Google Nest Hub Max” target=”_blank: At $229, 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, however, 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 $90 entry point of the Echo Show 5, though 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 $250, 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 actually 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.
Watch this: The battle for the best smart display: Google Home Hub vs Amazon Echo Show
Facebook Portal: The $100 Facebook Portal (now called the Meta Portal) makes great video calls. Its video calling smart camera can track and follow any individual in frame so you can move freely as you talk. Otherwise, it has the Alexa app built-in, but it isn’t as smart as the rest. Facebook has faced numerous privacy scandals, however, 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 $80 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
