Google has probably used the Tuesday-presented Home Hub during the prototype phase as a device for testing Fuchsia OS, its not yet presented operating system. It is unknown whether the Home Hub also runs Fuchsia on release.

Google tells Ars Technica that the Home Hub runs on a variant of the Cast platform as it is in the Chromecast. This differs from other ‘smart displays’ with Google software that came on the market this year. Devices like the Lenovo Smart Display run Android Things with only one app on it, namely the Smart Display app from Google.

Not only the software differs, but also the hardware. Where other smart speakers with screens run on a Qualcomm 624 Home Hub Platform, Google has put an Amlogic S905D2 in the Home Hub. That is a quadcore-soc with Cortex A53 cores going up to 1.9GHz, assisted by a Mali G31MP2 GPU.

According to 9to5Google is the code name for the Home Hub Estelle, a name that surfaced in the Home app for Android. Google has previously mentioned Estelle in a commit on a device that, in addition to the name Estelle, also has the code name Astro and has the same characteristics as the Home Hub, with the same processor and screen characteristics, namely a 7 “display with 1024×600 pixels.

This does not mean that the Home Hub is the first device with Fuchsia on release. It happened before that Google tested a device with one operating system and released with the other. The Pixel C tablet came out with Android, but it was tested with Chrome OS.

Google announced the Home Hub Tuesday, along with the Pixel 3 smartphones.