The smarter screen we like
Google Nest Hub for $ 100: Google's second -generation group center (7/10, wired recommended) is a great option if you do not need a camera and don't care about a smaller 7 -inch screen. It has an alarm to wake up to simulate the rising sun for softer mornings, and it has Sleep monitoring technology To track your sleep quality, although the quality of the results is not large. It also supports gestures – like playing or temporarily posing videos A hand movement—By Use unique Radar tech.
Echo Show 5 (Gen 3, 2023) for $ 90: The third -generation Echo program is smaller and cheaper with a 5.5 -inch screen that works best on the table or table next to the bed. We think it's a bit too small for the kitchen or living room, but that depends on how you plan to use it.
Echo Hub for $ 180: Hub Echo (8/10, wired recommended) Not exactly a smart screen. It lacks powerful speaker ability and does not have a camera for calls or video calling features of Amazon. Instead, it focuses entirely on becoming a smart home panel with Alexa integrated, plus features like widgets and photo frames. I think it needs the best, easiest features of a smart screen and remove the rest. But if you want someone to speak well, don't choose this.
Smart screen compared to digital schedules
There is a development day market of digital schedules that look like a smart screen, but instead of being able to respond to voice commands and streaming a video call, these digital screens are designed to have a common calendar for the whole family to watch and watch. Skylight, one of our favorite digital photo frames, created Skylight calendar (starting from $ 170) There are 10 inches, 15 inches and 27 inches, while I tested Hearth screen ($ 700) That is exclusively with a size of 27 inches. Coza also created the COZELA+ calendar starting from 15 inches but went to the 36 -inch screen.
There are some differences in these calendars, but you will find a similar barrier to them: membership. Hearth display encourages the use of a screen to create a habit with your family, namely children, although you will want a 2 -year -old child to use it properly (although Hearth has icons designed for children who cannot read) and register family members. Skylight offers a photo protection and meal planning tools if you register the plan for months.
You can find these devices for you, but it is another device for a parent to manage or something you will have to teach your whole family to create a habit to really make the most of. You can better teach everyone in your family to share their Google calendar.
Do you need a smart screen?
Smart screen is very useful, acting as a center for your smart home appliances, bringing you through recipes while you cut in the kitchen and in some cases that allow you to chat for free. But we are not sure how long they will be, or even exist, in their current form. Meta portal but we like No longer available. Google has recently stopped releasing software updates for some third -party screens (more than below) and it seems to have shifted the focus to a new. Pixel tablet (Our top choice).
Amazon has continued to create a new smart screen, even after losing $ 10 billion in 2022 Thanks to the failures around Alexa's voice assistant. The Alexa group was heavily influenced by the dismissal of 2022 and 2023, but the new smart screen has appeared ever since. Apple has not yet created a smart screen (more than below!) But it has created the appropriate features on the smart screen for iPhone when they charge.
The The future of these smart home devices is not clear right nowBut if you will receive one, we recommend that you stick with the devices directly from the brand that the voice assistant you like. If not, consider one of the Our favorite tablet instead of.
What about apples?
Apple iPhone has standby mode included in iOS activated when the iPhone is on its side and charging, using racks like This one from twelve to the south. I hope this feature will Feeling similar to a smart screenBut the standby mode is limited to customized clock faces, displaying your photos and your texts pop up in a large text filling the screen. It does not scratch the itching of all the features you get in a smart screen and instead feels like A fancy alarm clock.
What about Alexa+?
Amazon will start launching Alexa new and improved early, named Alexa+. The second generation of this Alexa voice assistant is said to be more conversation, can perform complex tasks and find out new information and be much more personalized. It will be because it is provided by AI generation.
Alexa+ will also request All dialogs are sent to Amazon To be processed and Amazon changes its features for the recording with Alexa regularly to reach Amazon. There is currently a security feature of the recording that you can choose to handle local voice requirements, but that feature will be killed on March 28, 2025, on an email Amazon sent to the current user of that feature.
Alexa+ will be available for $ 20 a month or free if you have a member of Amazon Prime. Although you may have a member if you add a Alexa device to your home, it is a big dance from the previous free assistant (and both versions will have less privacy). Amazon said the sooner access will start to launch next month in the US, starting with the smart screen Echo Show, namely Echo Show 8 that we proposed above, along with 10, 15 and 21. Changing privacy will affect all Echo users, whether it is one of these devices.
Smart screen to ignore
We don't like all smart screens. Here are the people we ignore after trying them.
Echo Show 10 (3rd generation, 2021) for $ 250: This smart screen is located on the top of a large cylindrical speaker, making it sound great. The screen is spinning to follow you around the room when you use it, keep you in the frame while you chat videos or keep the training video streaming online in your vision when you move. Because the screen moves around a lot, you may have difficulty locating it in a closer space, especially in the corners.
Echo Show 15 for $ 280: This is the biggest of them, with a 15.6 -inch screen and it has custom utilities so you can have smart home device controls and remind the calendar available at any time. It is created to be mounted on your wall like a TV (a bracket that is sold separately) and a 15 -pair program with a Fire TV control (you can use the application) to use the streaming features. The dialogs for streaming are not working well, so it feels like a strange in the middle of a smart screen and an excellent TV in both parts.
Third -party Google display: Google is No more software updates For some third -party smart screens, we used it to propose in this tutorial. If you have one, it will still work, but some features may be affected or completely disappear when time passes. This seems to be the fate of most third -party smart screens, which is why we don't introduce them anymore.