Google launches 2nd-gen Nest Hub smart display: Price and specs

Google first introduced its Nest Hub smart display back in October 2018. The following year, it launched the Nest Hub Max with a bigger 10-inch display. Today, the company refreshed its smart display lineup by launching the second generation Nest Hub smart display.

The new Nest Hub smart display looks and feels quite similar to the original device that was launched almost a year-and-a-half back. It features the same floating display design that is akin to Google’s smart display series but the company has made one critical change that sets it apart from its predecessor. It has added the Soli-radar chip -- the one that made a debut with the Pixel 4 smartphone -- to its second-generation Nest Hub smart display. This chip makes this device smart and better even as it remains devoid of the camera.

The Soli radar chip gives the 2nd-gen Nest Hub smart display an opt-in Sleep Sensing feature. This feature uses Motion Sense that is powered by Soli low-energy radar technology to analyse how the person closest to the display is sleeping, based on their movement and breathing all without a camera or a wearable. It can also detect sleep disturbances like coughing and snoring or the light and temperature changes in the room with the device’s built-in microphones and ambient light and temperature sensors. Every morning users receive a personalised sleep summary on their display, or you can view your sleep data anytime on the Nest Hub by asking, “Hey Google, how did I sleep?” This feature is available as a free preview on the 2nd-gen Nest Hub until next year.

Google said that Sleep Sensing can also connect to users’ Google Fit app on Android and iOS devices so they can see their sleep summaries alongside their other health and wellness information. The company also said it is looking for ways to work with Fitbit's sleep-tracking features in the future.

As far as other features are concerned, the new Nest Hub’s speaker is based on the same audio technology as Nest Audio that was launched last year. The company says that it has 50% more bass than the original Nest Hub. Users can stream music, podcasts or audiobooks from services such as YouTube Music, Spotify, Apple Music and Pandora or watch shows and movies from OTT service providers such as Netflix, Disney+ and YouTube TV on its newly launched smart display.

Just like Nest Mini and Nest Audio, the new Nest Hub also comes with a dedicated on-device machine learning chip that moves some Assistant experiences from the company’s data centres directly onto the device, which in turn increases the device’s response time. The new Nest Hub also shows all your compatible connected devices in one place. It comes with a built-in Thread radio that will work with the new connectivity standard being created by the Project Connected Home over IP working group.

As far as price and availability are concerned, the second generation Nest Hub smart display costs $99.99 ( ₹7,248 approx.). It is available for preorders on Google Store in the US, Canada, UK, Germany, France and Australia in Chalk, Charcoal, Sand and Mist colour variants starting today.