With the Essential, the pretense of a smart display is gone altogether; the LCD screen has been replaced with a basic LED display. It’s really more of a Google-powered speaker with a clock. As a ...

David Murphy was formerly the Senior Technology Editor at Lifehacker. Across his 15+ year career in technology journalism, his reviews and how-to guides have appeared in The New York Times, The Wall ...

If you buy something from a Verge link, Vox Media may earn a commission. See our ethics statement. is an editor overseeing The Verge’s product reviews and service journalism programs. Dan has covered ...