- A new Google Nest Hub Smart Display driven by Gemini could be on the way
- Leader of Google Home Anish Kattukaran says the company is ‘definitely still obliged to smart screens’
- Amazon has already got a leg-up with his new line with Echo Show Smart Screens
Google makes a comeback to the smart home field after announcing a wave of new devices on October 1st, but there was a device not mentioned – a new nest hub – but it turns out that Google is not planning to pull his line with smart screens yet.
If you were disappointed with the absence of smart screens from Google’s message (which included new AI-Infunded Video Descents and Security Cameras as well as the new Google Home speaker), do not fear, as leader of Google Home Anish Kattukaran, have hinted at the plans to revive its line of Nest Hubs.
In a speech with The Verge, Kattukaran shared that the company is still very ‘committed to smart screens’, but despite the lack of in-depth information, his comments on the Vergecast Podcast reveal that a new Gemini-Integrated Smart Display is in the works, adding the following:
“[The smart display] Presents itself as an incredible form factor to interact with something like Gemini for the home. If you think of the properties of a smart screen – a microphone that means sound in, a speaker, sound out. It has a monitor that complements a voice modality, you can interact with it and visualize information ”.
Google went into the Smart Display Game in 2018 with its first Nest Hub device, and after a year, the company released Google Nest Hub Max, a larger smart screen with a 10-inch screen, a built-in camera and an upgraded audio system. The last time Google updated its line with smart screens was with the second generation of Google Nest Hub in 2021, so it’s been a long time to come.
Adding to the comments that were shared with The Verge also revealed Kattukaran that Google will ‘have news to share soon’, so we would expect a more detailed update about its next generation of smart screens then, but there is another tech giant that has already turned Google to the stone – and that’s Amazon.
The competition is on
Just a few days before Google revealed its new Gemini-driven lineup of smart home devices, Amazon hosted a huge hardware event in which the company revealed its line of Alexa+ flagship units that included the New Echo Show 8 and Echo Show 11 Smart Displays. With that in mind, what should google do to pull it out of the bag?
First, it’s a no-brainer that the next Google Smart Display needs some kind of design renewal, which is what we loved most about Amazon’s new smart screens after our early practical experience. Then there is the question of sound.
The second general Google Nest Hub is sufficient if you use it for background music and sound playback, but we did not consider it a solid source of offering space filling sounds. In Amazon’s case, the new Echo-Shows are taking the speaker after the new 360-degree Echo Dot Max to omit spatial sound, so we hope the next Nest-Hub will pack items in the upcoming Google Home speaker.
As mentioned, Google has not yet provided further information about the future of its new smart screens, but we will certainly be looking for an official launch date.
