Last Tuesday, at the opening keynote of its annual I/O developer conference, Google announced a rebranding of all its smart home products under the Nest moniker, for a clearer and more streamlined offering that includes both the original Nest devices and the Google Hub series (as of now, only the Home line of smart speakers seems to be excluded from the name change). 

Along with a renamed Nest Hub, which will now be available in more countries, Google introduced the Nest Hub Max. The new device looks just like the existing Hub, but has a bigger screen (10”, HD), a better camera and better sound. It’s still basically a tabletop computer that lets you control your house, make and receive cross-platform video-calls, interact with the Google Assistant and listen to music. To prevent the inevitable privacy backlash (it’s still basically a Google-owned camera we’re putting in our homes) the device sports a switch in the back that instantly shuts down the camera and the microphone. Nest Hub Max will be available in the UK later this summer with a £219 price tag.