If this caught your eye, then you’re in luck. We’ve compiled a list of the best smart displays to get more efficient smart home devices.
What is a Smart Display?
With a smart display, you can view photos, watch videos, and play music with ease, making it a useful device. It can also show you the weather and even your calendar to let you know about your schedule for the day. Some would place it in their kitchen for quick referencing to a specific recipe. There are more features a smart display can offer, which may vary depending on the model.
Best Smart Display Devices
Now that you have an idea about what a smart display is, it’s time to know which models are popular right now. There are only a few trusted smart display devices you can see in the market, so it’s not challenging to pick the ideal smart screen. To help you decide which you should get, here are some overviews for the best models under this category.
What to Consider When Buying a Smart Display?
Before you buy a smart display, you must know what features to look for in a device so you won’t regret your purchase. To help you pick the one that suits you and your needs, here are the things you should consider. Speaking of privacy, this smart display is something to consider since it does not have a built-in camera. You will not think of it as something that spies on you, which will give you peace of mind. The only downside of this is that you’re the only one who can see the person you’re calling when you do a video call; they won’t be able to see you. It is also worth noting that you can only use Google Duo for video calls, as it is Google’s app specifically for that function. You can still do many things using this smart display like play music from Spotify or watch videos from YouTube. You can also search for recipes and have Google Assistant read you the directions out loud. There is also a Routines feature that will implement a number of grouped, customized commands with only a simple command. This device also now functions as a smart home control center since you can organize your smart home devices in its control panel. You can “view rooms” to see and even control the connected devices, making your life easier. There are more things it can do, though: it can play some music and show the time and current weather conditions. You can also customize the ambient display to show personal photos from your photo album or Facebook account. It is also perfect for your countertop as it can provide you the recipe you need and dictate the necessary steps out loud. With this smart display, you can also sync the smart devices connected to your Google account and control them with your voice. With this, you can see and talk to the person who rings your video doorbell or pull out the feed of your smart home security camera. You can also program this smart display to do multiple tasks by grouping commands using the Routines feature. For example, it can turn the lights on, show you how the weather is, and tell you your appointments by saying “Hey Google, good morning.” If you don’t want to use your voice, you can also control your smart devices by making a few taps from the smart display. What makes the Lenovo Smart Display an excellent model is it allows you to switch your microphone and camera on or off. This is also a superb way to beef up your security. This smart display has an adaptive brightness that can go up or down depending on the ambient light in the room. If you turn off your room lights, a night clock would still appear, but you can still turn the screen display off completely using a voice command. It will display clock faces or a slideshow of snaps when it’s not in use, but you can customize it in the mobile app. You can showcase your photos from Google Photos or even from your Facebook and Flickr galleries as well. You can use this smart display to watch videos on YouTube using only the sound of your voice. If you have smart speakers or other smart devices that listen to you, worry not because they would know which should respond. You can also play songs from YouTube Music but you can also pair it with your phone via Bluetooth. The JBL Link View is also a great cooking companion because aside from its ability to provide recipes, it’s also splash-resistant. What makes this smart display unique is you can control it with gestures, making it easier to use. With this, you can pause or resume playback without touching anything as you only need to raise your hand near the camera. Another outstanding feature is its wide-angle lens that can pan, tilt, and zoom to keep you in the frame during Google Duo video calls. There is also a facial recognition feature that can show you your appointments and messages when it recognizes you. The built-in Nest Cam can also detect motion and unusual noise which would trigger it to record clips. You should note, however, that this smart display’s security feature requires a Nest subscription. Fortunately, you can still watch the recorded videos within 24 hours and view the live feed without subscribing. This smart display also supports both voice and video calls to other Echo devices and Alexa app users, thanks to its Drop In services. You can also use Skype to reach more people. Alexa can also do direct phone calls in North America, but your smart display can’t receive one. It features a 10-inch HD screen with a 13-megapixel camera and produces an excellent sound quality, thanks to its 10 watts of audio power. If you’re worried about your privacy, you can disable your microphone and camera using a switch or its integrated camera cover. The Facebook Portal can display photos from your Instagram and Facebook account when it is in digital photo frame mode. It can show you photos of your favorite contacts on Messenger, too. Not only can you display their photos, but you can also call anyone from your contacts by asking Portal to do so. You can also do a group call, but there is a limitation with the number of people you can add to the call. This smart display can also play music from many streaming services like Spotify, and you can also watch videos on Facebook Watch. It can also search for recipes, making it suitable for your countertop. What makes this unique is its Story Time mode that inserts effects and masks as you tell the story during video calls. Its Smart Camera can also pan and zoom as you move around to keep you in the frame, making it an exceptional device. You can set alarms, timers, and even reminders with your voice, making it a useful device. This can also suggest alarms depending on your calendar schedule for the next day. There’s also a Sunrise Alarm feature which brightens the screen display gradually 30 minutes before your set alarm. When the alarm starts, you can stop it by tapping the Lenovo Smart Clock or simply say “stop” since it listens to you. You can ask it to play tunes from supported music streaming services, but some features are not available. This smart display cannot make calls, display pictures, and play videos. While this may be true, you can still use it to view the live feed of your connected smart home security camera.
Privacy
We’ve often wondered if Alexa is always listening, so it’s only natural to worry about your privacy. When choosing which model to buy, you might want to go with the ones that allow you to mute the microphone. Some models also have a built-in camera, so you can also consider the ones that can disable it when it’s not in use.
Screen Size and Resolution
Another thing you should consider is the size of the screen and its resolution because these can affect the quality of the visuals. If you are going to use your smart display for video streaming or cooking, you might want to go with the ones with larger screens. Most often, those with larger screens can play videos in higher resolution, giving you a better viewing experience.
Audio Quality
Although smart display devices focus more on the visuals, you should still put the audio quality into consideration. It should be loud enough for you to hear its response or diction of recipe instructions, for instance. Audio quality is also important when you want to use your smart display to play music or watch videos. If you already have some smart speakers at home or any wireless speakers you can connect this to, this won’t probably bother you.
Camera Inclusion
A camera is a great additional feature as it would unlock more functions and would give you a better experience. If you are looking for a smart display that can let you do video calls, you should look for devices with a built-in camera. You should note, however, that there are only certain applications and devices you can use to do video calls. There are also smart display models that can function as a security camera to let you feel more secure.
Voice Assistant Support and Smart Home Integration
Bluetooth Connectivity
Another thing you should look for in a smart display is its Bluetooth connectivity. This can come in handy when you want your smart display to play music from your phone or tablet. It is important because there are limitations with the services that a smart display provides so pairing it with your phone can be your answer.
Smart Display vs Tablet
Aside from having a display screen, smart displays and tablets have a lot of things in common. Both these devices also allow you to play music and watch videos, but their primary functions differ from each other. In fact, Google even keeps their smart display devices keyboard-free so they would differ from a tablet. With this said, you cannot type in your Wi-Fi password which leaves you to use your mobile app to connect to the internet. Echo Shows have this, though, so you can do the setup process using the smart display’s screen.
Is Having a Smart Display Worth It?
A smart display is indeed a significant addition to your home since you can have a voice assistant that can respond with visuals. Not only will it make your everyday life more convenient, but it will also maximize your other smart home devices’ features. It can serve as your smart home device control center, too, making it a vital piece in your home. You may want to opt for smart speakers since it’s more affordable, but it will not show you visual-heavy things. With all the features it can offer, a smart display is worth having. With this, you can have a virtual assistant that would show, not just tell, and a digital display that you can customize in many ways. It is also an excellent cooking companion, as it can show and read the recipes you ask for, making it perfect for your countertop.
