Google Nest Hub Max Review: A 10 Inch Smart Display That Doubles as a Thread and Matter Hub
Google Assistant on a big touchscreen with a built-in camera, Thread border router and Matter bridge duties included.
The Nest Hub Max is the large member of Google's smart display line: a 10 inch 1280 x 800 touchscreen with Google Assistant, a 120 degree camera for video calls and home monitoring, and dual-band Wi-Fi. Its smart home value goes beyond the screen, because it works as a Thread border router and a Matter bridge, which is what lets modern low-power accessories reach your network. It is firmly a Google device, though: Alexa, Apple HomeKit and SmartThings are all unsupported and Home Assistant integration is partial. There is a microphone off switch but no camera shutter.
- Google Home households
- Kitchen and living room displays
- Thread and Matter accessories
- Video calls and photo frames
Pros
- 10 inch colour touchscreen at 1280 x 800
- Works as a Thread border router and a Matter bridge
- Built-in camera with a 120 degree field of view
- Google Assistant built in
- Dual-band Wi-Fi (2.4 GHz and 5 GHz) plus Bluetooth
- Ambient light sensor for automatic brightness
- Physical microphone off switch
Cons
- Google only: no Alexa, Apple HomeKit or SmartThings
- Home Assistant support is partial
- No camera shutter or physical camera off switch
- Glass break and smoke or CO alarm detection require a subscription
- No Ethernet port and no Zigbee support
- No temperature, humidity or motion sensing
- No wall mount option and no physical volume or play/pause buttons
- One year warranty on an older model
Who is the Nest Hub Max for?
It suits a home already running on Google: the display becomes the control panel for lights, cameras and routines, and the assistant answers by voice. The 10 inch screen is big enough to be useful in a kitchen for recipes and video calls, and its ambient light sensor adjusts brightness so a photo frame mode does not glow at night. Because it includes a camera with a 120 degree field of view, it also works as a check-in camera for a room, which the smaller displays without cameras cannot do.
Why it matters in a smart home
Two hub capabilities are doing quiet work here. As a Thread border router it connects Thread accessories, the low-power mesh protocol used by many new sensors and locks, to your IP network. As a Matter bridge it helps bring devices into a Matter setup, which is the cross-industry standard the whole category is moving to. That makes the Hub Max more than a screen: it is the piece of infrastructure that lets modern accessories work at all, which is worth remembering when comparing it against a plain tablet.
What to know before you buy
Platform support is Google and nothing else: no Alexa, no Apple HomeKit, no SmartThings, and only partial Home Assistant compatibility. Two alert features, glass break detection and smoke or carbon monoxide alarm listening, are subscription gated. On hardware, there is a physical microphone off switch but no camera shutter, which matters for a camera pointed into a living space. There is no Ethernet port, no Zigbee support of any kind, and no temperature, humidity or motion sensing. It has no wall mount option and no physical volume or play/pause controls, so interaction is by touch or voice. Warranty is one year, and this is an older model, launched several years ago.
Is the Nest Hub Max worth it?
As a display it is squarely mid-priced, and the value depends on how much of the smart home it will actually run. If your accessories are Google, Thread or Matter based, the hub roles alone justify having one in the house, and the screen and camera are a bonus. If you are on Alexa or HomeKit, none of it applies. The missing camera shutter is the one specification worth weighing personally before putting it in a bedroom or a private room.
Frequently asked questions
Does the Nest Hub Max work with Alexa or Apple HomeKit?
No. Google Home is the only fully supported platform, and Home Assistant support is partial.
Can it act as a smart home hub?
Yes. It is a Thread border router and a Matter bridge, so Thread accessories and Matter devices can reach your network through it. It does not support Zigbee.
Does it have a camera cover?
No. There is a physical microphone off switch, but no camera shutter or hardware camera off switch.
How big is the screen?
10 inches, at 1280 x 800, with touch input and an ambient light sensor for automatic brightness.
Do the safety sound alerts cost extra?
Yes. Glass break detection and smoke or carbon monoxide alarm listening both require a subscription.
