Google have refreshed their smart speaker lineup with the new Nest Hub Max.
Pitched as a beefier version of last year's Google Home Hub (review here), the Nest Hub Max features a 10-inch HD screen, stereo speakers and all the Google Assistant functionality you'd get out of a Google Home or Google Home Mini.
If that all sounds familiar, that's okay, it should. However, where the Nest Hub Max differs is that comes with a few interesting little quirks that might make it a better fit for smart home fanatics and power users than the regular Home Hub is.
To begin with the Nest Hub Max feature new hands-free gesture controls and uses facial recognition to determine different users in a similar way to the alreedy-existing Voice Match tech.
There's also "Reactive" touch controls that will appear on the screen when the device detects someone approaching the speaker - saving you a few more seconds.
Finally, as the name suggests, the Nest Hub Max also features a built-in Nest Hub and security camera.
This makes for a significant contrast to the regular Home Hub, which doesn't feature any built-in cameras. However, if you're already using the Nest ecosystem in your smart home, this might be a compelling way to tie everything together.
In Australia, the Google Nest Home is available at an RRP of AU$349 from September 10, 2019 through Harvey Norman, JB Hi-Fi, The Good Guys, Officeworks and the Google Store.
