Google Nest Hub (2nd gen) review
Smart display speaker. Priced at $149.
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Speaker type
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Home speakers can be Wi-Fi or Bluetooth and mains powered. Portable speakers may also be Wi-Fi but are usually Bluetooth and are battery powered. Smart displays are ideal for the kitchen or bedroom and can usually play video as well as illustrate information delivered by a voice assistant such as Alexa or Google.
- Smart display
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Power options
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Speakers that offer both mains and battery power provide versatility to use at home and take out and about.
- Mains
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Recommended
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Recommended speakers have earned a CHOICE Expert rating of 70% or more and a listening score of 70% or more. The listening score is an average of the classical, jazz, pop and speech scores.
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CHOICE Expert Rating
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This overall score varies slightly depending on the speaker type. Portable speakers: Listening performance (60%) and ease of use (40%). Mains powered (aka home) speakers: Listening performance (70%) and ease of use (30%). Smart displays: Listening performance (50%), ease of use (25%) and screen score (25%). Note: 'Ease of use' is called 'Everyday score' in this test.
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Classical music score
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Our testers assess the speaker to see how well it performs when playing classical music.
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Jazz music score
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Our tester assesses how well the speaker performs when playing jazz music.
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Pop music score
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Our tester assesses how well the speaker performs when playing pop music.
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Speech score
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Our tester assesses how well the speaker performs for speech, using a newscast.
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Set-up score
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We test initial set-up and any physical controls on the speaker.
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Everyday score
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We assess day-to-day ease of use by performing common tasks with the speaker, such as connecting it to Bluetooth, Wi-Fi or an AUX input. We look at how clear the instruction manual is and whether it's easy to understand. Note: Digital assistants such as Google Home, Siri and Alexa are not performance assessed.
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App score
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Our testers look at the app and see how easy and useful it is to play music this does not contribute to the overall score.
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Power consumption score
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We measure power consumption in standby and active mode for mains powered speakers and smart displays. When active, speaker volume is set to a normal listening level. Lower scoring models are less energy efficient than those with higher, or perfect, scores.
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Smart display score
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We assess image quality when the screen is at mid and full brightness, in portrait and landscape orientations, from a range of viewing angles in bright and dark environments. We also look at reflections, auto-dimming performance, touch screen speed and accuracy and ease of cleaning.
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Battery time (hours)
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Shown in hours, this test applies to models designed to be used with battery power. It provides an approximate playback lifespan before you need to recharge. Battery testing is carried out with a constant music source connected to the unit through the auxiliary input.
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Price
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Recommended retail price at the time of testing.
- $149
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Annual running cost
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This is only measured for speakers and smart screens connected to mains power, as they're designed to be "always on". Measurements include when it is sitting idle and being actively used for a few hours per day. Calculated at 30 cents per kilowatt-hour.
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Other controls
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Additional controls built into the unit.
- Volume +/-, microphone on/off
- Apps available
- Google Home
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Dimensions (mm, HxWxD)
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Rounded up to nearest 5mm.
- 130 x 91 x 178
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Weight (g)
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Weight of speaker rounded to the nearest gram.
- 648
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Bluetooth
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Bluetooth is the most common direct wireless connection option between a wireless speaker and a smart device.
- Yes
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Wi-Fi (2.4GHz)
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Standard Wi-Fi connectivity. The big advantage with Wi-Fi over Bluetooth is the range, with Wi-Fi networks often able to project well over 30 metres.
- Yes
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Wi-Fi (5GHz)
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5GHz allows you to connect a greater number of devices over a wireless network with fewer conflicts.
- Yes
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Personal assistant
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Is a digital assistant included with the smart speaker?
- Yes
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Apple AirPlay support
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Whether the speakers have support for Apple Airplay.
- No
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Google Home support
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Whether the speakers have support for the Google Home smart home control environment.
- Yes
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Google Assistant support
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Whether the speaker has built-in support for Google Assistant.
- Yes
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Alexa support
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Whether the speaker has built-in Alexa support.
- No
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Siri support
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Whether the speaker has built-in Siri (Apple) support.
- No
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Auxiliary input
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Whether the speakers include a 3.5mm aux-in port.
- No
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Surround support
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Some wireless speakers can be integrated into a surround sound system, working as the back left and right speakers for a multi-speaker setup.
- No
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Stereo pairing
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Grouping two speakers together over a Bluetooth connection in order to play the same song with more volume, or to work as a two channel sound system by assigning left- and right- roles to the speakers.
- Yes
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Hands free phone over bluetooth
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Can use the speaker and built-in microphone for calls, as long as it's connected to a smartphone via Bluetooth.
- No
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Dust/water resistant
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As claimed by the manufacturer.
- Not stated
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Battery life indicator
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Whether the speaker provides a visual indication of remaining battery life such as a blinking light or changing colour from green to red or in the case of speakers like the Logitech UE Boom and Megaboom models that deliver an audio indication of battery life such as '80% charged' when holding the + and – volume buttons down at the same time.
- Not applicable
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USB can charge other devices
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Most of these speakers have larger batteries than a smartphone so can be very handy when you are caught out and about and need to juice up your mobile. Simply plug the USB cable from the speaker to the phone and you are ready to go.
- No
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Travel case
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Whether the speakers come with a travel case.
- No
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Music service support
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This refers to services from which music can be played when you request it via voice command, directly from the smart speaker.
- Spotify, YouTube Music, Apple Music, Deezer, Netflix, Disney+, All 4, and more