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Here’s why that’s a good thing. But while other manufacturers are adding bells and whistles like large, 10-inch crystal clear displays, built in smart home hubs, roving cameras, and stellar sound, Google surprisingly has kept it simple with its Home Hub. Don’t get me wrong: Under the hood, the Home Hub is impressive. But as far as I can tell, video chatting is still the exception to the norm, meaning that most regular folks are still making regular voice-on-voice phone calls. The rollout was first spied by Android Police and has since been confirmed by Google (via Engadget). Open the Google Home app. It’s a departure from the trend, as pretty much every smart display on the market has one. It comes with six months of YouTube Premium for free, a clear swipe at Amazon (Echo Show users can’t access YouTube due to an ongoing feud with the Google-owned company). But unlike the models from Lenovo, JBL and LG, the Nest Hub doesn't have a camera, so the video call's recipient won't be able to see you. A smart home dashboard called “Home View” means that Hub users can swipe down on the touchscreen to access every smart home gadget, such as lights, locks, plugs, thermostats, cameras, and speakers. That makes it more versatile, and that makes me feel better about having the device in my home. Bucking the smart display trend, Google's new $149 Home Hub smart display surprisingly doesn't have a camera. I have many friends who flat out refuse to buy any kind of smart speaker. Furthermore, not enough people have smart displays to make a camera on the devices an absolute necessity. The biggest argument I’ve heard in favor of putting a camera in a smart display is that it allows you to make video calls, which can be genuinely useful. The camera-less, smaller Google Home Hub eliminates this concern and will make people more comfortable using it in any room in the house. They’re even more dismayed to learn that I have one with a screen. This is how we make money. baby monitors and security cameras being hacked, 50 percent of smart speaker users are worried about privacy, Alexa recorded a home conversation and then sent it to a contact, Google Nest Hub review: A refreshing take on the smart display, Amazon Echo Show 5 review: Not just a smart alarm clock, The best Google Home tips, tricks, and Easter eggs, Best cheap Amazon Echo deals for February 2021. Upgrade your lifestyleDigital Trends helps readers keep tabs on the fast-paced world of tech with all the latest news, fun product reviews, insightful editorials, and one-of-a-kind sneak peeks.Digital Trends may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site. I’m sure others will feel that way, too. Given everything that you can do with your Google Home(s) and/or Google Nest Hub(s), it’s easy to forget some of the simple tasks it can handle. No incredible sound like the JBL Link View. There are ambient light and color sensors near the display, and the Home Hub weighs 480g. Perhaps in the future things will change when enough people have smart screened speakers to make video calls with smart speakers easy. Even though dogs can hear it, it’s more akin the noise emitted by household appliances like a fridge, the site was told. One notable incident involved a Portland, Oregon, couple, who discovered that Alexa recorded a home conversation and then sent it to a contact without their permission. Google chose to replace the camera with something else: Centered above its screen, the Home Hub features an RGB sensor, capable of measuring up to … The main thing it lacks is a camera, oddly enough. The new Google Home Hub sports a 7-inch touchscreen, a fabric-encased full-range speaker, a light sensor and two far-field microphones. Google has just rolled out a new feature that uses high-frequency audio to find your approximate position in relation to the smart display. You can answer your Nest Hello video doorbell straight from the device. But for now, I think the Google Home Hub is perfectly fine and much more reassuring without one. You understand what I’m saying. Even Facebook is in the game with the Portal and Portal+, two smart displays you can use to talk to your friends on the social media platform. While the feature is also landing on the Nest Hub Max, it doesn’t rely on that device’s camera to power it, it’s 100% powered by the ultrasound. By choosing to omit a front-facing camera on the Home Hub, Google is signaling that it’s safe enough and private enough to … Not having a camera in a smart display is a good thing, and here’s why. 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