Echo Show or Nest Hub? We compared 9 smart displays and these 4 are worth it

The Echo Show 8 hits the sweet spot between size and price. Its 8-inch screen is large enough to read recipes and watch a show from across the kitchen, and reviewers praise its fuller sound compared with smaller displays. It also has a built-in smart home hub that supports Zigbee and Matter, so it can control many lights and plugs directly. The camera works for video calls and has a physical shutter, plus a button that turns off the mics. The downside is that Amazon pushes ads and suggestions onto the home screen, which some owners find cluttered. It's still the most well-rounded display for most homes.

If your family runs on Google Calendar, Gmail and Google Photos, the Nest Hub (2nd Gen) is the natural pick. Its 7-inch screen turns into a lovely digital photo frame, and Google Assistant is quick with general questions. There's no camera at all, which makes it a privacy-friendly choice for bedrooms. It also offers optional sleep sensing that uses radar to track sleep without a wearable. Speaker quality is fine for podcasts and timers, though weak for music. Google has slowed down updates for its older smart displays, so this is a better buy for simple needs than for the most advanced smart home setups.

The Echo Show 5 is about the size of an alarm clock, and that's exactly how most owners use it. The 5.5-inch screen shows the time, weather and your next alarm, and it can dim automatically at night. You can tap the top to snooze, and a sunrise alarm gradually brightens the screen. It's also a cheap way to add Alexa controls and a small camera for video calls to a bedroom or home office. Sound is thin for music, and the small screen is cramped for recipes or video. For bedside use, though, it's one of the best values in smart home gear and often sells for less.

The Echo Show 15 is designed to hang on a wall like a picture frame, and it shines as a family command center. Its 15.6-inch screen shows shared calendars, sticky notes, shopping lists and smart home controls in one glance. It also runs Fire TV, so you can stream shows in the kitchen. Visual ID can recognize different family members and show personalized reminders. Mounting it takes some planning since it needs nearby power, and audio is modest for a screen this size. It's overkill for one person, but for busy households it replaces a paper calendar and fridge whiteboard neatly.