Google may have revealed the Nest Hub Max release date, and it's... still distant
Google's smart speaker and smart display lineup grew larger and, unfortunately, more confusing back in May with the introduction of a $229 Nest Hub Max and the rebranding of the Home Hub as the Google Nest Hub. But what's arguably much worse than having a convoluted product portfolio where the Google Home, Home Max, and Home Mini are sticking with their original names is having an incomplete portfolio incapable of challenging the Amazon Echo family in every segment of this fledgling market.
That's because the Google Nest Hub Max is not actually available yet and it might not go up for sale very soon. Specifically, it seems September 9 is the release date currently targeted by the search giant in Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States, at least according to an official mention on a Google Support webpage that disappeared shortly after being discovered by the folks over at Droid-Life.
As the Nest Hub Max is vaguely listed as "coming soon" once again, we can't be 100 percent certain of the date's accuracy. But either Google made a mistake or prematurely revealed the real launch date of this highly anticipated voice-controlled device with a 10-inch touchscreen. We believe the latter theory is far more plausible, but only time can tell exactly what happened here.
While the Google Nest Hub Max looks like a solid contender for the second-gen Echo Show right now, there's a good chance Amazon will upgrade its "smart display" again by the end of the year. Compared to the "regular" Nest Hub, the Max variant is not just larger, but louder too, with a 3-inch woofer and a powerful stereo speaker system. You also get a 6.5MP camera this time around, equipped with a 127-degree wide field of view and Face Match technology.
Otherwise, this thing seems rather familiar, leveraging the immense Google Assistant potential to lend a hand around the house with everything from cooking to music and video streaming, organizing your day, and controlling smart home accessories.
Things that are NOT allowed: