Is The Google Nest Hub Still Worth Buying In 2026?

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While a smart display isn't an essential part of a smart home ecosystem, it might be the one device you'd miss the most if you didn't have it. The Google Nest Hub is a display that's been on the market for years, with the latest version released in March 2021. The second-generation Nest Hub offers a chic chassis in four colors, a triple-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 more. But do we think it's still worth buying in 2026? Not really, and that's mainly because we think Google will be unveiling a new smart display sooner rather than later.

According to 9to5 Google, code found in a Google Home app update from May 2026 seems to suggest that a Google Home Display is currently in the works. The rollout of the Google Home Speaker is just around the corner, too, so we wouldn't be surprised if the company wanted to modernize 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 lineup, but aging hardware and AI software aren't the greatest match. If the rumors are true about the Google Home Display, the Gemini assistant will likely have a newer processor to take advantage of, and maybe even additional RAM.

If you really want a Google smart display to call your own — and don't feel like waiting for the Google Home Display to hit shelves — the Nest Hub (2nd Gen) is available brand-new from most retailers. Unfortunately, the $100 launch price is still what you'll pay now. The second-gen Hub does go on sale occasionally, but there's no way to tell when the price will drop or how big the discount will be. That said, some Reddit users were able to get great deals on both 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 love using the device. Reddit is packed with use-case stories, with more than one user reporting that their Nest Hub (2nd Gen) is still a great screen for displaying digital photos. It's also worth mentioning that Google hardware seems to have a long shelf life. Another Reddit user said they have six Nest Hub Max displays that all run Gemini, and everything works 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 boils down to "if it's not broken, don't fix it," and the Nest Hub (2nd Gen) and Nest Hub Max are proof that Google knows what it's doing.