Buy smart displays: A comparison of five centers for the smart home

Smart displays serve as the control center for heating, surveillance cameras, etc. in the smart home. The comparison reveals which models are available and which screen fits into your home.

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Google Assistant or Alexa – those interested in a smart display including language assistants don’t currently have much more choice. Amazon and Google compete with Nest Hub and Echo Show for supremacy in this interesting niche.

Apple has so far dispensed with a smart display that can be operated with Siri. However, rumors about an Apple display persist hifi.de reported. So far, Apple users have been left in the dark or have to be particularly creative by converting an old iPad into a smart display. Otherwise, Lenovo and Facebook are also involved in the smart screen market.

However, this is rather half-hearted and the Smart Display from Facebook is not available in Germany. A smart display expands the already clever speakers with useful features. In the kitchen, for example, cooking tutorials or your favorite series can be played using voice commands.

In the bedroom, on the other hand, a smart display serves more as a smart alarm clock that shows the weather, the time and important appointments and can also track sleep. Coupled with smart surveillance cameras, a smart display throughout the house shows who is ringing the doorbell. Ideal for being informed in good time about uninvited visitors. And, of course, video telephony is also possible via the smart display if you don’t have a hand free to hold your smartphone or tablet.

Smart display: Google Nest Hub

Size:

7 inch

Resolution:

1024×600 pixels

voice assistant:

Google Assistant

Camera:

No

Special feature:

sleep tracking

If you operate your smart home primarily with Google’s Assistant, you should definitely click on the smart display Second generation Google Nest Hub put. The Nest Hub cuts a fine figure, especially in the bedroom, because it analyzes your sleep. The Nest Hub uses sensors to not only perceive the movements and breathing of the sleeping person, but also temperature fluctuations or changing lighting conditions. This can then be used to determine how you can optimize your bedroom for more restful sleep.

Shortcoming of the Google Nest Hub: The service is only available for a monthly subscription. Of course, you can also use the Nest Hub to listen to your favorite music via Spotify or follow your favorite series from the streaming provider of your choice. Nice: You don’t even have to touch the smart display to operate it. A sensor in the Nest Hub recognizes gestures that can be used to operate the screen. Incidentally, it measures 7 inches, which corresponds to exactly 17.78 centimeters (cm) and has a resolution of 1024 × 600 pixels.

Video calling doesn’t work with the second-gen Nest Hub because it doesn’t have a camera implemented. If you don’t want to do without this feature or need a larger screen, you can use the Google Nest Hub Max, whose display has a camera, extends over 10 inches (25.4 cm) and also has a Full HD resolution. But you don’t need the large version in the bedroom because it lacks sleep monitoring.

Smart displays from Amazon

Shipping giant Amazon offers the widest selection of smart displays. The Echo Show 5 and 8 are now in the second generation, the Echo Show 10 in the third and the Echo Show 15 in the first generation. The main difference is their display sizes.

In all models, of course, the charming language assistant Alexa does her job. And who would have thought: The smart displays harmonize perfectly with the other smart home devices from the shipping giant, such as the Ring Doorbell or the Echo speakers.

echo show 5

Size:

5.5 inches

Resolution:

960×480 pixels

voice assistant:

alexa

Camera:

2MP

Special feature:

No

The smallest smart display in the bunch is the echo show 5 from Amazon. Its display measures 5.5 inches (13.97 cm) with a resolution of 960 x 480 pixels. Everyone has to decide for themselves whether this display size is suitable for the kitchen. In the bedroom, the Echo Show undoubtedly cuts a fine figure as an alarm clock. Unfortunately, it lacks special features like the second-generation Nest Hub’s sleep tracking.

Its integrated camera also leaves a lot to be desired: a resolution of just 2 megapixels is simply not enough for video telephony in 2022. And let’s be honest: who would want an Amazon camera in their bedroom? There’s a nicer one Fifth Generation Echo Dot with clock display.

echo show 8

Size:

8 inches

Resolution:

1280×800 pixels

voice assistant:

alexa

Camera:

13MP

Special feature:

Digital pan and zoom technology

So it makes sense to splurge on the next larger version of the Echo Show if you’re thinking of putting the smart display in the kitchen. As the name suggests, the display of the echo show 8 exactly 8 inches tall (20.32 cm). Its resolution is 1280 x 800 pixels and compared to the smaller Echo Show 5 it offers one more speaker. In addition, its 13-megapixel camera has a much sharper resolution, so that your counterpart recognizes you much better when you are making a video call via Skype or another app.

The built-in camera is one with a wide-angle lens. This is important for digital pan and zoom technology. Amazon gives the Echo Show 8 a pan and zoom function on the software side, which keeps the object in the picture when it moves. This is useful if, for example, you take a video call in the kitchen and move around. Unfortunately, the Echo Show 8 does not offer a sleep function like the second-generation Google Nest Hub.

Echo Show 10 (3rd Gen)

Size:

10 inches

Resolution:

1280×800 pixels

voice assistant:

alexa

Camera:

13MP

Special feature:

Screen rotates with object

Here, too, the name says it all: Der echo show 10 from Amazon measures approximately 10 inches (25.4 cm) diagonally. To be precise, it is 10.1 inches, but this should only be noticed by the very trained eye. It is the Amazon counterpart to the Google Nest Hub Max and has a resolution of 1280 x 800 pixels. Amazon gives it two speakers and a small subwoofer. For comparison: In the second-generation Google Nest Hub, only one speaker works, in the larger version, the Google Nest Hub Max, there are two.

In addition, Amazon has given the Echo Show 10 an improved digital pan-and-zoom function: With the Echo Show 10, this works not only via software but also mechanically. The display automatically rotates in the user’s direction as the user moves. In addition, the same camera works in the Echo Show 10 as in the Show 8. As a reminder: It is a wide-angle lens with a resolution of 13 megapixels.

Smart display: Echo Show 15

Size:

15.6 inches

Resolution:

1920×1080 pixels

voice assistant:

alexa

Camera:

5MP

Special feature:

Big widgets

Finish with the echo show 15 probably the most unusual smart display currently on the market. Contrary to its predecessors, the Echo Show 15 does not sit on a stand, but is suitable for hanging on the wall like a picture. Amazon integrates two loudspeakers into its digital picture frame, the screen of which is exactly 39.62 cm (15.6 inches) diagonally and has a resolution of 1920×1080 pixels (Full HD). The Echo Show 15 is very well suited as a control center in the smart home because it offers the Visual ID function. Each family member can create such an ID.

The smart display then recognizes who is in front of the face and shows appointments, to-do lists, music or similar accordingly. Compared to the Echo Show 10 and 8, the camera of the Echo Show 15 has a significantly lower resolution of 5 megapixels. In addition, it does not offer the function of keeping the filmed object in the frame. The Echo Show 15 is the only smart display from Amazon that offers the option of creating large widgets on it.

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