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Buying Guide: The Best Smart Displays for 2026
Amazon vs. Google Smart Displays
Amazon Alexa is available on the company's Echo Show smart displays, including the Echo Show 5, the Echo Show 8, the Echo Show 11, the Echo Show 15, and the Echo Show 21 (all named for the size of their screens).
With an Echo Show, you get full access to Alexa's capabilities. These devices can show or tell you anything you want to know (within Alexa's powers to answer). They can also play content from Prime Video and a handful of third-party services, plus give you access to a fully functional web browser. They offer touch-screen control of smart home devices and can display live feeds from compatible home security cameras as well. You can even make phone calls through them.
Google offers smart displays: the second-gen Nest Hub with a 7-inch screen and one speaker driver, and the Nest Hub Max with a 10-inch screen and stereo speaker drivers (one woofer and two tweeters). You won't find a web browser on either of these devices, but you can access YouTube, live TV via YouTube TV, Netflix, and Disney+, as well as music through YouTube Music, Apple Music, Spotify, and others. All Google smart speakers and smart displays are also compatible with Google Cast, so you can easily stream media to them from any compatible mobile app.
The expected informational and smart home features are also available. You can also make phone calls with these smart displays and video chat through Google Meet (available on the Nest Hub Max only).
Both Amazon and Google are in the process of upgrading their respective smart home voice assistants to full large language models (LLMs), Alexa+ and Gemini. These new systems promise to be more conversational than Alexa and Google Assistant, so you won't have to be so precise and formal in how you word requests. They also enable new features, such as setting up automated smart home routines by simply describing them. The 2025 Echo Show 8 and Echo Show 11 are the first two smart displays to debut with Alexa+ built in.
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Is a Tablet Better Than a Smart Display?
Amazon's Fire HD tablets feature Show Mode, which enables them to function similarly to the Echo Show. It's a functional solution and a handy option if you want your Fire HD to remain functional while it charges.
However, the sound quality of the tablets isn't nearly as good as that of the Echo Show devices, and they lack the sense of permanence that a smart display offers. They also don't charge wirelessly, and Amazon doesn't offer charging docks for them.
Google's Pixel Tablet (with its Speaker Dock) also attempts to bridge the gap between tablets and smart displays, so it's worth considering if you want something that works as both types of devices.
Does Apple Make a Smart Display?
It took Apple a few years to dip its toe into the smart speaker arena with the HomePod (now in its second generation) and the more budget-friendly HomePod mini. Whether Apple will ever release a dedicated smart display remains to be seen. For now, you can use your iPad or iPhone on a stand and just talk to Siri or get an Apple TV and speak into the remote, but that's as far as it goes.
If you want a bigger screen than a smart display to show you information and movies, take a look at our list of the best TVs. If the screen size is right, but you want to be able to take it on the go, start shopping for one of our favorite tablets.