Smart displays like
Nest Hubs
or
Echo Shows
These gadgets offer more than just an attractive display; they combine a sizable touch interface with advanced audio capabilities, enabling you to issue vocal instructions and engage with the screen from various locations within your house such as the kitchen, garage, game room, or living area.
Smart displays
might appear superfluous when you can simply utilize a
smart speaker
or
your phone
However, that undersells their potential — during our tests, we discovered numerous beneficial ways smart displays can improve your living space in manners that other gadgets cannot. Below are some of our top picks.
Read more
:
Top Smart Home Technologies for 2025
Remote thermostat control
“Hey, Google, display my smart thermostat,” I instruct it.
Nest Hub
, and it displays an operational interface for me
Nest Thermostat 4
I not only view the temperature but can also tweak the thermostat effortlessly with just a tap, never having to approach it physically. This feature proves particularly handy during unexpectedly colder mornings—simply place a smart display beside your bed for easy adjustments without leaving the covers—or when the kitchen becomes too warm and needs cooling off. Such everyday conveniences offered by thermostat operations typically function well with many compatible models.
Looking up helpful recipes
If you’re
cooking up a storm
, you might already have a recipe selected, organized, and saved online. However, there are times when you need to quickly find a side dish recipe spontaneously and find yourself pressed for time and occupied with tasks.
We discovered that using smart displays for looking up recipes is especially helpful, particularly when we need to recall drink and cocktail proportions or explore side dishes we’re not very familiar with. These devices prove invaluable for quickly fetching images of ideally cooked foods like perfectly roasted radishes or finding visuals of the correct consistency for a stirred roux just by giving a simple voice command.
Setting multiple timers
Of course, you can activate any timer using a smart speaker or simply through your phone without needing a screen. However, managing several timers concurrently—such as when handling various cooking tasks or setting up numerous reminders—is where a smart display truly shines. It allows you to see all the active timers at a glance; these will be displayed automatically. This way, you won’t have to wonder about their statuses while preoccupied with other activities, which turns out to be quite handy.
Catching a live game while you’re busy
Today’s smart displays can pair with all kinds of video services, from VLC to the ESPN app, as well as with streaming services like
Amazon Prime
,
YouTube TV
, and
Hulu
If you subscribe to live sports, you can stream them on your smart display and stay updated with the matches regardless of where you are. This is particularly enjoyable when you’re busy with tasks in the workshop, kitchen, or office yet wish to follow crucial game highlights beyond what a radio offers.
Monitoring the children with a surveillance camera
Smart displays can connect with any compatible device.
home security camera
,enabling you to seamlessly transition to a live feed from the camera using a brief vocal instruction. This feature proves particularly helpful for
nanny cam–like devices
If your children
or your beloved pets
When they’re snoozing in another bedroom, frolicking outdoors, or squabbling over the television, you can still monitor them from a different location using a smart display.
Developing a bedtime timer and evening light display
An intelligent display in your bedroom serves more than just as an advanced alarm clock. It offers a notably helpful feature once you decide it’s time for sleep:
Night-light Google apps
and
night-light Alexa skills
It can transform the screen into a serene, calming visual accompanied by a timer for shutdown, ensuring you gradually drift off. Just make certain your display dims automatically when not in use.
Note
I wouldn’t recommend relying on YouTube videos for this because they often have annoying ads that interrupt at inconvenient moments; however, if you choose to do so, you can locate them.
lots of night-light videos
there as well.
Searching for information about video games and movies
I was pleasantly surprised by this; however, it offers great utility when setting up a smart display close to a television.
gaming station
If you find yourself stuck in a game or desire additional details about a specific section, such as maps, quest procedures, puzzle resolutions, or character builds, you can easily access relevant videos and tutorials using only a few voice commands on your smart display.
This approach is much simpler and more practical compared to using your smartphone, as smartphones frequently lack sufficient size for these kinds of activities. The same technique can be applied when searching for film information or actor bios without interrupting what’s happening on your main display.
Top Smart Speakers of 2025: Our Test with Alexa, Google, Apple, and Sonos
Check out Viral Buzz News
We suggest swinging by the most recent updates as well.
on Apple’s upcoming, possibly delayed smart display
, how to
choose the finest smart display
if you don’t possess one, and the
best 200 Alexa commands
.
Initially released on April 23, 2025 at 10:58 AM Pacific Time.
