If you were expecting that the long-rumored smart display from Google would be as big or bigger than the Echo Show or even the newly-announced Facebook Portal and Portal+, then you probably got a bit of a surprise when we officially found out about the Google Home Hub. It was actually smaller than those devices which can be a good thing for some and a bad one for others. But either way, the new device will be coming soon to adorn your house or office, so let’s get to know it a little bit.
First of all, as we said, it is smaller than its competitors in the smart display market. The 7-inch screen (7.02 inches wide, 2.65-inches deep, and 4.65 inches tall) may seem tiny compared to others, but it also might be just the perfect size to discreetly fit into your home decor or to place on your kitchen top and your bedside table. Packaging wise, it has rounded corners, fabric covers, and pastel finishes so it can actually be part of your room decoration. And just because it’s smaller doesn’t make the quality any less. In fact, it has a high-resolution and crisp display.
As for the other specifications, there are two far-field microphones so it can accept voice commands. However, you really can’t do that from across the room, given its size. It has a “full range speaker” at the back with 80 dB SPL @ 1KHz, @ 1m. It of course has Google Assistant built-in because what use is a smart display if it doesn’t have Google’s own digital assistant of course. It also has Bluetooth 5 among other connectivity things and it will work with Android, iOS, Mac, Windows, and Chromebook.
Probably one of the biggest talking points about the Home Hub is that it doesn’t have a camera. Intuitively, you’d want a smart display that will let you do video calls with your loved ones right? But also if you think about all the privacy issues that we’ve been dealing with lately, it’s actually a good thing for Google to be doing this right now. It is surprising given how user data and connectivity is important for the company, but they choose to make users comfortable in their private spaces over that.
Another major feature of the Home Hub is a slide down panel that will give you control access to all your supported and connected smart devices. You can adjust the thermostat or make the lights in the other room brighter or make your music softer, all from the comfort of your smart display screen. When someone rings your doorbell, you can see who it is through the display. You can also manage these things through your Google Home app so even if you’re not at home, you can do it remotely.
It also has a new feature called Ambient EQ which basically means it will adjust to the light in the room and tweak your color and brightness of the display, depending on where you are and what you’re doing. If you place it in your bedroom, it will turn off the display at night so you can sleep peacefully. And if you have multiple users of the hub, it has Voice Match so it can recognize each voice individually (well, as long as you added and matched it to your account).
The Google Home Hub will be available in four colors: Chalk (gray), Charcoal (black), Aqua (bluish greenish), and Sand (pinkish orange-ish). You can now pre-order it through the Google Store and you only have to pay a pretty affordable $149. It will start shipping by October 22 and will also be available at Best Buy, Target, and Walmart. You can catch Google Hardware Store pop-ups in New York and Chicago from October 18 to December 31.
VIA: SlashGear (1) (2) (3) (4)
