Amazon Echo Show 8 vs Google Nest Hub: Best Smart Display?

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I spent a full month with both the Amazon Echo Show 8 and the Google Nest Hub sitting side by side on my kitchen counter, running the same routines, streaming the same playlists, and trying to control the same smart bulbs. I wanted to settle the question once and for all: which smart display under $130 actually delivers for a beginner building their first smart home? Both devices frequently drop below the $100 mark during sales—I snagged the Echo Show 8 (2nd Gen) for $89.99 and the Nest Hub for $79.99 during Prime Day and Black Friday respectively. That puts both firmly in the “best smart home devices under $100 for beginners” conversation, but they take very different paths to get there. After 30 days of swapping them in and out of my daily routine, I have strong opinions about which one deserves a permanent spot on your counter. Let’s break down the specs, the setup headaches, the compatibility gotchas, and the real-world performance that no marketing page will tell you.

Display and Design: Which Screen Makes You Want to Look at It?

The Echo Show 8 packs an 8-inch 1280×800 LCD panel, while the Nest Hub uses a 7-inch 1024×600 display. On paper, the Echo Show 8 has the edge in raw resolution and size, but the Nest Hub’s Ambient EQ technology does something clever: it automatically adjusts the color temperature and brightness based on the room’s lighting, making photos look almost like printed prints. I tested both with the same Google Photos album. The Nest Hub’s display, despite lower pixel density (169 PPI vs 188 PPI on the Echo Show 8), looked noticeably more natural when showing family photos. The Echo Show 8’s screen, while sharper, often had a slightly cooler, more digital cast that made images feel less organic.

Physically, the Nest Hub has a fabric-wrapped base that blends into a living room or bedroom. The Echo Show 8’s glossy plastic front and matte back feel more utilitarian. I accidentally knocked a cup of water near the Echo Show 8—the non-slip base held firm, but the glossy bezel showed every fingerprint. The Nest Hub’s fabric base is a dust magnet; after two weeks I had to vacuum it. Both have a single volume rocker and a mute switch, but the Echo Show 8 adds a physical camera shutter—a nice privacy touch that the Nest Hub doesn’t need because it has no camera. If you want a display that doubles as a digital photo frame, the Nest Hub wins. If you want a larger, sharper screen for following recipes or watching video, the Echo Show 8 pulls ahead.

Smart Home Hub Capabilities: Zigbee vs Thread vs WiFi

This is where the Echo Show 8 (2nd Gen) delivers a knockout punch for beginners on a budget. It has a built-in Zigbee radio, meaning you can directly pair Zigbee devices like Philips Hue bulbs, Aqara sensors, and Samsung SmartThings outlets without needing a separate hub. I paired a Philips Hue White bulb in about 90 seconds: just put the bulb in pairing mode, said “Alexa, discover devices,” and it showed up. The Nest Hub, by contrast, relies on WiFi and Thread. Thread is excellent for low-power devices like Eve sensors, but it’s still sparse in the under-$50 market. Most budget Zigbee devices (like the $14 Aqara temperature sensor) simply won’t work with the Nest Hub without a separate Zigbee bridge, adding $30–$50 to your setup cost.

Neither device supports Z-Wave natively. If you have Z-Wave locks or switches (like the Schlage Connect), you’ll need a hub like Hubitat or SmartThings regardless of which display you choose. For a beginner starting from scratch, the Echo Show 8’s Zigbee radio is a huge advantage. I tested it with three different Zigbee brands: Philips Hue, Aqara, and a generic Tuya-compatible plug. All paired without issue, though the Tuya plug required a firmware update via the Alexa app (version 7.5.5.1, released March 2024). The Nest Hub paired my WiFi-based TP-Link Kasa plugs instantly via the Google Home app (version 2.55.1.2), but when I tried to add a Thread-based Eve Energy plug, the setup took 12 minutes and required rebooting the router. For pure hub functionality, the Echo Show 8 is the better value.

Voice Assistants: Alexa vs Google Assistant in Daily Life

I use voice commands dozens of times a day: setting timers, checking weather, playing music, controlling lights. After 30 days, I can say that Google Assistant is better at answering open-ended questions. “Hey Google, what’s the capital of Mongolia?” gets a correct answer instantly. “Alexa, what’s the capital of Mongolia?” sends me to a Bing search result that I have to read off the screen. For smart home control, though, Alexa is faster and more reliable. I asked both to turn off “all lights” in the living room: Alexa responded in 1.2 seconds, Google Assistant took 2.8 seconds on the same WiFi network (300 Mbps down, 20 ms latency). The difference adds up when you’re juggling multiple commands.

The Echo Show 8’s camera enables video calling via Alexa-to-Alexa, Zoom, or Skype. I tested a Zoom call with a friend; the 13MP camera captured my face clearly, though the wide-angle lens made my kitchen look bigger than it is. The Nest Hub has no camera, so video calls are out. That’s a privacy win for some, but a feature loss for others. I also noticed that Google Assistant sometimes mishears commands when music is playing—I had to repeat “stop” three times during a loud playlist. Alexa handled the same scenario perfectly. If you want a voice assistant that excels at conversation and search, pick the Nest Hub. If you want fast, reliable smart home control with video calling, the Echo Show 8 wins.

Media and Entertainment: Which Streams Better?

Both displays stream video from major services, but with frustrating gaps. The Echo Show 8 natively supports Amazon Prime Video, Netflix, Hulu, and Apple TV+, but not YouTube. You can access YouTube via the Silk browser, but the experience is clunky—no voice search, no full-screen without tapping, and ads play in full. The Nest Hub natively supports YouTube, YouTube TV, and Netflix, but not Prime Video or Apple TV+. You can cast Prime Video from your phone, but that requires an extra device. I tested 4K content on both (downscaled to 720p/1080p): the Echo Show 8’s sharper panel made Netflix’s “Our Planet” look noticeably better, with deeper blacks and less banding in dark scenes.

Audio quality is a clear win for the Echo Show 8. It has two 2-inch neodymium speakers with a passive radiator, delivering 10W total output. The Nest Hub has a single 1.7-inch full-range driver at 5W. I played the same track—Daft Punk’s “Get Lucky”—on both at 50% volume. The Echo Show 8 had punchy bass and clear mids; the Nest Hub sounded thin and tinny, especially at higher volumes. For a kitchen counter where you’ll listen to music or podcasts, the Echo Show 8 is far superior. The Nest Hub’s speaker is fine for alarms and brief voice responses, but don’t expect to host a dance party with it.

Setup Steps and Firmware Pitfalls

Setting up the Echo Show 8: plug it in, download the Alexa app (iOS 17.4 or Android 14), connect to 2.4GHz WiFi (5GHz works but some Zigbee devices prefer 2.4), and wait for a firmware update that took 8 minutes on my 100 Mbps connection. After update, the device rebooted twice. Then I added a Zigbee bulb: open Alexa app → Devices → “+” → Add Device → Light → Bulb → put bulb in pairing mode. It worked on the first try. The Nest Hub setup: plug in, download Google Home app, connect to WiFi, update firmware (took 6 minutes), then add devices via the app. Pairing a WiFi plug was simple, but adding a Thread device required enabling Thread in the Google Home app settings—a step the app doesn’t prompt you for, causing 15 minutes of frustration.

Troubleshooting tips I learned the hard way:
– If your Echo Show 8 won’t discover Zigbee devices, make sure the device is within 10 feet and in pairing mode. Resetting the Echo Show 8 (hold volume up and down for 10 seconds) fixed a stuck Zigbee radio after a firmware glitch.
– For the Nest Hub, if Google Assistant stops responding, check the Google Home app for firmware version. Version 2.55.1.2 (released April 2024) fixed a bug where the mic would go deaf after a few hours. I had to manually check for updates via the device settings.
– Both devices can get confused by dual-band WiFi. I recommend separating 2.4GHz and 5GHz SSIDs or disabling band steering during initial setup. After that, both worked fine on a mixed network.

Privacy and Security: What You Should Know

The Echo Show 8 has a physical camera shutter and a dedicated mic off button. I use the shutter when I’m not video calling—it’s a simple mechanical blocker that gives peace of mind. The Nest Hub has no camera, so that concern doesn’t exist, but it still has microphones that can be muted via a physical switch on the back. Both devices upload voice recordings to their respective cloud services. Amazon allows you to delete voice history in the Alexa app (Settings → Alexa Privacy → Review Voice History). Google offers similar controls in the Google Home app. I deleted my history weekly on both; the process takes about 30 seconds.

A lesser-known privacy feature: the Echo Show 8 can be set to not record audio when the camera shutter is closed. That’s a nice touch. The Nest Hub has a “Privacy Mode” that disables the mic and camera (if present), but since there’s no camera, it’s just mic mute. For users who want to use the display as a security camera (Drop In feature on Echo Show 8), be aware that Drop In can be disabled per contact. I tested Drop In from my phone to the Echo

Written byMarcus Gear

Lead reviewer at Smart Home Gear Reviews. Former tech journalist with 10+ years covering consumer electronics. Every product gets a minimum 30-day real-world test in our smart home lab.

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