Nest Hub Max is one of my favorite kitchen gadgets, and now it's $100 off during Best Buy Black Friday

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By Tshaka Armstrong
published

I have a lot of gadgets in the kitchen but this one I cannot do without

Google Nest Hub Max
(Image credit: Android Central)

I’ve tested a lot of toys in my kitchen, but the one I cannot do without is my Breville Smart Oven/Airfryer. Well, that’s for actual cooking, but the creature comfort gadget that is indispensable is my Nest Hub Max. And you would think that having been released in 2019 it’s getting a bit long in the tooth, but I tested it against the newer Google Pixel Tablet and for kitchen use, for me, it still came out on top!

At $100 off its normal price, this is a great buy for your kitchen!

Nest Hub Max Smart Display with Google Assistant:$229.99 $129.99 at Best Buy

Nest Hub Max Smart Display with Google Assistant: $229.99 $129.99 at Best Buy

One of my favorite kitchen gadgets, this touch screen 10" smart display is one of the best. In my home we use it to play music in the kitchen, view our Nest doorbell, control lighting and thermostats, and more. Knowing what I know, if I didn't already have one and it came up for $129.99, I'd definitely pick one up!

Price tracker: Target - $129.99 | Lowe's - $129.99

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Tshaka holding up a Pixel Tablet and Nest Hub Max

(Image credit: @tshakaarmstrong)

Right now, you can get the Nest Hub Max on sale for $100 off the normal price of $229.99 and at $129.99, I think this is one of those great Black Friday deals you shouldn’t pass up if you’ve had your eye on the Max. So, you may be wondering why I chose it over the newer Pixel Tablet? It can do the majority of what Google’s best tablet can do, except be mobile enough for you to walk around with it, or stuff it in a backpack. And it can do some things the Pixel Tablet doesn’t do so well. Since it has an always active 10” display and camera, it greets me every morning by recognizing my face when I enter the kitchen. It shows me my favorite photos, the weather conditions, and a few other customizable interface items, like reminders, which are helpful to begin my day. 

Additionally, when someone rings my Nest doorbell, the display automatically shows me that camera so I can see who’s at the door, without having to wake or unlock the device like the Pixel Tablet.

Nest Hub Max screen

(Image credit: Chris Wedel/Android Central)

I can also control connected home products right from the Max, like my living room lights and my Nest thermostat. Another feature the tablet didn’t have is Nest Cam. I can look in on my kitchen when I’m away, through the Google Home app and even get alerts if there’s movement in my kitchen, though that requires a $6 subscription. I know some folks use it for making video calls, my wife and I rarely use it for that purpose but it’s good to know it’s there if we ever want to.

I think the most important feature we use it for in our kitchen is music control and playback. We’re a family that likes to listen to music while we clean the kitchen or prepare a meal and along with the Nest Audio speaker set I have it connected to, the sound is brilliant. Now, to be clear, it was great before I bought the speakers. It’s stereo speakers and 3” woofer output more than enough sound for the size of our kitchen since we haven’t purchased our mansion yet. But connected to the stereo pair of Nest Audio speakers, it is a wonderful kitchen entertainment system. Like I said earlier, if you’ve had your eye on one, this is a great time to scoop it up!

Tshaka Armstrong
Tshaka Armstrong
Contributor

Tshaka Armstrong is a nerd. Co-Founder of the non-profit digital literacy organization, Digital Shepherds, he’s also been a broadcast technology reporter, writer and producer. In addition to being an award-winning broadcast storyteller, he’s also covered tech online and in print for everything from paintball gear technology, to parenting gadgets, and film industry tech for Rotten Tomatoes. In addition to writing for Android Central, he’s a video contributor for Android Central and posts everything else to his own YouTube channel and socials. He blathers on about his many curiosities on social media everywhere as @tshakaarmstrong.

1 Comment Comment from the forums
  • hollywoodcrypto
    One man's treasure is another man's trash. I honestly have no idea how the Nest Hub Max can be anyone's "favorite kitchen gadget" much less a tech writer.

    The Nest Hub Max is one of the worst tech devices I've ever owned. It's so incredibly underpowered, it's not ready for anything beyond about the year 2015. It's glitchy, incredibly slow responses a la devices from 2015, it's OS is wildly different and counterintuitive to any other version of Android OS on phones or tablets or even smart TVs. It is an abysmal, backwards, outdated, glitchy, slow, heaping pile of dumb tech garbage. And that's coming from a guy who has owned every Google device since 2012 with a fully integrated smart Google home household. Google has fallen so far behind, I'll never buy another Google product again. I've had several hundred dollars of Google Store credit for a couple years, and I can't find a single decent device to even spend it on for free. Patiently waiting for Google's throne to be vacated and occupied by a significantly more nimble and innovative tech company.

    I strongly recommend no one buy this device. There are 8 years of better products to choose from, and from much more promising companies. Don't buy this brick.
    Reply