★ If you’d prefer Alexa: The fourth-generation Echo ($100) is the Amazon equivalent of this device. It’s a little shorter but wider, going for a round design over the taller Nest Audio. It’s got fantastic sound quality and great capabilities, and is a good choice if you’d prefer Alexa in your home. There have been some changes with Alexa, and there’s going to be a new version of the assistant available to everyone soon—read more in our section What About Alexa+?
Best Smart Display
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Photograph: Simon Hill
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Courtesy of Google
WIRED
- 10-inch screen adds several features, and doubles as a digital photo frame
- Google Assistant is handy, and the screen visuals are great
- No ads or spam like Amazon’s smart displays
TIRED
- Has a camera, and there’s no physical cover for the camera (though there is an off button)
I love a smart display, because I love the option to either use voice commands to control my smart home or a tap of my finger. The Nest Hub Max (8/10, WIRED Recommends) is my favorite because it doubles as a gorgeous digital photo frame. It does a great job showing me all kinds of pictures since I’m a Google Photos user, but even if you aren’t actively backing everything up to Google Photos like I am, it’s easy to create and add to albums to display on the 10-inch screen.
The Hub Max is also easy to use to control your smart home, letting you adjust the lights with a tap or get the doorbell feed straight to your device. It has a built-in hub, so smart home devices can connect to it for setup, and it supports Matter over Thread and Wi-Fi. It also has surprisingly solid sound for its slim speakers and profile, especially for casual listening sessions in the kitchen or to set the ambiance during Dungeons and Dragons sessions.
Connects to Google Assistant.
★ If you’d prefer an Alexa display: Amazon has a borderline insane number of smart displays, but my favorite is easy to name: the Echo Show 8 ($150). The 8-inch screen is just big enough for everything you could use it for, and it packs a nice speaker and has a built-in hub compatible with Zigbee, Matter, and Thread. The larger sizes are too big for any regular-sized home, unless you’re a smart home addict and are certain you’ll put a 21-inch smart display to use.
Best Budget Smart Speaker
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Photograph: Nena Farrell
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Courtesy of Amazon
WIRED
- Impressive sound for such a small size, with solid bass compared to previous generations
- Good size for bedside tables and smaller rooms
TIRED
- Won’t fill a large room with sound like other picks in this guide
This little speaker is my favorite offering from Amazon. The tiny little Echo Dot is on its fifth generation (you might remember the original, which looked like a hockey puck) and this latest model has fantastic sound quality for such a small little speaker. It does everything the larger speakers can do, just in a smaller form. It’s a perfect choice to sneak into an office or a dorm room, or even a bathroom if you know you want to jam to music in the shower. I also love the Dot With Clock ($54) version that’s a little more and includes a simple digital clock—it’s currently in stock, but its availability has been rare this year.
Connects to Amazon.
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