The Google Nest Hub Gen2 is a classic Google smart speaker with a 7-inch touchscreen and a smart Soli radar motion/sleep sensor that can track sleep habits.
The addition of a screen makes the Google Nest Hub Gen2 more useful as a smart speaker, as it can provide voice responses and snippets of text and images. It’s also a good Netflix and YouTube player.
I want to address the somewhat controversial sleep tracking before I get into the review. First, you don’t have to use it, and second, it will become a paid service in 2023 if you do. So for now, all you need to know is that Sleep Detection tracks your sleep and gives you personalized information and tips for a more restful sleep. It makes it easier to understand what might be affecting your sleep. It can detect your breathing rate and sleep disturbances such as coughing, snoring and bathroom visits. Since it only works for the person closest to the speaker, you’ll need one on each side of the bed for double occupancy.
You don’t need to use sleep tracking, so it’s not part of the review
Australian review: Google Nest Hub Gen2
AU website here Price $149 RRP but at Google for $99 until 12/9/2022 Warranty One year Country of manufacture Thailand Company Google is an American multinational technology company specializing in Internet-related services and products such as online advertising, a search engine, cloud computing, software and hardware. It is considered one of the big five tech companies in the US with Amazon, Facebook, Apple and Microsoft. Other Google Nest news and reviews from CyberShack
We use Fail (below expectations), Pass (meets expectations) and Exceed (exceeds expectations or is class leader) against many of the items below. Occasionally we give a grade of Pass(apt) which is not as good as it should be and a grade of Pass “+” to show that it is good but falls short of Pass.
You can click on most images to enlarge them.
First impression: Very Google and beautiful white front and chalk or charcoal back: Pass+
It is, first and foremost, a smart mono speaker with a display. But the screen adds so much more. Ask it the weather, and it will tell you the high and low, as well as the full time of the day. Since it’s a general question, it will answer and show the referral site and more information. Or ask him for a recipe, and he’ll likely show a how-to video, too.
But it’s also smarter. It has a temperature sensor (for room temperature) and an Ambient display that adjusts to the light levels in the room. Plus, it links to any Google Home device and can be used for video security camera footage, controlling smart lights/devices and more, Google Smart.
Setup – Easy via Google Home – Pass
Plug it in, wait a few minutes, and open Google Home. It should find the speaker (if not, move it closer to the router during setup). Connect to Wi-Fi, give it a name, and place it in a room, such as a bedroom. This is.
Privacy – Pass if you don’t let us know
To be fair, you have to trust someone, and Google Android is on over 80% of the world’s smartphones. Its revenue model is to serve you targeted ads and it will never sell individually identifiable personal data. It’s much less intrusive/persuasive than Alexa, with an Amazon sales approach.
You have two options when setting it up. You can customize it to your voice (and others in the household) or just use guest mode.
If you customize, it opens up your Gmail, Calendar, contacts, and more, so it can be your assistant. It will tell you how your day is going and remember your playlists and preferences. I’m not sure Australia is ready for that yet.
Guest mode simply answers all questions. In any case, you need at least one Google account to set it up, and all conversations will be saved to that account. You can then select the period before deletion.
And if you’re paranoid, there’s a button to turn off the three far-field mics (good up to about 5 meters).
Sound – pretty good – It happens
It has a 43.5mm (1.7″) mono driver with a frequency response of 40Hz to 20kHz. It can get loud at over 80dB, but the sound suffers from harshness at this level.
It has some low mids, good highs, and is relatively flat up to about 5kHz (for a clear voice). You wouldn’t call it hi-fi, but it’s perfect for quiet bedtime music and not bad for personal Netflix or YouTube listening. You can also ask him to add more bass etc.
Transmit – listen, listen – Pass
You can broadcast a message to one or more Google speakers. Very practical as an intercom at home.
Duo – video calls – Pass
You can use it for Google Duo calls to or from any Android smartphone. The only problem is that it doesn’t have a camera, so you can’t make a video call. Google thought most would be used in the bedroom, leaving the camera out. No call charges apply. excellent
Alarms, reminders and more – approve
You can use it to set multiple alarms. They are only on the device, not in the cloud. If you have a blackout, you won’t get the alarm, so always back up with your smartphone.
Motion detection means hand gestures – Swipe
Quick Gestures uses Motion Sense to detect when your hand moves, without a camera. Play or pause a song or video, snooze an alarm, and stop a timer.
Photo Frame – Pass
You can select your photos uploaded to Google Photos for a screensaver or slideshow. These are crisp and vibrant.
Photos look great on the screen, which AI adjusts to ambient light
Size: Reasonably small for bed use: Pass+
177.4 (W) x 120.4 (H) 69.5mm surface x 558g. Comes with a 15W Google plug charger. Connects to Wi-Fi 5 2.4 or 5GHz. Voice is fine at 2.4GHz, but video is better at 5GHz.
CyberShack’s take: Google Nest Hub Gen2 is the smart speaker of choice
I like this audio and video device — my only gripe is that it doesn’t have a camera, so I have to use the Google Nest Hub Max ($349) for video calls.
But other video smart speakers, notably the Lenovo Smart Displays 7, 8, and 10, have cameras and Google’s smart speaker capability (they may be on the way).
He is great at what he does and gets an unreserved purchase recommendation.
Google Nest Hub Gen2 audio and video display
$149 RRP, but on Google for $99 until 12/9/2022
Pros
- Easy to set up and use
- Clear audio and sharp video display, much better than a Google Nest Mini
- Slide show or time display
- The sound is fit for purpose
- Syncs with Spotify, Netflix, YouTube and more
Cons
- No camera (can be a blessing)
- No need to use the sleep monitor (good thing)