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Smart Displays

Nest Hub Max Review: More Than a Screen on a Speaker

2023 · From the Tech with Asher channel · Watch below or read on

The Nest Hub Max has been one of the most popular smart displays for years, and the skeptic's question still hangs over it: is this just a screen mounted to a speaker? After long daily use in my own kitchen, here is what it actually is, what changed recently, and which homes it fits best.

A tour of the hardware

Up top, a camera. Below it, a 10 inch display. Around back, volume buttons and a slider that disables the camera and microphone, with an orange light on the front confirming when they are off. One thing to understand clearly: that slider is a software-integrated control, not a physical disconnect of the camera. It works, and the orange light is honest, but you are trusting software, not a shutter. Decide how you feel about that before this device goes in a bedroom.

The three features that survive daily life

• The glanceable face. Switch the theme to the Google weather frog and the screen shows time and forecast together. It sounds trivial; it is the thing everyone in the house uses fifty times a day.
• One panel for the whole home. My Nest thermostats, the Nest doorbell, the cameras: all controllable from this one screen instead of four apps.
• The assistant that knows your face. Walk up in the morning and it recognizes me and greets me by name, and I can ask about the weather without ceremony. I have rarely touched the physical buttons at all.

Matter changed what this device can talk to

Google added the Matter protocol, and it rewires the buying logic. In a nutshell: Matter devices can work without the internet, which is more secure and more reliable, and they work across platforms, so a plug sold for Apple homes or an Alexa-family gadget can now answer to this display. The rollout is still gradual, so expect the occasional rough edge, but the foundation matters: you are no longer buying into one company's catalog.

Who this is for

This is not a sponsored take, just my research and daily use. If your home already leans Google, doorbell, thermostat, speakers, the Hub Max is the natural center of it, and worth grabbing at a good price for the bigger screen alone. If you are starting from zero, weigh it against the Pixel Tablet, which trades the wide camera and stationary reliability for portability; I compare them head to head in another post. Either way, this stopped being just a screen on a speaker a while ago.