn’t a huge priority for you, the price bump over the second-gen Nest Hub might not be worth the slightly bigger screen size. If you’re looking for a smart display for more casual use and as a smart-home hub, the Nest Hub is a better choice.
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