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For a full list of compatible gadgets, check out this page on Apple’s website – and the roundup of our favourite HomeKit devices here. The Google Nest Hub and the Echo Show 5 are their brand’s smallest full-function smart displays, but not the only models. On May 7, Google Nest announced the Nest Hub Max, a smart display with a 10-inch touchscreen. The Nest Hub Max is due to launch later this summer with a $229 list price, slated to compete with the Echo Show. Neither of these smart displays is intended to replace their bigger siblings, though they have been designed to complement a bigger smart display.
Round the back, the two speakers are also very different in the way they handle input. The Google Nest Hub has no input ports but has a solitary power dock meaning that you can’t plug in any extra accessories or even your phone. You can use the Google Cast platform to play music from your phone on your Nest Hub though. Both the Show 2 and the Nest Hub have extensive smart home capabilities. If you have questions about a specific device in your house, look it up to find out what it works with.
Better for video chat
Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips. But only a small portion of those skills are enhanced by the Show’s display, so that’s probably not what you’ll be spending most of your time doing with the Show. If you are happy to stay on the Google path, then be sure to check out our Google Home Essentials series, designed to help you get the most from your Google-integrated smart home. Conversely, this makes the Echo Show 5 more complicated, therefore less easy to use.
Both smart displays include touch-enabled displays for easier interaction with recipes, videos, and media controls. Up close the Echo Show has a much lower resolution display but when viewed from a few feet away it’s difficult to tell which is better. The device and app compatibility variable is the most important factor for the performance of the smart displays. Each device works best with other products that belong to the same ecosystem, and not every application or device is supported by each smart hub. If you have Google products, like the Pixel phone or other Nest devices, the Nest Hub will integrate with them more seamlessly.
Google Nest Hub Max vs Amazon Echo Show 2
Overall, the Nest Hub offers the best smart speaker features since it gives you a better YouTube experience, displays photos better, and can help track your sleep. While we haven’t mentioned it much here, Apple’s HomeKit is the other major player in the world of smart home platforms. This is the ideal pick if you want to control your smart home from your iPhone or iPad, and it works with a fair few third-party devices along with the Apple 4K TV and HomePod Mini. If you’re surrounded by Apple tech at home, it’s the obvious choice but it doesn’t integrate with as many smart home devices as Google or Alexa do.
The Nest Hub is a wonderful device for any home, especially those that already feature Google devices. This display might not have a camera, but you can still make video calls. It connects easier to YouTube and allows you to better search for YouTube videos via voice command. We love how it sends directions directly to your phone, so you don't have to look them up yourself. These are both quality displays that can help you manage your smart home devices, look up recipes, stream shows, and do several other things.
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Of course, which smart display you choose will likely boil down to whether you’re team Alexa or team Google Assistant. Almost all smart home tech now works with both voice assistants at this point in 2019, there are very few smart devices that only operate when connected to one service. That means that it can’t make video calls, which the Show and other smart displays offer with a simple voice command. Google appears worried that people will think the Home Hub is spying on them if it includes a camera.
While it isn't expensive as far as other smart displays go, and the starting MSRP is $50 less than the previous generation, it's currently listed as $15 more than the Echo Show 5. However, even though it doesn't feature a camera, it offers plenty of other features that make it worth the cost, as we discovered in our review. The Echo Show offers more entertainment options, and a better display and audio enhance them. And with its built-in smart-home hub and camera for video calling and Skype, it's really shaping up to be an all-purpose device for smart-home owners.
Display
If you are insistent on adding one to your home, then you will be pleased to know that you can mute the microphone on the Echo Show 5 and Nest Hub. The Echo Show 5 goes a step further by adding the ability to cover the front-facing camera — the Nest Hub doesn’t include a camera, somewhat fortunately. While the front of the Google Nest Hub and the Show 2 look mostly the same — Google’s display is slightly more rounded and has a smaller form factor — the back is where the true difference lies. PCMag supports Group Black and its mission to increase greater diversity in media voices and media ownerships.
PCMag.com is a leading authority on technology, delivering lab-based, independent reviews of the latest products and services. Our expert industry analysis and practical solutions help you make better buying decisions and get more from technology. Pricing for smart displays is pretty straightforward, and matches the sizes of the devices. The Echo Show 10 and Echo Show 15 are the most expensive models at $250 each, slightly pricier than the $230 Nest Hub Max, followed by the Echo Show 8 at $130, then the sub-$100 Echo Show 5 and Nest Hub.
The value of Google Assistant is its natural language recognition and that you can issue several commands without having to say the “Hey Google” wake phrase each time. As we’ll explain below, that’s one of the major benefits that Google has over its rival. If you try to ask “Alexa, turn on the lights and tell me what the weather forecast is for tomorrow”, you’ll find that it’ll only deal with one of the things you’ve asked.
To better protect your privacy, it features a built-in cover that you can slide over the camera lens. Both these smart displays have bigger versions with bigger screens available, so these are the devices to go for if you'd rather have something that's compact and easier to fit on a shelf or a table. The downside is that videos, photos and menus are smaller, so it's up to you what you value more.
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