Google Nest Hub (1st Gen) 7": problems, parts and running costs

Checked: 2026-10-15

Summary

Google has discontinued the line, and its own updates have bricked many of these units — a July 2023 update froze devices at 99% “Updating” and 1st-gen grey-screen deaths continued into 2025. Running costs are close to nothing: no subscription is required and there are no parts to buy. It is a defensible buy only at about $50 or less, used or new-old-stock.

Common problems and fixes

Bricking by OTA updates — a July 2023 overnight update left many Nest Hub and Hub Max units stuck at 99% “Updating”; voice still worked but the screen never recovered, and factory resets frequently did not fix it. 2025 Reddit threads report 1st-gen units dying at the grey loading screen. Google’s own community staff published a Recovery Mode procedure for 1st-gen grey-screen issues in February 2023, confirming a systemic problem. No failure rate is published and no repair channel exists — treat a bricked unit as a total loss; the 1-year limited warranty expired years ago for any used unit. [1][2][3]
Update loops after factory reset or Wi-Fi change — a March 2024 community thread documents a 1st-gen (H1A) looping from “Updating” to the grey G screen; power-cycling for 30 minutes or 24 hours, different routers and 24-hour waits all failed for that owner. No documented fix. [4]
Weak, bass-less audio — the single full-range driver (a 1.57 in / 40 mm unit) produced essentially no bass in PCMag’s lab listening, and Digital Trends called the sound lacking sonic range and volume. Fine for an alarm clock or kitchen radio; for music this is a hardware limit, not a fault. [5][6]
Camera live feeds broke after firmware updates — live-camera video became unavailable on the Nest Hub after 2025 firmware updates; a community thread was still active in March 2026 with no fix. [8]
Wi-Fi 6 and band-steering conflicts — Digital Trends’ troubleshooting guide says the Hub does not always play well with Wi-Fi 6 routers and that band steering can confuse it; follow that guide’s router settings steps. [9]

Parts and consumables

No replaceable parts or consumables reported. The device is sealed (fabric-wrapped base), Google sells no parts, and iFixit’s forum shows owners unable to find replacement LCD panels. There is no battery — it runs on the included 15 W adapter — and no scheduled consumables exist. If the unit dies, the fix is replacement, not repair.

Yearly running cost

Close to $0 a year: a Google account is free, and basic Assistant, YouTube, Photos and smart-home features need no subscription. The only optional spend is a Nest Aware or Home Premium subscription for some features. The wired 15 W adapter adds marginal electricity with no published kWh figure. There are no consumables and no repair budget to plan for — if the unit bricks, the cost is a replacement device.

When it is a good buy

Google sold it new at $149 at launch (October 2018), cut it to $129 after the May 2019 rebrand, $89.99 by May 2020 and $89 by 2022; PCMag’s page shows a $149–$174 Walmart price for the discontinued unit — a legacy tax, not a feature price.

$40–$50 or less (used or new-old-stock): defensible as a bedside Assistant, alarm clock and photo frame for someone already in the Google ecosystem who accepts the bricking risk.
$51–$79: hard to justify next to a used 2nd-generation Hub with current support.
$89 or more: no rational case — you would pay Google’s own new-unit price for an unsupported, unrepairable device with a known remote-brick failure mode.
$149 or more: paying launch pricing for a product Google no longer sells.

Alternatives:

Used Nest Hub (2nd gen, 2021) — adds Soli radar, Thread, a third microphone and Sleep Sensing with current support; the better choice from about $51 up.
Any currently sold smart display — at $89 or above, buy hardware the maker actually supports.