Best Smart Displays of 2024
Looking for a smart display? These have exceptional smart home features and offer value for your money.
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In many households today, smart home technology has made everyday things easier. You can check the weather, turn on the lights, change the thermostat temperature, set a timer and many more things with just your voice. Smart displays are essentially smart speakers with a screen to show information.
You've got lots of options to choose from. Most prominent of these are smart displays from Amazon and Google, each of which has released numerous generations of devices at this point. Most recently, that includes the Amazon Echo Show 8 and the Echo Show 10, the latter of which adds motion into the mix by way of a rotating display capable of following you during video calls. On the Google side of things, you've got the Google Nest Hub (formerly the Google Home Hub) as well as the Nest Hub Max, which adds in face- and gesture-tracking capabilities along with a larger screen. Don't forget Meta: The maker of Facebook has a slew of Portal smart displays up for sale, too.
Whether you're looking to add a smart display to your existing setup, or you're just starting your smart home and you find the touchscreen appealing, here are the best models available now. We'll update this list periodically.
The latest version of the Nest Hub with Google services arrived in 2021, and it's a great entry point for the category. It's the smartest and best overall, making the low price even more appealing.
Thanks to the built-in Google Assistant, the Nest Hub responds to all of the same voice command options as the Google Home Mini smart speaker. The Google smart display touchscreen is a little small at seven inches, but the adaptive brightness makes pictures look particularly great. Google will even customize a slideshow of family pics as your screensaver.
You can also control your smart home devices, like your smart doorbell, with an intuitively designed control panel. Unlike most of the other smart displays (and unlike its big brother, the Nest Hub Max), the Nest Hub doesn't have a camera, but that might be a bonus if you have privacy concerns and want to put it on your bedside table.
The second-generation smart home hub model includes Sleep Sensing and Quick Gestures thanks to Google's Soli mini radar. The colorful fabric design on this Google Assistant smart display allows the device to blend in anywhere, although the tablet touchscreen comes in handy if you want step-by-step help through a recipe in the kitchen.
The other best smart display
Amazon Echo Show 8 (2nd gen)
For a long time, the Nest Hub occupied pride of place on this list, thanks to its photo display aesthetic, pleasant user interface and more naturalistic voice assistant. It lacks the built-in camera for easy video calls found on the Echo Show 8. Add that to Amazon Alexa's growing smarts, and the Show 8 has been upgraded to share the "best display" honor with the Nest Hub. Both are great smart displays.
With the Show 8, Alexa will respond to your voice control and voice commands, plus you can use the tablet screen to play games, browse recipes, watch movies and Prime Video trailers, control your smart home and more. The 8-inch touchscreen is small enough to stay out of the way but big enough that you won't have to squint. In the mornings, Amazon's sunrise alarm feature can help ease you out of your sleep with a screen that starts getting brighter 15 minutes before your scheduled wake-up time. The camera also comes with a physical shutter for privacy.
Google Assistant still makes better use of the touchscreen than Amazon -- in particular, the cooking directions and smart home controls are better -- but the Echo Show 8 is close enough, and it comes with a camera for video chats. In short, the Show 8 is Amazon's best smart display yet.
Best full-size display
Amazon Echo Show 10 (3rd gen)
If you want a 10-inch touchscreen powered by Alexa, the third-generation Amazon Echo Show 10 is the latest and greatest in smart display technology. With a motorized base, the Echo Show 10 can follow you around the room during video calls or while you're watching video content on the device. The 10.1-inch tablet HD display looks good, and the device comes with a 13-megapixel front-facing camera, plus a physical shutter for privacy. Amazon also added adaptive color to this Echo device model.
You can use the Echo Show 10 as a smart home security camera and view it remotely in the Alexa app. Group video calling is supported for up to seven people, and Drop In lets you make a call directly to your display from anywhere with the Alexa app. Occupancy and vacancy-based routines can trigger other smart home devices when the Echo Show 10 senses someone entering or leaving the room.
This Alexa device is Amazon's priciest smart home hub display and the most feature-filled smart screen. We think most people will still get by just fine with the Echo Show 8 for considerably less money, but if you're after Amazon's boldest smart display yet, this is it.
Smart displays let Amazon, Facebook, Google show you answers to your questions
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Smart display comparison
| Best overall | Best Alexa display | Best full-sized display | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Google Nest Hub (2nd gen) | Amazon Echo Show 8 (2nd gen) | Amazon Echo Show 10 (3rd gen) | |
| Regular Price | $100 (£90, AU$149) | $55 (£44, AU$84) | $170 (£135, AU$259) |
| Screen Size | 7-inch (177.8 mm) | 8-inch (203.2 mm) | 10.1-inch (256.5 mm) |
| Resolution (pixels) | 1,024 x 600 | 1,280 x 800 | 1,280 x 800 |
| Dimensions (WxHxD) | 7.00 x 4.70 x 2.70 inches (177.4 x 120.4 x 69.5 mm) | 7.9 x 5.4 x 3.9 inches (200.7 x 137.2 x 99.1 mm) | 9.9 x 9.0 x 6.7 inches (251.46 x 228.60 x 170.18 mm) |
| Weight | 1.23 lbs. (558 grams) | 2.29 lbs. (1038 grams) | 5.64 lbs. (2,560 grams) |
| Wireless Connectivity | Wi-Fi (802.11b/g/n/ac, 2.4GHz and 5GHz), Bluetooth 5.0 | Wi-Fi (802.11b/g/n/ac, 2.4GHz and 5GHz), Bluetooth | Wi-Fi (802.11b/g/n/ac, 2.4GHz and 5GHz), Bluetooth |
| Voice Assistant | Google Assistant | Alexa | Alexa |
| Calling and Messaging | Direct dial (US only), audio calls with Google Duo | Alexa Messaging, Skype, direct dial (US and Mexico) | Direct dial, Group calling with Alexa, Zoom, Skype |
| Smart kitchen features | Step-by-step recipe assistance with YouTube tutorial videos | Food Network GO; Step-by-step recipe assistance; Amazon Meal Kits integration | Food Network Kitchen; Step-by-step recipe assistance; Amazon Meal Kits integration |
| On-screen smart home controls | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Built-in Camera | No | Yes (1MP) | Yes (13MP) |
| Privacy Shutter | n/a | Yes | Yes |
| Microphones | 3-mic array | 2-mic array | 2-mic array |
| Speakers | Full-range speaker with 1.7-inch (43.5 mm) driver | 2x full range 2-inch 10W speakers | 2x 1-inch tweeters, 3-inch woofer |
| Streaming Music Services | iHeartRadio, Pandora, Spotify, YouTube Music, Apple Music | Amazon Music, iHeartRadio, Pandora, Spotify, TuneIn, Apple Music | Amazon Music, iHeartRadio, Pandora, Spotify, TuneIn, Apple Music |
| Streaming Video Services | YouTube, YouTube TV, Google Play Movies, CBS All Access, HBO Now, Hulu, Disney+, Netflix | Amazon Prime Video, NBC, Vivo, Hulu, Netflix | Amazon Prime Video, NBC, Vivo, Hulu, Netflix |
| Compatible smart home cameras | D-Link, EZVIZ, Nest Cam, Netgear Arlo, Skybell Video Doorbell, Smartcam, Swann, TP-Link Kasa Cam, Vivitar | Amazon Cloud Cam, Amcrest, August Doorbell Cam, Blink, Canary, D-Link, EZVIZ, Logitech Circle, meShare, Nest Cam, Netgear Arlo, Ring Video Doorbell, Toucan, TP-Link Kasa Cam, Wyze Cam, Zmodo | Amazon Cloud Cam, Amcrest, August Doorbell Cam, Blink, Canary, D-Link, EZVIZ, Logitech Circle, meShare, Nest Cam, Netgear Arlo, Ring Video Doorbell, Toucan, TP-Link Kasa Cam, Wyze Cam, Zmodo |
| Other notable features | Ambient EQ automatic adaptive screen brightness; Digital picture frame via Google Photos with Live Albums; Live TV with YouTube TV; Sleep Sensing and Quick Gestures; Digital Wellbeing mode for parental restrictions and downtime hours | Sunrise alarms; Customizable clock faces; Customizable alarm tones; YouTube access via Silk or Firefox browsers | Zigbee hub; Adaptive color and brightness; 360 rotating screen with motion tracking; YouTube via Silk or Firefox browsers; Sunrise alarms; Customizable alarms; Customizable motion settings |
| Color options | Charcoal, Mist, Chalk, Sand | Charcoal, Sandstone | Charcoal, Glacier White |
| Availability | US, UK, Australia and 12 others | US, UK, Australia and 7 others | US, UK, Australia |
| Expected ship date | Available now | Available now | Available now |
| Warranty | 1-year | 1-year | 1-year |
The rest
Google Nest Hub Max" target="_blank: At over $200, the Nest Hub Max ups the Google Assistant's screen size from 7 to 10 inches and offers better sound quality than before. The real story is the addition of a sophisticated camera that can track movements and gestures, or identify faces to show you personalized info on the screen. It's an impressive combination of hardware and software, but the Google Nest Hub Max comes with privacy concerns" target="_blank. For most people, we think the original, camera-free Nest Hub is a lot closer to the smart display sweet spot.
Amazon Echo Show 5" target="_blank: The Echo Show 5 is the cheapest of Amazon's displays, and it features most of the perks of the Show 8. Its resolution is lower than the Show 8 and its screen is smaller. While it features a tap-to-snooze alarm feature that makes it perfect for a bedside alarm, its sound quality isn't close compared to its bigger siblings.
Amazon Echo Show (second-gen): The original Echo Show helped popularize the smart display back in 2017 and the second-gen Show improved on it in every way with better design, sound quality and a more useful screen. It's a good premium counterpart to the attractive $40 entry point of the Echo Show 5, although it's a little tricky to find in stock at the moment. The second-gen Show has great sound quality and a 10-inch screen. The touchscreen just isn't as useful as similar models with Google Assistant.
Amazon Echo Show 15: At 15.6 inches, this smart display is big. It's also smarter than previous Echo Shows and designed to live somewhere no previous Echo Shows could -- your wall. Amazon took a calculated risk here, but thanks to a reasonable price of $280, the new AZ2 chip and welcome features like widgets, that risk mostly pays off.
Lenovo Smart Display 10: If you want a 10-inch touchscreen powered by Google Assistant, Lenovo's smart display looks elegant and features the same smarts as the Nest Hub. There are three different Lenovo smart display models with 10-, 8- and 7-inch screens. The 10-inch Lenovo smart display has a bamboo back that's particularly well-suited for the kitchen.
Facebook Portal: The Facebook Portal (now called the Meta Portal) makes great video calls. Its video-calling smart camera can track and follow any individual in the frame so you can move freely as you talk. Otherwise, it has the Alexa app built-in but isn't as smart as the rest. Facebook has faced numerous privacy scandals, so putting one of its cameras in your home takes a big leap of faith. Facebook followed it with the Portal Plus and Portal Go.
Lenovo Smart Clock: This smart alarm trims out a lot of the functionality of smart displays. There's no camera and you can't watch videos. You can customize alarms and scroll through screens with weather and commute info. Thanks to a recent update, you can also look at personal pics and the Smart Clock will scroll through selected albums from Google Photos as your screensaver. It's cute and tailored for your nightstand, but it's more of an upgraded alarm clock than a full smart display.
Best smart display FAQs
What is the point of a smart display?
For smart home users, the smart display will function as a sort of visual dashboard, showing you all your connected devices and their statuses. You can view cameras and doorbells on your smart display screen, as well as make video calls, watch online content, view recipes and ask general knowledge questions.
There are other fun features like books, games, puzzles and holiday easter eggs. Smart displays also double as digital photo frames and helpful clocks and calendars.
What is the difference between a tablet and a smart display?
A smart display admittedly doesn't do as much as your Android tablet or iPad. You won't be able to download any apps or view every single streaming platform. It isn't portable, either.
Smart displays are focused on being hubs or command centers for your smart home. It's a device you'll plant on one shelf or countertop and likely leave it there for its entire life.
Should I buy a smart display?
Well, that depends. If you're interested in smart home tech, a smart display is a helpful way to view everything you're setting up and controlling within your home. If you like making video calls, smart displays are a good way to do so without sacrificing your phone or laptop battery.
If a smart home isn't really your cup of tea or if you're hesitant to put more cameras, microphones and voice assistants in your home (we wouldn't blame you), then a tablet or small laptop will meet your needs.