5 Best Smart Displays for Your Kitchen

A modern kitchen with smart gadgets is a great way to make cooking more fun. Whether you want to quickly lookup a recipe or set a timer, a smart display for your kitchen can come in rather handy. You can also connect other smart home devices to it and control them straight from your kitchen.

best smart displays for your kitchen

Most smart displays for kitchens are also rather affordable, which means you can make your home smarter without taking a hit on your wallet.

So, if you’re looking to add a multipurpose screen to your cookery, read on. We’ve made a list of some of the best smart displays with Alexa or Google Assistant that’ll smarten up your kitchen. Before we get to the smart home hubs for your kitchen though, here are some interesting reads –

Let’s get to the smart displays for your kitchen now.

1. Amazon Echo Show 5

  • Screen size: 5.5 inches
Amazon’s Echo Show 5 is the most affordable smart display that you can pick up from the tech giant. As the name suggests, the device comes with a 5.5-inch display which is rather small. But hey, it’s also quite affordable and the device gets some useful features.

It is the most affordable smart display that you can pick up from the tech giant. As the name suggests, the device comes with a 5.5-inch display which is rather small. But hey, it’s also quite affordable and the device gets some useful features

What’s more, say you’ve got a smart thermometer for your oven which is compatible with Alexa, you can link it to your Echo Show 5 and see the relevant details on the display itself. This eliminates the need to use your phone when in the kitchen. There’s also a 2MP camera that you can use for video calls. You can watch recipe videos too but the display is rather small so you might have to squint your eyes when viewing the content from a distance.

2. Meta Portal

  • Screen size: 10 inches
Right off the bat, some people might be wary of putting a device from Meta in their homes — especially one that has a camera on it. But, if you’re not too concerned about that, the Meta Portal is an excellent smart display for your kitchen at a reasonable price.

The Meta Portal gives you a large 10-inch screen and costs a few bucks north of the Echo Show 5. As such, the device offers a substantially more sizeable display for pretty much the same price. Unsurprisingly, the Meta Portal is a great device to consume content when you’re cooking. You can even loop in your grandma over a video call to learn her secret cookie recipe.

For some reassurance, the Meta Portal has close to 20,000 user ratings — most of which praise the device’s features. You get Alexa built-in so your queries and timers are taken care of. What’s more, the device’s camera adjusts the frame as per your movement, which makes video calls feel more intuitive. Another advantage of the Meta Portal is that you can even make WhatsApp video calls via the device, something that no other smart display is capable of.

When not in use, you can use the large display on the Meta Portal as a photo frame. And for those wondering — yes, you can close the camera using a physical shutter when it’s not in use.

3. Google Nest Hub 2nd Gen

  • Screen size: 7 inches
For all those of you invested in the Google ecosystem, the Nest Hub 2nd Gen is the way to go. The obvious change here is that the voice assistant onboard is Google Assistant instead of Alexa. The rest of the features remain more or less similar.

Some users may have several Nest devices like thermostats or lights compatible with Google Assitant. If that’s the case, it doesn’t make much sense to get an Echo device as your kitchen display. As such, the Nest Hub is a great tool, especially for your kitchen, thanks to the Soli sensors onboard.

If you’re watching a video and want to skip forward, you can use hand gestures instead of touching the screen. This is extremely helpful if you have greasy hands. It’s also easy to watch YouTube videos on the Nest Hub as the utility is a part of Google’s essential suite of apps. That’s not all, as the Nest Hub doesn’t skimp on other features like timers and smart home controls either.

Note that the Google Nest Hub does not have a built-in camera so if you make a lot of video calls, you should consider other options.

4. Amazon Echo Show 10

  • Screen size: 10.1 inches
If you’re unhappy with the small screen of the Echo Show 5, you can upgrade to the Echo Show 10 which comes with a large 10-inch display. As a bonus, the device also gets excellent speakers along with a rotating base for video calls.

Do note that the Echo Show 10 offers the same feature set as the Echo Show 5. Correspondingly, you can set timers, access smart controls, watch videos, and view photos on the Echo Show 10 as well. That said, the device offers drastically improved hardware over its smaller sibling.

For starters, the Echo Show 10 features a 13MP sensor, which is great if you make a lot of video calls. The base of the display now rotates as per your position to keep you in the frame at all times as well. The Echo Show 10 also has Zigbee built-in which means you can use it as a smart home hub to connect other devices.

Not to forget, the speakers onboard are fantastic and can fill up an entire room. Amazon also gives you personalized recipes regularly with hands-free, step-by-step instructions. While the Echo Show 10 is expensive, it’s a worthy investment if you want a reliable smart display for your kitchen.

5. Amazon Echo Show 15

  • Screen size: 15.6 inches
The big boy Echo is finally here. The Echo Show 15 has a mammoth 15.6-inch screen — same as most laptops. So, if your primary use case is watching recipe videos, or if you want a large-screen timer, you can go all-out and pick up the Amazon Echo Show 15.

Think of the Amazon Echo Show 15 as a mini TV in your kitchen. You can use it to watch shows or movies too when you take a break from cooking. There’s also a built-in camera for video calls. Given the huge display, your video calls are also going to feel more immersive.

The Echo Show 15 also comes with Amazon’s Fire TV. You also get a remote with the device so you can operate it from a distance in your kitchen. And, if the Echo Show 15 is sticking out like a sore thumb in your kitchen, then you can spruce up its design by opting for a frame of sorts too. To that end, Amazon sells frames for the device that lend it the appearance of a photo frame.

It’s reminiscent of the Samsung Frame TV and the accessory jazzes up the Echo Show 15’s design tenfold. The Echo Show 15 from Amazon is expensive but if it fits your usage, it might be a good deal.

FAQs for Smart Displays for Your Kitchen

1. Does Google make something like the Echo Show?

The Google Nest Hub 2nd Gen mentioned above is a good alternative to the Echo Show. So, if you prefer Google’s services and Google Assistant over Alexa, you can opt for the Nest Hub.

2. Is Alexa better than Google Assistant?

It’s hard to answer that question. There’s no outright winner between the two and it all boils down to which one you prefer. If you have IoT devices that work with a specific voice assistant like Alexa, we would suggest picking a smart display with Alexa instead of Google Assistant.

3. Can I use smart displays as a digital photo frame?

All the smart displays mentioned above have the ability to turn into digital photo frames when idle. You can sync your album using your phone, or if you got the Nest Hub, the device can automatically show pictures from Google Photos on the screen.

Cook Efficiently

Having a digital aid in the kitchen can go a long way to make your cooking process easier. Even if it’s as simple as monitoring the temperature of a dish or setting the timer, a smart display for your kitchen is a great gadget to have. Not to forget, the ability to view recipes hands-free is a boon!

Last updated on 29 March, 2023

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