Amazon’s Echo Show has been sort of the undisputed king in terms of sales volume in the smart home video hub space. Until fairly recently, Google didn’t have a proper offering the Google Home Hub was too small to be competitive. But the Nest Hub Max changes the playing field entirely but deciding between platforms can be difficult so, I am here to help.
So, to make it fair we are only going to be comparing these devices if we tried to compare functionality we would ultimately award Google the win as its leagues ahead of Alexa in terms of understanding natural language.
We will be comparing these devices based on their screen, camera, sound, video and calling as a bonus (even though the vast majority won’t be using it for that). Also, these devices are effectively the same price so i wouldn’t get too caught up in that detail.
Sound Quality
I am not an audiophile but my girlfriend is an audio engineer who said the sound was much better on the Nest Hub Max compared to the Amazon Echo Show. Now, for my own opinion I agree I notice the difference more in the bass where bass heavy songs sound flat on the Amazon Echo Show. This, likely comes down to how the devices are built, these two both have a very different speaker config.
Amazon Echo Show: This device comes with 2 10W 2-inch neodymium drivers.
Nest Hub Max: This device comes with 2 10W tweeters and a 30W subwoofer. The bass doesn’t disappoint on this device and it is louder than the Amazon Echo Show was at comparable volumes.
Between the two the Amazon Echo Show sounds flat and basic, whereas the Nest Hub Max genuinely sounds better even to my untrained ear so I will give this win to the Nest Hub Max.
Screen
Both of these screens have the same resolution 1280 x 800 and the screen size is nearly identical with the Amazon Echo Show being .1 inches larger. It’s honestly such an insignificant difference you can call it 10 inches. I am going to ignore the fact that watching certain types of media (YouTube) is a bit difficult on the Echo Show but it is something to keep in mind.
What really makes these devices difference is the Google Nest Hub Max has Ambient EQ Technology. Which basically just makes the screen and its images look more life-like. This is a really good display, it really does a great job as being a digital picture frame and bringing out the most realistic feel from your images. It has some other clever features such as adjusting screen brightness that way if you’re in a dark room or it’s night time it won’t burn your retinas (joking).
Camera
This can be summed up quite frankly as the Nest Hub Max comes with the far superior camera. The Amazon Echo Show comes with a 5mp camera which is fine, but it doesn’t compare to the Nest Hub Max. The Nest Hub Max has a 6.5mp camera with a 127-degree field of view with auto-framing and face-match technology. The face match technology is honestly amazing when I walk up to the device it lists my calendar, to-do list and more and when my girlfriend does the same it shows her specific items to her.
When you video call (which probably isn’t a frequently used feature) it’s quite good I tested it and it will follow you to keep you in-focus. So if you’re in your kitchen and walk to the refrigerator to get a drink you won’t be out of focus which keeps the call looking great.
The camera can also act as a live feed (effectively just like a nest camera) which adds a layer of security to your home. You also get a 30-day trial to Nest Aware (their live camera feed service) which I only recommend purchasing if you have a Nest Camera System. The camera on the Amazon Echo Show can effectively do none of that and it’s more of an afterthought and honestly was probably added to just look good on the spec sheet.
Calling
The final category is calling which I don’t actually use outside of the test and they both work fine you’re really going to be debating compatibility vs video quality. The Amazon Echo Show supports calling to anyone who has the Alexa app, Skype, an Echo Spot, or Echo Show. Nest Hub Max, on the other hand, let you connect through Google Duo. Duo works with Android phones, iPhones, and Chrome browsers. Personally I found the video quality aspects of the Google Nest Hub Max to be more valuable to me instead of Skype Integration (but it was close, Duo isn’t widely used). I am going to say that the Nest Hub Max comes out on top.
Closing Thoughts
The Nest Hub Max wins overall it excels in all the categories that it should. I am very much a believer that Alexa’s ecosystem is as wide as the ocean but it isn’t deep enough for you to drown in it, and I would suggest the Nest Hub Max.
