The device is codenamed "Quartz", and it'll support YouTube, Google Maps, web browsing, and much more.
With the Pixel 2's unveiling on October 4, we also got to feast our eyes upon the Google Home Mini and Home Max The Mini and Max look like two solid entries in the Home series, and while they each target new demographics previously unreachable by the regular Google Home, there's still something missing – none of them have a display.
Can you guess what's missing?
Although Amazon's Echo Show isn't perfect, it's built-in display does allow for certain functionality you just can't get on a smart speaker without a screen. Android Police recently conducted a teardown of v7.14.15 of the Google app, and while doing so, they discovered references to a device codenamed "Quartz." Quartz is expected to be a Google Home that features a display like the Echo Show, and thanks to the Google app teardown, we have an idea of certain features we can expect from the gadget.
First off, and perhaps most importantly, you'll be able to use Quartz to watch YouTube videos. This is a feature that was removed from the Echo Show in late September, and based on what we know so far, Google's implementation of YouTube on Quartz will be better than what Amazon ever had (not like that's much of a surprise).
When watching a YouTube video on Quartz, you'll reportedly be able to see how many views and likes a video has, read through comments, and check who uploaded the clip. Additionally, you'll have access to on-screen controls that can be used for pausing/resuming a video, skipping to the next one in a playlist, or going back to a previous video.
The Echo Show got us in the right direction, but Quartz already sounds infinitely better.
Along with well thought-out YouTube support, it's also expected that Quartz will have a built-in web browser, access to Maps, a photo viewer, the ability to set timers, read recipes, and more. When you aren't using the Quartz, a standby screen will showcase the current time, weather conditions, notifications, and suggested actions.
We don't know when Quartz will be released or how much it'll cost, but even so, just the thought of a Google Home with a screen has us excited.
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