The Google Nest Hub 2nd Generation represents a significant evolution in smart display technology, building upon the success of its predecessor while introducing groundbreaking features like sleep tracking and improved performance. The Google Nest Hub (2nd Gen)’s sleep sensing abilities, improved smart home UI and refreshed design make it the best smart display for your bedside.
Contents
- 1 What Makes the 2nd Generation Special
- 2 Display and Design Excellence
- 3 Advanced Sleep Tracking Capabilities
- 4 Smart Home Integration and Control
- 5 Entertainment and Media Features
- 6 Voice Assistant and Daily Assistance
- 7 Setup and User Experience
- 8 Privacy and Security Considerations
- 9 Value Proposition and Purchasing Decision
What Makes the 2nd Generation Special
The standout feature that sets the 2nd generation apart is its integration of Soli radar technology for sleep tracking. With Soli radar technology built in, it can track your sleep, making it Google’s most innovative smart display to date. This contactless monitoring system analyzes your movement, breathing patterns, and sleep disturbances without requiring wearable devices or cameras in your bedroom.
Beyond sleep tracking, the 2nd generation includes performance improvements that enhance daily usability. It’s got a 1.9GHz quad-core SoC compared to a 1.5GHz quad-core in the old version, resulting in faster response times and smoother navigation through menus and applications.
The device maintains the same physical design philosophy as the original while incorporating subtle refinements. The new Nest Hub has the same 7-inch 1,024 x 600 resolution touchscreen display and chunky bezels as the original. It’s still perched atop a fabric-covered speaker “stand.”
Display and Design Excellence
The 7-inch touchscreen remains the sweet spot for smart displays, offering enough real estate for meaningful interaction without overwhelming smaller spaces. Both generations of the Nest Hub have a 7-inch touchscreen display with a 1,024 x 600 resolution. For comparison, this puts the Nest Hub screen between the Amazon Echo Show 5 (5.5-inch screen, 960×480 resolution) and the Echo Show 8 (8-inch screen, 1280×800 resolution).
The fabric-covered base not only provides aesthetic appeal but also houses the speaker system that delivers surprisingly rich audio for the device’s compact size. The design integrates seamlessly into modern home environments, whether placed on nightstands, kitchen counters, or living room shelves.
Privacy considerations influenced the design decision to exclude a camera, making the Nest Hub 2nd Gen particularly appealing for bedroom use where many users prefer not to have recording devices present.
Advanced Sleep Tracking Capabilities
The sleep sensing feature represents the most significant upgrade in the 2nd generation. Using advanced radar technology, the device monitors sleep patterns without physical contact, providing insights into sleep quality, duration, and disturbances throughout the night.
The system tracks movement patterns, breathing rhythms, and environmental factors like room temperature and ambient light levels that might affect sleep quality. This data combines to create comprehensive sleep reports accessible through the Google Home app.
Sleep sensing works well, although you won’t get the detailed statistics a wearable sleep tracker offers, but the convenience of contactless monitoring appeals to users who prefer not wearing devices to bed or those concerned about the accuracy of wrist-based trackers during sleep.
Smart Home Integration and Control
The Nest Hub 2nd Gen serves as a central command center for compatible smart home devices. Just say things like, “Hey Google, turn on the lights.” Voice commands provide hands-free control over lighting, thermostats, security systems, and entertainment devices throughout your home.
The improved user interface makes managing multiple devices more intuitive, with visual controls that complement voice commands. Recent updates have enhanced device compatibility and expanded automation possibilities, making it easier to create routines that adapt to your daily schedule.
With a Nest Aware subscription, Nest Hub (2nd gen) can detect unusual sounds, like glass breaking or your smoke alarm going off, and send you an alert, adding an extra layer of home security monitoring.
Entertainment and Media Features
Entertainment capabilities have expanded significantly in the 2nd generation. The Google Nest Hub (2nd Gen) offers support for Netflix, Disney Plus, YouTube and All 4 TV content, built-in Google Cast functionality, making it a versatile media consumption device for kitchens, bedrooms, or offices.
The improved processor ensures smooth video playback and responsive touch interactions when navigating through streaming services. Google Cast functionality allows seamless content sharing from smartphones and tablets to the larger display.
YouTube integration provides access to cooking tutorials, workout videos, news content, and educational materials, making the device particularly valuable in kitchen and home office environments.
Voice Assistant and Daily Assistance
Google Assistant integration provides comprehensive voice control and information access. The device responds to questions about weather, traffic, calendar appointments, and general information queries with both audio responses and visual displays.
Morning routines become more efficient with personalized information displays showing weather forecasts, commute times, calendar events, and news headlines. The sunrise alarm feature gradually increases screen brightness to simulate natural wake-up lighting.
Recipe assistance, timer management, and unit conversions make the Nest Hub 2nd Gen particularly valuable in kitchen environments where hands-free operation is essential.
Setup and User Experience
Initial setup involves connecting to Wi-Fi networks and linking Google accounts, typically completed within minutes. The interface guides users through feature activation and privacy settings, including sleep tracking permissions and data sharing preferences.
If you’ve used a Google Nest Hub or even one of the third-party Assistant displays, the experience with the 2nd-gen Hub will be familiar, ensuring existing users can quickly adapt to any interface changes.
Regular software updates continue expanding functionality and improving performance, with recent updates adding enhanced automation capabilities and expanded device compatibility.
Privacy and Security Considerations
Privacy features include physical microphone mute switches and granular data sharing controls. It also still has a physical microphone mute switch and volume keys around the back, providing immediate privacy control when needed.
Sleep tracking data remains encrypted and can be deleted at any time through Google account settings. Users maintain full control over what information is collected and how it’s used for personalization and automation features.
The absence of a camera eliminates concerns about video privacy, making the device more acceptable for bedroom placement compared to camera-equipped alternatives.
Value Proposition and Purchasing Decision
Unless you find the original Nest Hub at a steep discount, it doesn’t offer anything the newer model lacks and probably isn’t worth buying fresh in 2021. But if you already own one, it’s not as far behind the 2nd-generation model in specs and features as you might think.
The 2nd generation offers the best balance of features, performance, and price in the smart display market. Sleep tracking alone justifies the upgrade for many users, while improved performance and expanded entertainment options enhance daily usability.
For first-time smart display buyers, the Nest Hub 2nd Gen provides an excellent introduction to connected home technology with room to grow as users add more smart devices and explore advanced automation features.
