With everyone and their aunts turning smart homes into a 21st century staple, it seems fitting that the Google Nest Hub saw an upgrade from its first generation. Launched in Singapore late last year, the 2nd generation Google Nest Hub imbues more of what the tech behemoth sees as not just home devices for access to lights and switches, but also as personal accompaniments to everyone’s bedside and nightstand.

Starkly, the Nest Hub introduces Sleep Sensing, one of the features that sets it apart from its predecessor. How it does this is via Motion Sense enabled by Google’s Soli chip, a low-energy radar inside the Hub that only detects motions. Interestingly, Google has come forward to reiterate that Sleep Sensing tracks just movements, not facial or specific body recognition, amidst security concerns. 

What this means is that sleep patterns throughout the night are analysed via behaviours, like snoring, or in my case, restless and coughing. I won't lay bare my coughing habits for public scrutiny, but let's just say it was plenty.

The Nest Hub’s ability to track light and sound also means it can sense temperature changes and light disturbances, thereby making me feel guilty for my incessant pre-bedtime web crawling with its sleep report the next morning. This also means it dims and adjusts its brightness according to the surrounding light inside the room, which is a treat when you realise just how bright it can get. 

Over time, it learns the users sleep patterns and suggests insights and recommendations, something which can also be accessed via the Google Fit app, housing all of its user’s existing data in one place for easy access. Google has also announced plans to collaborate with popular sleep tracker and digital activewear company Fitbit to blend this information together in the future, and while I personally don’t own one for myself, bodes well for the foresight of its device usage amongst those that do.

Another feature that comes courtesy of its Soli chip is Quick Gestures, which allows users to change a song currently playing or a video to be swapped just by a wave of a hand. Additionally, alarms can literally be waived off if a snooze is in the cards that morning, as if we didn’t already feel bad for ordering tech to search up our whimsy, useless trivia. 

As with its other devices, entertainment, wellness, and productivity features are aplenty, with news apps, mini-games, scheduled reminders, and meditation suggestions at the flick of its home screen. The Nest Hub impressively comes out of the box with YouTube Music, Spotify, Apple Music, Pandora, and other streaming services built-in. As well, Netflix, Disney+, Youtube TV and more are a part of its eco-system, with subscripted accounts neatly syncing up with built-in Google Cast functionality. This was often useful for when my personal laptop was tucked in another part of the house and needed, say, some Marvel or Mondo Grosso playing in the background for ambient accompaniment.

With physical improvements too, the second gen Nest Hub comes with an upgraded speaker, which promises about 50% improved audio. Its bezel looks sleeker than most devices would on most furniture, and also features Live Albums, which connects your Google photos on storage or those that’ve been shared, to then be displayed. And although I haven’t yet stored any of my personal snaps, it’s choices of a curated art gallery and fullscreen clock in place of that are pretty nifty too.

The build also champions sustainability, with 54% post-consumer recycled plastic making up its plastic pats, and with the aforementioned display choices, the edgeless floating glass bezel proves to be quite a sight. Google have also managed to squeeze in an ‘off-mic’ button for no audio tracking on the back, and the device also comes with a dedicated volume rocker for when users can’t rely on their voice to turn it down for whatever reason.

With my usage out the box, the second gen Nest Hub was effortless to set up fresh. The first thing that stuck out was definitely its sleek design, but above that, Google’s no-nonsense UI makes for an experience that is pretty seamless from the word go. As a personal user of the Google Home Mini for years I was a skeptic in switching to a smart display; the Nest Hub makes sense as an upgraded option to replace the Mini, or even to sync-up with its other devices for louder audio (I maxed the volumes on both via my Google Assistant app, and with a subwoofer you could definitely power a small intimate house party). 

Set-up for Sleep Sensing was pretty clear cut, too, which involved laying down for about a minute or so with the device pointed at you whilst in bed. I personally didn’t religiously use it (for fear of looking at my current deplorable sleep habits), but I understand why the giants have made this step. Although, a huge caveat is that the Hub only tracks one sleeper at a time, which meant sleeping with my partner caused the data to be somewhat inconsistent to previous reports. It was however, scarily accurate in the times I woke up in the middle of the night, so solo sleepers should be aware of this.

If you’re new to the Smart displays and systems which Google offers, this is a fantastic starting point which features I wished my Home Mini was capable of way back when. Coming from a device without a screen, it seemed like the Nest Hub would simply co-exist beside my screen-less Mini, but it’s completely rendered it second fiddle. The searching of YouTube and Spotify content is a tad difficult without Casting, as there is no in-built keyboard, which means you’ll have to memorise the title of your favourite YouTube video. That also means no access to the full range of Spotify’s offerings, like its popular Radio feature, on the Nest Hub. Despite these shortcomings, its abundance of features and sleep tracking data, as well as its place as a multi-entertaniment system when my other devices are not plugged in is what gifts the Nest Hub a sweet spot in many rooms' set-up. Sporting a beautiful, minimal bezel and a much needed improvement to audio qualtiy and volume from other smart home devices, the 2nd Gen Nest Hub is compact enough to rest in the background, yet heaps powerful as a control centre, and has found a permanent abode on my nightstand. 

The Google Nest Hub (2nd Gen) retails for $109SGD at the time of publishing, and comes in Chalk and Charcoal on the Singapore Google Store.