Google’s smart screen is the device your smart home has been crying out for

Google's smart screen is rough around the edges but still a fine smart display for your home

Great value; Control smart devices on screen; Shows Google Photos;

Low-resolution display; Average sound quality;

Overall, with the new multi-account feature becoming available, the sensitivity of the microphones, the cleverness of the Google brain and the accuracy of the voice recognition, this is a device which can only get better and better.

The Google Home Hub is a big idea in a compact package. Bucking the trend of larger and larger smart displays, this latest container for the varied talents of the Google Assistant occupies a smaller footprint than most of its rivals demand.

Cute style makes for a less-threatening smart display; Google Assistant is as capable as ever; Smart home controls are easily laid-out and convenient; Aggressively priced; No camera should please privacy fans

Speaker isn't the best for music playback; Absence of a camera may frustrate some

If you've got compatible smart home products installed, the Google Home Hub is totally worth its cover price – and absent of any unwanted video calls/privacy issues. But if you're already invested in Amazon then it might not make sense for you. Otherwise it's the perfect addition to any smart home.

Great design and display; Fantastic smart home control; Adequate sound quality; Excellent as a digital photo display; YouTube integration; Excellent price

No Zigbee support built-in; Google Home app could be a little more intuitive

Google finally announced the intelligent smart speaker Google Home, which features Google's own AI Assistant. The smart speaker is head-on with rivals from the industry, namely the old player Alexa-assisted Echo from Amazon and the recently announced Siri-assisted HomePod by Apple.

The speaker might be small – it's a shade over 14cm tall – but it can be a big help every day. Think of it like a friend that knows everything that's constantly on call. You can ask questions, get it do things, play your music, keep you up-to-date and get you ready for your day.

Easy to set up; affordable; decent audio quality; amazing source of information; gets better the more you use it

Took a while to link smart devices

At £129, Google Home is a more personalisable connected speaker than those from its leading rivals; Swapping out the ability to buy stuff online using your voice for a better understanding of general queries out the box.

Great microphone performance; Customisable design; Expansive skill set; Effortless setup; Unobtrusive

Our Google Nest Hub review cuts through the jargon to reveal whether this smart speaker is worth buying

Great display; Nice design; Richer smart speaker experience; Particularly good for owners of other Nest tech; Easy to use and responsive

No camera for video calls; Sound quality is not the best

Powerful, flexible and brilliantly using the screen to deliver more results, the Google Home Hub pulls in the full power of Google's services, but this isn't the best display for video and music.

Easy to converse with; Touchscreen displays extra information; Dedicated smart home controls; Integrated YouTube;

Doesn't like G Suite accounts; Can't play Netflix; No webcam;