How to Choose a Smart Display
A smart display is really a smart speaker with a screen attached, so most of the ecosystem decisions are the same ones you'd make for a speaker. What changes is whether that screen actually earns its counter or nightstand space in a given room.
This guide covers the questions specific to displays — screen size, cameras, and privacy — rather than repeating the assistant comparison from our smart speaker guide.
Ready to compare specific models? Jump to our best smart displays roundup for current picks, pros and cons, and pricing.
Decide if you actually need a screen
A screen adds real value in a handful of specific spots: a kitchen where you want to glance at a recipe or timer, a bedroom where it doubles as an alarm clock and photo frame, or anywhere you want to see a video doorbell's live feed without pulling out your phone.
If none of that applies — say, a living room where you'd only ever use voice commands — a plain smart speaker does the same job for less money and without a screen drawing your eye (or a toddler's fingers).
Match screen size to the room
Compact 5-6 inch displays, like the Echo Show 5 or Google Nest Hub, are sized for a nightstand or shelf — close enough to read without needing a large screen. They also cost less and take up minimal space.
Larger 8-10 inch displays make more sense on a kitchen counter, where you're typically standing several feet away while cooking. Go bigger still (like the wall-mounted Echo Show 15) only if you want a always-visible family hub for calendars and lists, since that size stops being portable in any practical sense.
Camera, video calls, and privacy tradeoffs
Displays with a built-in camera add video calling and let you check in on compatible security cameras or video doorbells right on the screen. Some, like the Echo Show 10, even motorize the base to keep you in frame while you move around during a call.
If the display is going in a bedroom, a physical camera shutter or lens cover (standard on most current Echo Show and Nest Hub Max models) matters more than any software toggle. If you'd rather skip a camera in that room entirely, the standard Google Nest Hub is one of the few current displays that ships without one.
Ecosystem choice still carries over
Just like smart speakers, a display's screen is attached to one voice assistant ecosystem — Amazon's Echo Show line runs Alexa, Google's Nest Hub line runs Google Assistant. That decision affects which video doorbells and cameras will show a live feed on the display, so check compatibility before assuming your existing camera will show up automatically.
If you're starting from scratch, pick the same ecosystem you're using (or planning to use) for speakers, plugs, and bulbs elsewhere in the house, rather than choosing a display in isolation.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Do I need a smart display, or is a smart speaker enough?
- A speaker covers voice control just as well. A display is worth the extra cost mainly for recipe/timer viewing in a kitchen, an alarm-clock-and-photo-frame role in a bedroom, or viewing a compatible camera or doorbell's live feed on the screen.
- Will my security camera's live feed show up on any smart display?
- Only within the same ecosystem. Ring and many other brands support Echo Show devices; Nest cameras and doorbells integrate most seamlessly with Google's Nest Hub line. Check the camera brand's supported devices before assuming it'll work.
- Is a smart display with a camera safe to put in a bedroom?
- Most buyers who are cautious about it choose a model with a physical shutter or lens cover, or pick a display without a camera at all, like the standard Google Nest Hub. Software-only privacy toggles are a weaker guarantee than physically blocking the lens.