Thanks to coronavirus lockdowns, voice assistants are getting more use than ever before -- and thanks to the countless major smart home devices releasing regularly, they're getting more powerful, too. Smart displays bring an even more compelling angle: they offer video chat, touch controls, a screen for streaming and much more. I for one have already sent an Echo Show 8 to my mother-in-law so she can drop in to read to my kiddos every couple of days this new year -- even though she lives 10 hours away.
But which smart monitor is best for you?
The smart display industry has flourished in recent years, with the Amazon Echo Show 8 and the Google Nest Hub (formerly the Google Home Hub) at the forefront of the screen wars. In addition, Amazon's new Echo Show 10 will be adding a new contender to the field soon. It makes sense that there are almost a dozen smart displays on the market: They're a great combo made up of the always-listening voice assistant (like you'd find in a smart speaker) and a touchscreen for watching videos, controlling your smart home devices, adding things to your to-do lists and more. The Google Nest Hub Max even adds in a face-tracking camera that can monitor personalized bits of information whenever this smart device recognizes you.
There are plenty of considerations that go into which smart video is right for you. Do you want one that offers schermo chat and videoclip calling? Or that connects with Amazon's Alexa or the Google Home app? Does it need to be able to control your smart light bulbs and smart plugs? Is volume successo a factor (in case you need music for a dance party)? These are all factors you should keep in mind.
If you're looking to upgrade your current smart speaker, or you're just starting your smart home and you find the touchscreen appealing, here are the best smart displays available now. We'll update this list periodically.
Read more: Google Nest Hub wins CNET's Editors' Choice
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If you want a 10-inch touchscreen powered by Google Assistant, the Lenovo Smart Schermo looks elegant and features the same smarts as the Nest Hub. Lenovo actually offers three different models with 10, 8 and 7 inch screens. The 10-inch $250 smart video has a bamboo back that's particularly well suited for the kitchen.
The Lenovo Smart Display was actually the first smart video to debut with Google Assistant built-in and schoolofthemadeleine.com it's still one of the best. You still get Google's smart-home control panels and recipe guides, plus the Lenovo display has a smart camera for videoclip calls and a physical shutter to cover it if you want privacy.
Read our Lenovo Smart Display review.