We may receive a commission on purchases made from links.
While a smart display isn’t an essential part of a smart home ecosystem, it might be the device you’d miss the most if you didn’t have it. The Google Nest Hub is a display that has been on the market for years, with the latest version released in March 2021. The second-generation Nest Hub features a chic chassis in four colors, a three-mic array, a built-in speaker, and Matter compatibility. You can use it to stream music, watch YouTube, set timers and alarms, read a recipe while cooking, view footage from the best security cameras, and much more. But do we think it’s still worth buying in 2026? Not really, and that’s mainly because we think Google will unveil a new smart display sooner rather than later.
According to 9to5 Google, code found in a May 2026 Google Home app update appears to suggest that a Google Home Display is currently in the works. The Google Home Speaker rollout is also fast approaching, so we wouldn’t be surprised if the company wanted to upgrade its essential smart home devices. We’re willing to bet that Google wants a better, faster smart display for its Gemini AI companion to take advantage of. Gemini can run on Google’s existing Nest Hub line, but aging hardware and AI software aren’t the best solution. If the rumors about the Google Home Display are true, the Gemini Assistant will likely have a newer processor, and perhaps even additional RAM.
We’ll likely see new Google smart speakers and displays soon
If you really want a Google smart display to call yours – and you don’t want to wait for the Google Home Display to hit shelves – the Nest Hub (2nd generation) is available brand new at most retailers. Unfortunately, the $100 introductory price is still what you’ll pay now. The second-generation Hub goes on sale from time to time, but there’s no way of knowing when the price will drop or how big the discount will be. That said, some Reddit users were able to get great deals on the Nest Hub (2nd Gen) and Google Nest Hub Max by shopping on eBay.
Even though the latest version of the Nest Hub is over five years old, many people still enjoy using the device. Reddit is full of use case stories, with more than one user reporting that their Nest Hub (2nd gen) is still a great display for viewing digital photos. It’s also worth mentioning that Google hardware appears to have a long lifespan. Another Reddit user said he had six Nest Hub Max displays all running Gemini and everything worked fine.
On the one hand, it’s disappointing that we’ve had the same two Google smart displays on the market since 2021. But sometimes it all comes down to “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” and the Nest Hub (2nd Gen) and Nest Hub Max are proof that Google knows what it’s doing.
