Rankings
The Echo Show 8 (3rd Gen) offers a large, bright touchscreen, strong audio, and a powerful camera, making it a solid hub for Alexa-controlled smart homes.
The Nest Hub Max offers a generous 10-inch LCD display, strong audio with a subwoofer, and tight Google integration, making it a solid hub for smart-home control and media, though its resolution and video-calling options lag behind competitors.
The Echo Show 5 (Cloud Blue) offers a compact 5.5" touchscreen, solid audio, and full Alexa smart-home integration, suited for kitchens and small rooms.
The Echo Show 5 (Charcoal) is a compact smart display with improved audio and a built-in camera shutter, ideal for small rooms or budget-conscious users.
The 2nd-gen Nest Hub offers a 7-inch display, enhanced audio, and unique Soli radar sleep tracking, making it a solid privacy-focused hub, though it lacks a camera and a larger screen for media consumption.
The 2nd-gen Nest Hub (Charcoal) delivers solid smart-home hub features, sleep tracking, and eco-friendly design in a compact 7-inch form factor, though its audio and lack of a camera keep it from being a top media display.
The Taiwan-model Nest Hub (2nd Gen) offers strong Google Assistant performance, sleep sensing, and a compact design, but its modest speaker, lack of camera, and limited app support make it less suited for media-heavy use.
| Attribute | | Google Smart Display 7-inch | | Google Nest Hub 2nd Gen Charcoal | | | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
8.7 inches | 7 inches | 7 inches | 7 inches | 10 inchesbest | 5.5 inches | 5.5 inches | |
60 Hzbest | — | — | — | — | 60 Hzbest | — | |
400 nitsbest | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
0best | — | — | — | — | 0best | 0best | |
2 GB | 1 GB | 4 GBbest | — | — | 2 GB | — | |
— | 1 yearsbest | 0.25 years | 0.25 years | 1 yearsbest | — | — | |
| ↓ lower better | 15 Wbest | — | — | — | — | 15 Wbest | 15 Wbest |
Click an attribute name to sort · Green = best, red = worst (relative to this comparison)
| Attribute | | Google Smart Display 7-inch | | Google Nest Hub 2nd Gen Charcoal | | | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Software(1) | |||||||
Operating System | Fire OS 7 | Google proprietary OS (based on Android Things) | — | Google Cast (Android Things) | Google Home OS | Fire OS | Fire OS |
Connectivity(2) | |||||||
Wi‑Fi | true | dual‑band | dual‑band | dual‑band | Wi‑Fi 5 | true | true |
Bluetooth | true | 5.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 | true | — |
Display(3) | |||||||
Screen Size (inches) | 8.7 inches | 7 inches | 7 inches | 7 inches | 10 inches | 5.5 inches | 5.5 inches |
Panel Type | LCD | LED touchscreen | Touchscreen LCD | LCD touchscreen | LCD | LCD | LCD |
Resolution | 1340x800 | 1024x600 | 1024x600 | 1024x600 | 1280x800 | 1340x800 | — |
Performance(2) | |||||||
Processor | MediaTek 8169 B | — | Quad-core 64-bit 1.9 GHz ARM CPU | Quad‑core 64‑bit 1.9 GHz ARM processor | — | MediaTek 8169 B | — |
RAM (GB) | 2 GB | 1 GB | 4 GB | — | — | 2 GB | — |
Warranty & Power(1) | |||||||
Warranty Period (years) | — | 1 years | 0.25 years | 0.25 years | 1 years | — | — |
Products in the top-left offer the best value (high score, low price).
Professional reviewers praise its upgraded camera, richer audio and built-in Zigbee/Matter hub, while noting the lack of a camera shutter and wired audio/Ethernet ports.
Users love the sound and video-call quality but voice privacy concerns over the missing camera shutter.
Reviewers praise flawless Google integration, accurate voice assistant, and innovative sleep-sensing, while noting the modest screen size, lack of camera, and missing Netflix support.
“The sound is amazing for a device this size.”
“Video calls with family are crystal clear thanks to the auto-framing camera.”
“No camera shutter makes me uncomfortable - I cover it with tape.”
Choose the Max if you need video calling and richer audio; stick with the 2nd-gen Hub for a cheaper, smaller device focused on sleep tracking and privacy.
Users love voice accuracy, sleep tracking, and sunrise alarm, but complain about the small screen, no camera, and limited streaming options like Netflix.
Reviewers commend the precise radar-based sleep tracking, clean ad-free UI, and robust Google integration, while noting the absence of a camera and limited app ecosystem.
Users rate it around 4.7/5, praising ease of setup, sound quality, and sleep data, but express frustration with YouTube UI, occasional voice hiccups, and lack of third-party apps.
Reviewers highlight the innovative Soli-based sleep tracking, fast Assistant responses, and smart-home hub capabilities, while noting audio quality and lack of camera as drawbacks.
Users love bedside convenience, gesture controls, and photo-frame mode, but complain about weak audio, missing camera, and occasional sleep-tracking errors.
Professional reviewers praise the robust audio and seamless Google ecosystem, but criticize the modest screen resolution and limited third-party video-calling apps.
Users love the sound quality and large screen for kitchen use, but complain about the lack of Zoom, occasional camera glitches, and price relative to resolution.
Professional reviewers commend its audio and smart-home hub features but note the lack of a camera shutter and limited video-conference support.
Users praise the bass-enhanced sound and quick Alexa responses, while some worry about privacy and miss Zoom integration.
Reviewers note the stronger bass and the added physical camera shutter, but criticize the lack of wired audio and limited connectivity.
Customers appreciate the richer sound and privacy shutter, while some miss a headphone jack and wish for higher resolution.
