Should you buy… the Google Home Hub?

The competition among the smart home scene is heating up and the latest focus is adding a screen to the mix.

Amazon gave its Echo device a display with the Echo Show last year and followed up with a second version in 2018, but now Google is launching its assault with the Home Hub.

Is the power of its existing products and search engine prowess enough to give the Echo a run for its money?

Multi-functional for every room

Google is pretty good at making use of its other assets and the Home Hub is no exception.

Whether you want to ask a question about something trivial, Google Search will do the job and present the details on the screen.

Want instructions for a recipe, a YouTube video will do the trick.

These kind of areas remain Google’s strength in the smart home market and a screen makes it a lot easier for the company to exploit them, offering the fullest smart screen experience you will find today.

The Home Hub uses a clean, easy to use layout, arranging elements in simple blocks you can scroll through seamlessly.

Information, whether it be calendar summaries or web search results, are beautifully illustrated on the screen with equal simplicity.

Ambient light sensor and speakers surprisingly good

Speaker quality isn’t the main focus on a smart device of this kind, but the speaker sound performs well on the Home Hub, playing crystal clear audio that fills the room. It’s reasonably loud, but won’t start a party (you’re better off with the Google Home Max on that front).

The ambient light sensor on the front of the Home Hub works well too, adjusting to the light in the room to provide a suitable display brightness. Come night, the time is dark enough to not burn your eyes but remains visible.

Disappointing design

For all the Google Home Hub’s strengths, the biggest let down is the design, a complete reversal on the beautiful Google Home speaker.

The Google Home Hub is, to put it bluntly, ugly. It looks like an old Samsung Galaxy Tab has been stuck onto a fabric speaker and to make matters worse, the redeeming part to the entire design is on the bottom – a smooth, bright orange that you will never see.

It’s really lightweight too – especially compared to the bulky Amazon Echo Show – but weight isn’t too much of a selling point for something that will mostly stay in one place and not be carried around.

Verdict

The Google Home Hub is a really functional smart device that has a lot to offer on the inside, but loses its shine on the outside.

For anyone desperate for a smart device with a screen, the price is one saving grace, coming in at £80 cheaper than its biggest rival, the Amazon Echo Show, but it’s not enough to lead the way as Google’s other smart home products have done.

Google would be onto a winner had it nailed the design, so here’s hoping a follow-up will get a serious face lift.