Google Home vs Nest Audio vs Mini vs Max vs Hub vs Hub Max: Which Google speaker should you buy?

(Pocket-lint) - If you're looking for an intelligent astute location speaker, past 1 powered by Google is simply a large alternate to the Amazon Echo range.

Like the Amazon Echo astute speakers, Google Home devices - astir of which are present Nest branded - are disposable successful a scope of sizes. They each person Google Assistant built-in, meaning they tin transportation retired the aforesaid tasks, but they person precise antithetic designs and specifications which volition find wherever you enactment them astir your location and what you usage them for.

Here's everything you request to cognize astir the Google Home and Nest devices to assistance you enactment retired which is close for you.

Which is the champion Google Nest talker for you?

Nest Mini is tiny and inexpensive capable to spell into immoderate home. It has the aforesaid Google Assistant features arsenic its larger siblings, but successful a overmuch much compact size.

Nest Audio is the main talker successful the family, a large performer astatine a large terms and a replacement for the archetypal Google Home.

Google Home is the talker that started it all, but has present been replaced and bettered by the Nest Audio.

Google Home Max is simply a almighty speaker, which could marque it the lone 1 you request successful your location for entertainment.

Google Nest Hub (2nd gen) offers a 7-inch display, slumber tracking, each the features of Google Assistant.

Google Nest Hub Max adds a larger 10-inch show and a camera, making it a afloat Nest instrumentality arsenic good arsenic a astute display. It offers a bigger dependable than the Nest Hub.

Google Nest Mini

squirrel_widget_168546

• Dimensions: 42 x 98mm, 181g
• Connectivity: 802.11b/g/n/ac (2.4GHz/5GHz), Bluetooth 5.0, Chromecast and Chromecast Audio
• Audio: 40mm talker driver, 360-degree sound
• Google Assistant: Yes (Always-on/always-listening/voice-activated)

The Google Nest Mini is the 2nd procreation of the Google Home Mini, and the smallest of Google's talker range. Like the Amazon Echo Dot, it's a puck-like instrumentality that is disposable successful 4 colours - each of which person cloth covers.

Thanks to its diminutive size, the Nest Mini tin beryllium placed virtually anywhere, including wall-mounted, and adjacent kept retired of show if you wish. It tin load up contented connected immoderate Chromecast device, giving you voice-controlled entree to movies and TV shows from supported services.

The Nest Mini gives you entree to each Google Assistant features, truthful it's a astute location power device, an entertainer and a plaything.

• Google Nest Mini review: Mini update, max impact

Google Nest Audio

squirrel_widget_2709293

• Dimensions: 175 x 124 x 78mm, 1.1kg
• Connectivity: 802.11b/g/n/ac (2.4GHz/5GHz), Bluetooth 5.0, Chromecast and Chromecast Audio
• Audio: 75mm woofer, 19mm tweeter
• Google Assistant: Yes (Always-on/always-listening/voice-activated)

Nest Audio refreshes Google's archetypal speaker, boosting eco credentials with much recycled material, portion bringing successful a caller fresh plan too. Rather than 360-degree sound, the dependable is present directional, but with a bully size of talker operator and a tweeter successful this compact unit, the dependable prime is truly bully for the price.

All the Google Assistant functions are supported, and the Nest Audio tin beryllium stereo paired to marque a bigger dependable delivery.

One happening is wide - there's nary crushed to see the aged Google Home - the Nest Audio is amended successful each way.

• Google Nest Audio review: A large all-rounder

Google Home

squirrel_widget_148299

• Dimensions: 142.8 x 96.4mm, 477g
• Connectivity: Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n/ac (2.4GHz/5GHz)
• Audio: 2-inch talker driver, dual 2-inch passive radiators, dual microphones with far-field dependable recognition
• Google Assistant: Yes (Always-on/always-listening/voice-activated)

Google Home is the archetypal astute talker from Google.

The Google Home sports a plan that's reminiscent of an aerial freshener, with a somewhat bulbous bottommost that tapers successful towards the top. On the angled apical of the Home determination is simply a touch-sensitive aboveground that tin beryllium utilized to power a assortment of functions. You tin besides alteration the colour of the base.

Its dependable prime is good, but it isn't acceptable to beryllium your main enactment speaker, adjacent if it is simply a step-up from the Nest Mini. It offers each the connected functions of Google Assistant, truthful it's a earthy astute location hub, letting you power each your devices, arsenic good arsenic accessing a wide scope of Google services, accusation and giving you power of your Chromecast.

It's present been replaced and bettered by the Nest Audio, however.

• Google Home review: A amended dependable adjunct than Amazon Echo?

Google Home Max

squirrel_widget_148519

• Dimensions: 336.6 x 190 x 154.4mm, 5.3kg
• Connectivity: Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n/ac (2.4GHz/5GHz), Bluetooth 4.2, Chromecast and Chromecast Audio, USB-C, 3.5mm auxiliary 
• Audio: 2 x 4.5-inch dual dependable coil woofers, 2 x 0.7-inch tweeters, six microphones with far-field dependable recognition
• Google Assistant: Yes (Always-on/always-listening/voice-activated)

Google Home Max is max by sanction and max by nature. It's ample successful size and it delivers high-quality dependable that tin capable a room. A ample terms tag puts the Google Home Max successful the premium astute location talker bracket - competing with the Sonos range and the Apple HomePod. 

Packing 4 drivers and six Class-D amplifiers, the Google Home Max makes the dependable show of astir different astute location speakers airy successful comparison. We surely recovered it to beryllium susceptible successful presumption of sound, but galore whitethorn recoil astatine the terms tag. 

We ideate astir radical volition enactment 1 successful their surviving country oregon bedroom. It's not for wall-mounting but tin beryllium positioned either vertically oregon horizontally making it beauteous versatile. It offers each the aforesaid features arsenic the smaller Nest Mini and Nest Audio though, conscionable with amended dependable capabilities.

• Google Home Max review: Cranking astute talker audio to the max

Google Nest Hub (2nd gen)

squirrel_widget_4312949

• Dimensions: 177.4 x 120.4 x 69.5mm, 558g
• Connectivity: Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n/ac (2.4GHz/5GHz), Bluetooth 5.0, Chromecast, Thread, 15W adapter, DC powerfulness jack 
• Audio: Full scope talker (1x 43.5mm driver), 3 microphones with far-field dependable recognition
• Display: 7-inch
• Google Assistant: Yes (Always-on/always-listening/voice-activated)

The Nest Hub (2nd gen) replaced the erstwhile Home Hub/Nest Hub making a fewer tweaks but with overmuch the aforesaid design. 

It's inactive a floating surface with mesh base, present with boosted audio for amended bass reponse, truthful it sounds better. The show remains a root of information, giving you each the connected services of Google Assistant.

But the existent summation is slumber tracking. Using clever radar exertion the Nest Hub tin observe your sleeping patterns and supply feedback, giving Nest Hub thing unsocial arsenic a bedside assistant.

• Google Nest Hub (2021) review: Sweet dreams are made of this

Google Nest Hub Max

squirrel_widget_160596

• Dimensions: 250.1 x 182.55 x 101.23mm, 1.32kg
• Connectivity: Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n/ac (2.4GHz/5GHz), Bluetooth 5.0, Chromecast, 30W adapter, DC powerfulness jack 
• Audio: Stereo speakers (2x 18mm 10W tweeters, 1x 75mm 30W woofer)
• Display: 10-inch, 1280 x 800 pixels
• Camera: 6.5MP Nest camera, 127 FoV, look lucifer technology
• Google Assistant: Yes (Always-on/always-listening/voice-activated)

The Google Nest Hub Max is the biggest Home instrumentality with a show and ushered successful the sanction alteration to Nest. That's due to the fact that it incorporates a camera which tin not lone beryllium utilized for Duo calling, but offers afloat Nest Cam functions too, truthful it besides acts arsenic a information device. It volition besides enactment with Nest's look recognition, truthful it tin alteration the show details to suit antithetic users, though it doesn't present acquainted look alerts similar the Nest Hello oregon Nest Cam IQ.

Elsewhere, the Nest Hub Max boosts the acquisition of the smaller show device, expanding to 10-inches and offering stereo speakers backed with a woofer for amended dependable delivery. 

Otherwise the Nest Hub Max supports Google Assistant offering each the experiences you'd travel to expect from Google's AI system.

• Google Nest Hub Max review: Putting the Echo Show connected notice

Writing by Adrian Willings. Editing by Chris Hall. Originally published connected 9 October 2017.