Brady Snyder / Android Authority
In the early days of the smart home ecosystem wars, I invested in a Google Home Hub to control lights and interact with the Google Assistant. A lot has changed since then; my smart display still sits on my desk, but it’s now called the Nest Hub and uses Gemini as its voice assistant. I’ve added a larger Nest Hub Max in my kitchen, and despite loving both displays, Google has given me little reason to upgrade.
The standard Nest Hub hasn’t received an upgrade since 2021, and the Nest Hub Max hasn’t been refreshed since its original 2019 launch. For years, it felt like Google had forgotten about Nest users, but 2025 changed everything. We finally received new Nest hardware and a preview of the upcoming Google Home Speaker, along with an encouraging confirmation that Google remains committed to smart displays.
Google may be working on a new Nest Hub right now, and an upgraded model needs to prioritize these five things to earn my money.
What change would make you upgrade to a new Google Nest Hub? 2 votes A new design 0 % Faster processor and hardware upgrades 50 % Sharper video camera 0 % More display sizes 50 % Something else (comments) 0 %
A more durable and more colorful design
Brady Snyder / Android Authority
You can trace the design of the current Nest Hub and Nest Hub Max back to the smart display that started it all, and that design has aged beautifully. Despite bezels that are on the larger side by today’s standards, the Nest Hub looks modern and blends into almost any home. There’s just one change Google needs to make to the next Nest Hub: add a water-resistant base.
Google’s Nest Hub Max is a staple of my kitchen, serving up recipes, managing cooking timers, and watching YouTube videos via Chromecast. In my small apartment, the smart display lives right beside the kitchen sink, and the occasional splash hasn’t been kind to the fabric exterior. For what it’s worth, the water stains on a Nest Hub come off easily with a disinfecting wipe, and regular cleaning prevents the marks you see in the photo above from building up.
Kitchens are among the most common places to put a smart home controller, and a hard plastic or silicone base would go a long way toward protecting a future Nest Hub from water.
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