AI Life / Assistants / Smart Displays
The Nest Hub (2nd gen) is Google’s small smart display. It has a 7 inch touchscreen, no camera, and a Soli radar chip that can track sleep from your nightstand without a wearable. It now runs Gemini for Home. It is still one of the few displays you can put in a bedroom without a lens pointed at the bed.
I have not owned the Google Nest Hub (2nd gen). This review is built from the maker’s published specs and independent reviews, linked below. For more picks, see the Smart Displays hub .
How to use it: setup, how the AI works and what it works with, in How to use Google Nest Hub (2nd gen) .
Key specs
| Google Nest Hub (2nd gen) | |
|---|---|
| Screen | 7 inch touchscreen |
| Camera | None |
| Sensing | Soli radar for gestures and opt-in Sleep Sensing |
| Assistant | Gemini for Home |
| Smart home | Thread and Matter support |
| Sleep Sensing | Breathing, sleep and wake, snoring and coughing for the nearest sleeper |
| Sleep Sensing status | Preview; not available in every country or language |
Sources: Google Store specs , Google Sleep Sensing help , Google Research , The Verge on Gemini for Home , Android Authority .
What reviewers like
- No camera. A display for the bedroom or a kid’s room that cannot see anyone.
- Sleep Sensing without a wearable. Google Research reports 87 percent epoch-level sleep and wake accuracy in healthy sleepers.
- It runs the same Gemini for Home as Google’s new speaker, per The Verge.
What to watch for
- Sleep Sensing tracks one person, the one nearest the display. Couples will not get two reports.
- It is old hardware. Gemini responses can be slow, as reviewers found across Google’s speakers.
- The speaker is fine for a bedside alarm and podcasts, not for music.
Who should buy it
Buy it for a nightstand or a kitchen counter if you use Google Home and want a screen without a camera. It is a strong pick if you are curious about sleep tracking but will not wear a ring or a watch to bed. Skip it if you want video calls, which need a camera, or a big screen for recipes.
How Sleep Sensing works
Soli is a low-power radar. It notices motion and breathing for the person closest to the display, then shows sleep and wake times, disturbances, snoring and coughing in the morning, per Google’s help page. It is opt-in and uses no camera or wearable. Placement matters: Google walks you through calibration, and the display needs to sit near the bed at roughly mattress height. Google still labels it a preview, so treat the numbers as a trend, not a medical reading.
Gemini on a display
The Verge found Gemini for Home behaved about the same on the Nest Hub (2nd gen) as on the new Google Home Speaker. That means a smarter, more conversational assistant than Google Assistant, and also the same slow moments. Some features need Google Home Premium.
Why it pairs well with Nest gear
If you have a Nest Doorbell or Nest cameras, the Hub can show who is at the door on screen. Nest thermostats can be adjusted from it. That is the main reason a Google household picks it over a non-Google display.
Alternatives
- Echo Show 8 or Show 11. Bigger screens and Alexa+, but cameras are built in.
- Skylight Calendar 2. If the screen is for a family schedule rather than an assistant.
- Google Home Speaker. No screen, better sound, same assistant.
Quick answers
Does the Nest Hub have a camera? No. The 2nd gen Nest Hub has no camera, which is why many people put it in a bedroom. The Nest Hub Max had one.
Can it track sleep? Yes. Its Soli radar sensor can track sleep and breathing without a wearable. Check current Google terms for which sleep features are free.
Is it still worth buying? It still works well as a kitchen or bedside screen for timers, photos and smart home controls. Google has moved its speaker line to the Google Home Speaker, so check Google’s support plans for the Hub before you buy it as a long-term hub.
Is the Google Nest Hub (2nd gen) on sale for Black Friday?
It is one of the products I am watching this season. I do not list sale prices here because they change by the hour and differ by color, bundle and store. Compare against the price you see in the weeks before the sale, and check whether a bundle adds things you will not use.
Our take
AI Score note: research-based, not hands-on. Still the best camera-free bedside display, held back by aging hardware and an assistant in flux. This is my editorial read of published reviews, not a rating.
Check today’s price before you buy: See the Google Nest Hub (2nd gen) on Amazon .
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