The best smart displays for 2024

Read in full Google Nest Hub (2nd generation) review

Our favorite smart display with Google Assistant second generation Google Nest Hub. Its 7-inch size fits well in many rooms, and its unobtrusive design blends beautifully with most home decor with its soft fabric exterior. It does everything we think most people want in a smart display, like playing YouTube videos, showing step-by-step cooking instructions, providing handy smart home controls, and letting users check in on Nest security cameras if they have them.

In fact, the Nest Hub is particularly useful as part of a security system Nest video doorbell, the camera view of who is at the front door will appear on the screen. An ambient light sensor helps detect ambient light and color temperature and adjusts the display to match. Plus, if you choose, placing it next to your bed can help you track your sleep patterns.

Another feature of the Nest Hub is actually the lack of one: It doesn’t have a camera. This gives an added layer of privacy that many people desire and is more suitable for private spaces such as bedrooms. Of course, you can also cover the camera with the shutter, but with the Nest Hub you don’t have to remember to do that.

We would be remiss not to mention Google Pixel Tablet here, because it’s a slab that can double as a smart display when you use it with a charging dock. The kit costs $420 — not bad considering you’re getting two devices in one, but expensive if you’re looking for a smart display. If that sounds like you, you’ll be better off with the Nest Hub (and keep the extra cash in your pocket).

Read in full Google Nest Hub Max review

If you love Google but miss having a camera for video calls or just prefer a bigger screen, consider this Google Nest Hub Max. Its 10-inch screen instead of seven works better for watching videos from YouTube and YouTube TV. This is especially useful in the kitchen, which acts as a kind of portable TV, and you can see more of these step-by-step cooking instructions at a glance. A larger display also means a larger photo frame, which some may prefer.

As mentioned, the Nest Hub Max adds a camera to the mix. It doesn’t have a physical lid, which is a concern, but you can close it with an electronic switch. You can use the camera for video calls with Google’s Duo service as well as Zoom, and it can also act as a Nest Cam to help you keep an eye on your home when you’re away. Another plus of the camera is the addition of Face Match facial recognition for identification purposes, which we found to be slightly more accurate than just using Voice Match.

Finally, the Nest Hub Max’s camera adds a unique gesture feature that lets you play and pause media by simply raising your hand to the screen. This silent control option isn’t absolutely necessary, but it’s potentially useful if you’re in a noisy environment and want the music to stop without yelling at everyone. Or your hands are messy while cooking and you don’t want to dirty the screen.

Our favorite Amazon smart display is the latest Echo Show 8. Its 8-inch screen is just right; it doesn’t take up as much space as the Echo Show 10 with its larger screen, but it’s better suited for watching videos than the smaller screen. Echo Show 5. Like other Amazon smart displays, it has a built-in camera, but it has a physical camera cover to help overcome privacy concerns.

The Amazon Echo Show 8 is an attractive option if you want the option of using your smart display for video calls. Not only is the 13-megapixel camera quality fantastic, but the Show 8 has a feature that automatically frames your face and tracks your movements during video calls. This is useful if you want to move around while you chat, or if you have children and pets roaming around the house and want to engage them in conversation. You can use the Echo Show 8 between other Echo Show displays or to make calls via Skype or Zoom.

As with other smart displays, the Echo Show 8 works like a digital photo frame and can be used to track the news, check the weather, and control smart home devices. If you want to use your smart display to play music, we also love the Echo Show 8’s sound quality, thanks to its deep bass and rich tone. The latest model also includes Visual ID support and a built-in Zigbee smart home hub, which uses facial recognition to identify who is using the machine and personalize the information on the screen for them.

Only with a 5.5-inch screen Echo Show 5 it’s one of the smallest smart displays on the market and will eventually work great on a desk or nightstand. In fact, one of the reasons we like the Echo Show 5 so much is that it doubles as the perfect smart alarm clock. There is an ambient light sensor that automatically adjusts the brightness of the screen; the snooze function lets you beat the top of it for a few extra minutes; plus a sunrise alarm that slowly lights up the screen to gently wake you up.

The Echo Show 5 has a camera, which may be a concern if you’re more privacy-conscious, especially if it needs to sit next to your bed. Again, there is a physical camera cover that can help alleviate those fears.

Read in full Amazon Echo Show 15 review

There really isn’t anything else like it Echo Show 15With its 15.6-inch touchscreen and wall-mounted design, it’s reminiscent of the small TVs many of our parents have in their kitchens. Indeed, Amazon presents the Show 15 as the ideal smart display for the kitchen, as it is one of the most central rooms in the home, and this smart display offers features such as Visual ID, widgets, and built-ins. Fire tv program that the whole family can enjoy.

Similar to Google’s Face Match, Visual ID uses facial recognition to identify members of different households and display information relevant to anyone using it. You can even leave notes for other people in your home, and the Show 15 will display them when that person walks by. Widgets include appointments, sticky notes, weather forecasts, and more on the touchscreen. are customizable pieces of information that display things like a calendar. One of the native widgets even lets you view security camera feeds with one tap.

But one of the best ways to take advantage of the big screen on the Echo Show 15 is to watch videos. The screen’s 1,920 x 1,080 resolution is the best of any Echo Show, and with Fire TV software, you can use the Show 15 as a mini TV to stream Netflix, Disney+, Hulu, YouTube, and of course Prime Video. . For this reason alone, it can be the most passively used smart display in the home – provided there’s room for it.