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Thankfully, with it being a Google Assistant-driven product, we’ve had success issuing commands to the Max at normal speaking volumes while it’s piping loudly. Both at quiet and loud volumes, it’s expertly tuned in such a way that the highs and lows in the mix never trip over each other. As we saw at Google’s October 2017 event, the Home Max can use a USB-C to Ethernet dongle to put together a more reliable wired connection. There’s also a trusty 3.5mm jack to satisfy those who have analog devices to hook up.
You'll want to use Chromecast over Wi-Fi, if possible, for the best audio quality, as the speaker doesn't list native support for AptX over Bluetooth. That said, not a lot of people can hear the difference between the default SBC codec and AptX, but if you're one of them, stick with Chromecast. Adjusting the volume is done using the touch-sensitive surface that runs lengthwise along the speaker's top panel—slide your finger left to lower or right to raise volume. These levels work in conjunction with your mobile device's master levels when you are connected via Bluetooth. The center of this panel, demarcated with a short straight line, is the play/pause button.
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Caret An icon of a block arrow pointing to the right. Profile An icon that resembles human head and shoulders. Telephone An icon of a traditional telephone receiver. Is Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes. Is Not Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes with a diagonal line through it. Pause Icon A two-lined pause icon for stopping interactions.
You can also assume, of course, that Google's own speakers will get new features first (that's what has happened with Alexa speakers). Unless the Link is compellingly better, audio-wise, the Max is a safer bet. Overall, the Google Home Max is one of the best smart speakers that you can buy if you're looking for quality audio. It faces tough competition from Sonos's lineup, but offers a quality audio experience nonetheless. However, the Home Max won't be worth your money if you're not fussy about sound experiences.
The Google Nest Hub Max is a great smart display
Speaking of which, I found that the microphones on the Google Home Max aren’t too good at picking up my voice when music was playing around 75% or above. I found myself borderline yelling “Okay Google” and sometimes, even then I would just have to walk over to it and physically lower the volume. When it comes to sound quality, the Max doesn't disappoint. Mark Spates, Google's product lead for smart speakers, says unlike Google's other smart home products the Max has been designed with music as a core use case.
And potentially Samsung’s upcoming Galaxy Homewhich is expected to retail for slightly less than Apple’s smart speaker. The premium smart speaker is available to buy from the official Google store or at selected John Lewis stores. When the mute switch is flicked the dots light up red until you turn the mics back on.
Meet the updated Google Home.
If you're just in the market for a smart speaker or speaker without any AI assistant, there are other options out there at a better price. As far as design is concerned, the Google Home Max looks great wherever you decide to put it. Taking a step back from the details in build materials, one of my favorite things about the speaker is its simple and minimal design. Besides the switch on the back , the Google Home Max is just one block of plastic. There aren’t any knobs or buttons to take away from the smooth design which makes sense since most of the functionality can be controlled with your voice. There is just one touch sensitive area on the side of the speaker that’s responsible for volume control or pausing/playing music, but that’s it.
This is a powerful sound that'll appeal to fans of deep bass, yet the speaker doesn't forsake the overall balance of the mix, as the highs are also well represented. While the Max is able to compete with the audio quality of smart speakers created specifically by audio companies, it outshines them when it comes to the use of voice tech. It probably shouldn't come as a surprise that the software Google created works the best on Google's own products. Anecdotally, the microphones pickup Google Assistant's wake-word more consistently and accurately than the hardware of competitors in the space. So let's say the built-in Google Assistant functionality is worth about $50 of the $400 price tag—that would mean the Home Max should sound as good as a $350 speaker, right? Compared with some of our favorite standard wireless speakers in this price range, like the Klipsch The Three and the JBL Boombox, the Home Max is most definitely a competitor.
Google Home Max is finally coming to the UK, but should you buy it?
If you want a top-end living room listening experience to replace a great hi-fi, then at £400 this isn’t quite there yet. Volume consistency between tracks on Spotify was also weak, with some tracks drastically louder than the previous. Dynamic range is great, but feeling like you have to jockey the volume between tracks isn’t. I also found thedirect, aggressive nature of the sound a little wearing over extended listening sessions compared to some more immersive rivals.
But this unit costs far less than those high-end tablets, and has much better-sounding speakers. There’s no huge bulge at the back, no hidden curves. The Google Nest Hub Max is easy to fit onto a kitchen work surface, which is one of the best places for this smart speaker. If you want a speaker to blast out music at a party or in the kitchen, the Home Max is brilliant.
Its smooth contour has rounded edges and a lovely cloth speaker grille that is so seamlessly installed, it looks like it and the surrounding matte plastic are one piece. The cloth has a slight sheen to it, and white LEDs glow behind its surface to display volume levels. An ambient light sensor adjusts the brightness of the LEDs.
We wouldn’t be too pleased with this screen if it were packed into a tablet, though. Resolution is 1280 x 800 pixels, which leaves fairly clear pixellation when you look up close. As we noted in our Google Home Max review, the Home’s larger sibling is an impressive piece of hardware and easily the most kitted-out Home device money can buy, but therein lies the rub. Rap tracks such as Dr Dre’s Still DRE, Forgot About Dre or The Next Episode sounded really aggressive and great. Jazz tracks such as Moanin’ by Art Blakey sounded warm and punchy, and it even did a fairly good job with Holst’s Jupiter performed by the London Philharmonic Orchestra.
Then I played back a recording of myself saying “Hey Google” and played it from a separate speaker at distance of 5, 10, 15, and 20 feet. Sure, this isn’t the most scientific test ever devised but it does highlight how at higher volumes the microphones on the speaker have a hard time picking up voices. Of course, it still features Google Assistant – the company’s virtual assistant, for voice control and other functions – which includes voice recognition of up to six users for access to personal playlists. Google has finally brought its much anticipated Home Max speaker to the UK.
You install Google Home on your phone, agree to a small army of terms and conditions screens, and you’re done. Swipe down from the top of the screen and you’ll see the shortcuts panel. Swipe from the bottom and the settings panel appeals. There’s not too much to do here, in terms of touchscreen interaction. The Google Nest Hub Max’s behavior in low light probably couldn’t, though.
Apple HomePod
From a purely audio-based standpoint, the Boombox is the winner in terms of volume and bass depth, while the Klipsch model delivers the most refined audio of the bunch. As far as smart speakers go, the top competitor for the Google Home Max right now is JBL's Link system, especially the Link 500 ($399.95), which we are in the process of reviewing. The Link system has four different speaker options, all with Google Assistant. The major functionality you lose is the ability to make phone calls, which Google's own speakers have but third-party models don't.
Google’s big, premium Apple HomePod rival the Home Max is finally being released in the UK today, bringing Google Assistant to the high-end smart speaker market. The Google Home Max is the first smart speaker we've seen with serious audio performance. It's not clear at first who the Google Home Max would be best suited to. If your space is in need of some more sound, there are plenty of speakers that could fit the bill. But Google’s latest creation is among the smartest around for the price and its clever design lifts it above the competition. 5 Check g.co/nest/matternow for availability of Matter functionality.
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