Nest Hub 2nd Gen Review: Setting The Bar For Smart Displays

Google's new Nest Hub smart brandish, which Google is merely calling the Nest Hub 2nd Gen, is here and it introduces some marked improvements over the previous models. Google started its journey with smart displays through the Google Home Hub a few years agone. Then back in 2019 it changed the name of the device to the Nest Hub.

Now nosotros're at the Nest Hub 2nd Gen, and Google has finer given you a reason to forget that all other smart displays exist. It may not wait it from the outside, just the newest smart brandish in Google's collection is a cut above other affordable options.

To start, it only costs $99.99. And then the toll of picking one up is affordable and likely feasible for most people who might want one. Just it wasn't enough for Google to only provide an affordable smart display. The Nest Hub 2nd Gen also needed to exist compelling enough to buy over other options.

Google seems to accept achieved this in numerous ways. First with the Nest Hub 2nd Gen'south more sustainable build using 54% postal service-consumer recycled plastic. So y'all tin can feel proficient nearly the production you're ownership. And then with things similar improved audio quality over the original Nest Hub, likewise every bit new features. Such as the sleep sensing.

These things are all well and skillful. But how does the Nest Hub 2nd Gen stack up and why should you intendance about it? Is information technology worth your $99.99? That'south what this review aims to respond.

Starting time and foremost, motility sense on the Nest Hub second Gen is amazing

One of the big things with the Nest Hub 2nd Gen, and perhaps the biggest thing, is the sleep sensing characteristic. Which is powered by Google'south soli radar technology and the motion sense gestures.

If you've never used motion sense earlier, it was a cool idea introduced with the Pixel 4 and Pixel four 40 smartphones. Allowing yous to wave your hand over the radar bit on the forepart of the telephone for things like skipping songs, pausing playback, and more.

There was just one issue. It kind of, wasn't that great on the Pixel 4 series. The very cursory time I got to spend with information technology on the Pixel 4 XL dorsum when it launched felt extremely defective.

Sometimes the motion sense simply wouldn't work properly. Other times it wouldn't work at all. Even when the telephone was right adjacent to me. Suffice it to say I didn't have high hopes for it on the new Nest Hub. I couldn't accept been more wrong.

Considering motion sense on this thing works amazingly. At present, during setup Google's instructions will tell you to place the brandish at mattress level. It likewise suggests to keep it fairly close to you. In my experience this does non matter at all. The surface of my night stand that it sits on is about a foot or more above my mattress level. And information technology's at to the lowest degree a foot to ii feet away from me.

Yet every morning for the past calendar week I was able to moving ridge my hand in a downward gesture to snooze alarms with absolutely nil bug. Whatever Google has washed here to make movement sense work amend and more consistently, it should keep doing it for any hereafter devices information technology uses this tech in.

Sleep sensing seems to have some very useful insights

I've never been one to dive headfirst into sleep tracking tech or features and actually enjoy using them. But equally I've been testing out the Nest Hub 2d Gen I actually discover myself looking at my sleep stats about daily.

For me, the all-time part has been that it only works. After the initial setup, yous don't have to do anything else. You don't have to wear a tracker, or put in sleep buds of any kind. The display only sits at that place and tracks your sleep data every night with no other requirements asked of you.

And that simplicity really shouldn't exist understated. It's perhaps that simplicity that has made me interested in actually checking out the sleep data almost mornings. Speaking of the slumber data, getting to it is nearly automatic. While information technology won't immediately leap into the slumber insights after you lot wake upwards, the display does nudge you to take a look.

Again, giving things a level of convenience hither that I think volition be of import for getting people to actually care about checking out this information.

Sleep well or the Nest Hub 2nd Gen will tell you how bad you are at resting

Getting a good night's slumber is important. But we don't always become as much sleep equally we should. And you tin can residue bodacious that yous if you aren't, this display volition tell you. Essentially rubbing it in how bad you are at getting proper rest. As for the data yous'll be able to look at, Google has information technology divided into three primary metrics – Quality, Elapsing, and Schedule.

Over the course of at minimum a few days, sleep sensing will learn what your habits are for falling asleep and assign a general schedule for you. Based on when you lot fall asleep and wake upwards. This ties in with the duration, or how long you slept for. So you can look at what your amount of sleep was from night to night and know if you're getting plenty.

Thirdly there'southward the quality. Was your sleep ideal, not ideal, restful? Seeing these three main metrics can assistance you improve slumber if it needs it. Things are further cleaved downward into other secondary factors. Such as how your respiratory rate was and how much you snored or coughed.

You can then look at a little chip more item from the wellness tab on the display for a cursory sleep written report. Which gives you an overview of what might exist wrong with your sleep overall. Mine for example after yesterday morning says my sleep pattern is inconsistent. Which isn't the end of the earth but it certainly needs comeback.

Taking all of this into account, I can work towards getting better quality sleep more consistently. Which I feel like I can achieve more easily. And I have the Nest Hub second Gen to give thanks for that.

Your own personal Sous-chef

If y'all're into cooking, even on a minimal level, there's aught ameliorate than having a pair of helping hands. The Nest Hub 2nd Gen is kind of like your own personal Sous-chef. Profitable you with things like recipes, tutorial videos, pictures of nutrient etc.

Curious about presentation of a detail dish yous're cooking up? Ask Google to bring up photos of the dish. Maybe what you're after is how to actually cook something. Figuring that out is easy. But inquire Google to detect a recipe. A control that should and likely volition surface results that includes both written recipes and YouTube videos showing you lot how to make it.

For me, this is i of the unmarried most exciting reasons to take a smart display. So I tin have something to expect at in the kitchen while I melt, simply more than than that something that I don't have to touch with my easily. Because the last matter I desire is to get meat bits or other nutrient particles on my tech.

I cannot stress enough how great a tool this is to take for domicile cooks. I used the display a couple of nights ago when making chicken fried chicken for dinner. It'due south been quite a while since I've made gravy, and I wanted a fiddling inspiration for sausage gravy. And so I brought up search results on the display and was able to find everything I needed.

Aside from this, I could also use the brandish for having something to watch to keep me entertained while I lord over whatever I'1000 making. Often when I melt I'll be in the kitchen for at least a couple hours. And that tin can become a chip boring during the times you have to watch over your nutrient.

At that place'south an easy set for that. Bring upwardly something on YouTube, Disney+, or Hulu. All of which are media apps you can sync to the display and access any time. Mayhap you just like music playing while y'all cook. That's cool too considering you can also link Spotify.

Basically, you want this somewhere in your kitchen.

My merely real complaint is the touch sensitivity of the brandish

In that location isn't much to say almost the Nest Hub second Gen when it comes to negative attributes. But that doesn't mean there are none. If there's anything I had to mutter nearly with this device it's the bear upon sensitivity of the brandish.

While it works, it merely doesn't feel as smooth as information technology does on phones or tablets or other touch screen devices. It feels a little more sluggish than I was expecting and that can sometimes be a tiny fleck annoying. Which is probably a outcome of using phones with 120Hz refresh refresh rate displays for the by year or two.

Merely I digress. Why doesn't actually thing. What matters is interacting with the touch screen on the Nest Hub 2nd Gen needs comeback. And unfortunately it probably isn't something that Google can improve with software updates. Which would mean there wouldn't be an improvement until the Nest Hub third Gen. Should there be one.

This isn't a deal breaker and information technology shouldn't dissuade anyone from buying it. Because overall the rest of the functionality far outweighs the one negative affair I was able to find about this device. Only it yet needed to be mentioned because some users may observe it more than frustrating than others.

The Nest Hub 2d Gen speaker sounds smashing and that makes a large departure

Information technology'south important for me to note here that I accept no frame of reference on how practiced or not adept the speakers were on older Google smart displays. I do know from discussion of mouth that the speaker on the original Nest Hub wasn't excellent, just information technology wasn't awful. Information technology was but just ok.

If you wanted a Nest Hub and you wanted a better audio experience, this is what the more expensive Nest Hub Max was for. But, that'south not really a necessity here. At to the lowest degree information technology doesn't feel similar one to me. The speakers actually audio quite good on this new version.

Whether it'due south for streaming music or videos, the sound quality is pretty good. And while it won't agree a candle to proper speakers or audio systems, like the Panasonic SoundSlayer, or more often than not anything from Sonos, y'all probably won't be upset with the sound.

And then once again, I'm also of the opinion that you don't purchase a smart display for the infrequent audio. That'due south non what it'due south meant for and information technology really shouldn't exist something to score negatively. That's also simply my opinion. Some people desire an all-inclusive device like this so they don't have to buy more 1 speaker.

But personally, if you desire really excellent audio for playing your music or videos, buy sound equipment that's designed specifically for that. In the end the speaker with this version has been improved from the last model. And then it'southward a win in my book.

Should I buy the Nest Hub 2nd Gen?

Not everyone is going to be looking for a device like this one, but it's definitely something that everyone should consider buying. It comes in at a really good price point of $99.99. And with the improved speaker, I personally don't feel there'southward any need for something like the Nest Hub Max. Unless you want information technology for the larger display, and some people might.

The Nest Hub 2d Gen gives you everything you could demand in a smart display and its usefulness extends to the bedroom, the kitchen and more. Wherever y'all want to put it, you'll end upward using it.

So should you lot buy one? Yes. I would highly recommend grabbing ane and seeing where it fits into your dwelling. All that remains is to choice which color what you want. I'm very partial to the new Mist color myself.

Nest Hub 2d Gen - Various Retailers