Google Home Hub vs. Amazon Echo Show: Smart Display Showdown | News and opinions



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Voice assistants have come a long way in the last few years, from an often confused voice on your smartphone to smart touchscreen screens that can connect you to friends and information in a snap. ;eye.

The first Amazon Echo Show added an interactive screen to the voice assistant Alexa, and we were so impressed by this year's redesigned Echo Show program. We gave him the choice of publishers. The Google Assistant has seen progress with third-party smart displays, such as JBL Link View. Lenovo Smart Display, but we have not seen so far Google device with touch screen.

Enter the Google Home Hub, announced alongside the Pixel 3 and Pixel Slate. It has a 7-inch touch screen, a speaker and a set of microphones for you to use Google Assistant. The attempts of JBL and Lenovo in this area have been solid, but now it is Google's turn.

Let's see how these smart home screens compare. And while we're there, let's add Amazon Echo Spot, since its price is closer to the Hub than the Show and also deserved the editor's choice.

Google Assistant vs Amazon Alexa

Google Home devices use Google Assistant as a voice assistant, while Amazon devices use Alexa. Both have seen major improvements over the years, but they are also under development.

Google Assistant is much better than Alexa to analyze natural language. The voice assistant of Amazon is difficult in terms of syntax, even though it has improved with regular updates. The words of Google Assistant are not as confusing as those of Alexa. You can talk more naturally without having to worry about the correct wording of your order.

Alexa enjoys much stronger third-party support, with thousands of skills that can be activated to perform specific tasks, such as ordering a pizza or telling a story. You can also create your own simple Alexa skills easily with Alexa Blueprints.

Google Assistant is not as open as Alexa in external development. Alexa also supports more home-grown voice control devices than Google Assistant, though they both cover big names such as Philips Hue lamps and Nest Thermostats, and even get videos. live from security cameras and connected video bells.

Screen

For its size, the new Echo Show easily wins with its 10-inch touch screen. The Home Hub's 7-inch touchscreen is significantly smaller than that of the Echo Show, or even the screens of the 8-inch JBL Link View and the Lenovo Smart Displays (8 and 10 inches).

Google has not yet announced the Home Hub's screen resolution, but it has a resolution of 720p or a resolution close to that of the Echo's 1 280 x 800 screen Show, the smaller size could work to his advantage with a sharper picture. The Echo Spot, of course, comes last with its 2.5-inch screen and 480 x 480 resolution.

Sound

The Home Hub speaker is not very specific to Google, if it is that it is an "extended range speaker". This may sound right, but since the redesigned 2-inch, 10-watt Echo Show stereo drivers are incredibly powerful for all speakers in this price range (even with exceptionally extreme carving), it's unlikely the pilot unique from the Home Hub is almost as strong.

Google might surprise us, but as long as we have not tested Home Hub, the JBL Link View is comparable to Echo Show and offers a much better balance if you want a smart display of Google Assistant with quality sound. Again, the tiny Echo Spot is short and sounds like an Echo Dot Speaker or Google Home Mini; you can hear what he says, but it's not very impressive.

Media support

Neither the Home Hub nor the Echo Show are primarily designed for movies or TV shows, but they still serve as speakers for listening to music and supporting video.

This is where your broadcast service preferences come in. Echo Show can access Amazon Music and Amazon Video, while the local hub can access YouTube Music and YouTube for video. Amazon will soon add CBS and Hulu to Echo Show, and we'll have to see if the Home Hub can access third-party streaming services. Third-party music is a bit more flexible, with Spotify, iHeartRadio, and Pandora available on both devices. Echo Spot offers the same music services as Echo Show, but you can not watch a lot of videos on its small screen.

If you can not find an app or streaming service that you can use in the voice assistant of smart screens, you can send any sound from your phone or tablet to one or the other. Other devices via Bluetooth. The home hub also supports Google Cast for audio, but if it is implemented in the same way as on JBL Link View and Lenovo Smart Display, do not expect to be able to broadcast it from the video.

Cut

What's missing at Home Hub in screen size and (probably) in audio power is a slightly more practical form factor. It has a tilt-like screen design similar to the Echo Show, but measures 4.6 x 7 x 2.6 inches (HWD) and gives the Echo show 6.9 x 9.7 x 4.2 inches the air downright coarse. This extra 1.6-inch depth can make all the difference between a comfortable stand on your bedside table or counter, or a precarious perch. Echo Spot is an approximate 4-inch ball, but it is deeper than the Home Hub and its much smaller circular screen greatly limits it.

Price

It's quite simple and it gives the Home Hub a really attractive appearance. At only $ 150, it's $ 80 less than the Echo show. It's also only $ 20 more than the Echo Spot while offering a much larger screen. Currently, the Home Hub is the most affordable intelligent Google Assistant display. The 8-inch Lenovo Smart Display runs at $ 200 and the 10-inch Lenovo Smart Display and JBL Link View are priced at $ 250 each.

The verdict

We will not know if any of the devices are definitely better before testing and comparing the Google Home Hub with the Echo Show. It seems likely that Echo Show, larger and more powerful, will be a better option for large venues, as it can easily serve as the main speaker for streaming music, while the Home Hub, smaller and more affordable, could replace Echo Spot as a favorite bedside table. smart display and find a new home on counters and offices.

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