Has Google forgotten about smart displays? The company unleashed a torrent of smart home news last week, including details about Gemini for Home, new Nest cams, and a new smart speaker, but no updated Nest Hub hardware.
The answer, as it turns out, is no, with Google’s Home and Nest boss assuring us that we haven’t seen the last of the Nest Hub. Beyond that, however, the details remain somewhat vague.
During last week’s briefings, Anish Kattukaran, the director of product management for Google Home and Nest, promised us that smart displays are still on Google’s radar.
“I think smart displays are going to be an awesome form factor for Gemini,” Kattukaran said, noting that the existing (and six-year-old) Nest Hub Max will “get an upgrade immediately” for Gemini, including the new conversational Gemini Live mode. The newer second-generation Nest Hub is also slated to get the Gemini update.
“We don’t have something to share right now about smart displays, but what I will say is we’re still deeply committed to that category and we will have more to share next year.”
Expanding on his comments for The Vergecast, Kattukaran said he remains “excited” about smart displays.
“It does present itself as an incredible form factor to interact with something like Gemini,” noted Kattukaran:
It’s got a screen…you can interact with it, you can visualize information, they’ve got cameras in them, so you’ve got that vision piece to it as well…for me, it feels like almost an ultimate form factor to be able to deliver a really great home experience. So that’s why we are going to continue to invest in that category. I think it’s going to be awesome.
OK, so when exactly can we expect new Google smart displays? Kattukaran stopped short of giving a specific timeline during the Vergecast interview, but added that “you should definitely expect that we’ll have news to share there soon.”
It’s been four years since Google released its last smart display, the second-generation Nest Hub Max, while the Nest Hub Max made its debut way back in 2019.
While both of those displays are getting Gemini updates (the original Nest Hub will also work with Gemini but won’t be getting Gemini Live support), many were disappointed that Google didn’t unveil any new Nest Hub devices during last week’s Gemini for Home announcements.
Google did announce a new smart speaker—the Google Home Speaker—but said the device won’t ship until spring 2026, while the new Gemini-ready Nest Cams are available now.
This story is party of TechHive’s in-depth coverage of the best smart speakers.
