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Links with Google Assistant.
Finest Smart Soundbar
Featuring a wireless subwoofer, immersive virtual surround sound, and Amazon’s Alexa integrated, the Yamaha YAS-209 stands out as the premier smart soundbar available currently. It supports Spotify Connect, Bluetooth, and Wi-Fi connections, making it an excellent speaker for all-encompassing listening experiences in your living space.
Connects with Alexa.
★ Alternate: The Sonos Beam soundbar ($499) (8/10, WIRED Recommends) presents another solid option. While not our top choice in terms of value, it comes with Alexa, Google Assistant, and Airplay support (with some Siri) straight out of the package.
Optimal Google Assistant Smart Display
Smart displays find utility in various areas of the home, like the kitchen or entrance, yet often remain underutilized. The Google Pixel Tablet (7/10, WIRED Recommends) addresses this by combining a tablet and a smart display into a single versatile device. The 11-inch tablet docks onto the included Docking Station to transform into a smart display that closely resembles the Google Nest Hub Max, and detaching it converts it back into a tablet. (There might be a minor learning curve in properly detaching it from the magnetic base.)
Placing it on the dock activates the tablet’s Hub Mode, allowing you to personalize the display to showcase your Google Photos or choose from various clock designs. By tapping the Google Home icon on the lock screen, you effortlessly manage smart home devices, accessing an overlay of your preferred devices for control and checking camera feeds from doorbells and Wi-Fi cameras. This functionality is exclusively accessible while docked, ensuring your camera feeds remain private when using the tablet outside.
For numerous reasons, the Pixel Tablet currently stands as our preferred smart display. The dock’s integrated speakers deliver robust sound with surprisingly good bass, enabling enjoyable music playback in the kitchen or living area. Moreover, it offers multiuser support for up to eight accounts, each customizable with unique apps, layouts, and wallpapers, all secured by fingerprint authentication, permitting the entire family to utilize the device without interference.
If opting against purchasing both a tablet and a smart display, the Nest Hub Max (8/10, WIRED Recommends) remains an excellent selection with comparable features, a sizable screen, and remarkably decent speakers given its slim form.
Links with Google Assistant.
Top Alexa Smart Display
The Echo Show 8 (3rd Gen) retains all the qualities we admired in its predecessor while incorporating features found in Amazon’s higher-priced Echo Show displays. Enhancements in the third-gen Show 8 include a smart home hub compatible with Zigbee, Matter, and Thread devices, as well as spatial audio capabilities (though not all music services may support this). Additionally, it introduces widgets, enabling you to place small Post-It-like shortcuts on the screen for easy access to your favorite smart home devices, calendar, or a digital sticky note. While these widgets may not always be visible on the Echo Show 8 due to content rotation, they enhance usability when displayed.
Beyond that, the Show 8 maintains exceptional sound quality and an ideal screen size for viewing weather updates and recipes without occupying excessive counter or table space. It’s simple to manage music playback, smart home devices, view videos, and receive information such as sports scores and weather alerts directly on the screen. The 13-MP camera facilitates video calls, serving dual purposes as a security camera or a means to communicate via video within the household.
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