After some time, flipping from one platform to the next because of the fear of missing out or switching from one screen to the other because of the unique content accessible from these platforms, or having to control your home devices from different control devices end up being exhausting.
Even with specialty apps, you are only human, and you may be confused by the different things going on, only to be inconvenienced. But this doesn’t have to be the case; you don’t have to feel overwhelmed any more thanks to the smart home hubs.
These smart home hubs are essentially the keystone that bridges and allows all your smart devices to work together seamlessly. You could think of these smart home hubs with screens as the bridge designed to connect all your devices from TVs and refrigerators to thermostats, allowing you to control and monitor all your devices from a central place, in this case, the smart home hub.
Why get the home hub with screen?
These home hubs with screens are easy to use, and if you are on the market looking for the best home hubs with screens, you are at the right place, and we’ve got you covered. In this review, we review some of the best home hubs and home controllers with screens.
The truth is that if you are new to the smart home hubs with screens on the market today, you may end up making the wrong choice or you may regret buying one hub instead of the other when you learn later on that the device chosen lacks an important feature you would have loved.
But who can blame you? There are easily hundreds, if not thousands of these devices, and the interesting bit is that you get to use them to control most, if not all of your smart home devices ranging from the digital locks, smart lights, security camera, and smart thermostats, among others, all from one interface.
This interface that connects all these home devices needs to have features and functions that allow easy configuration and integration between the different devices.
So, which is your best choice?
with experts listing home hubs with screens such as the Samsung SmartThings Hub v3, Amazon Echo Dot, AND Google Assistant, among others, as some of the leading smart home hubs?
Well, before we look at some of these hubs, we need to remind you that the home hub with screen you choose should be the one that interfaces effortlessly with all your smart home devices from the speakers to locks, lights, and the security camera systems.
Also, these devices are available at different price ranges, meaning that there is certainly something for everyone – just set a budget, look at the features of the devices on the market, and pick the one that works best for you.
Reviews: The Best Home Hubs with Screens
1. Google Nest Hub Max
This home hub might be one of the pricier home hubs with screens, but this hub promises full value for money, thanks to the fact that it’s packed with high-quality and essential features that you need to make your smart home easily controlled.
The Google Nest Hub Max is essentially the larger version of the older Google Nest Hub, formerly called the Google Home Hub, and it comes with everything you need in a home hub device.
Looking at its design, this home hub nest by Google looks much like a curvy Android tablet that’s been bolded onto a dark grey base that’s cloth-lined. It has np hidden curves or an annoying bulk on its back, and it fits onto different surfaces, including your kitchen work surface easily.
Its touchscreen display is not different from the older hub, and except the fact that it’s slightly bigger than the older, smaller sibling, they look pretty much the same.
This Hub Max comes with a 10-inch LCD screen, a 16:10 aspect ratio, and a resolution of 1200×800 pixels.
More features of the Google Nest Hub Max
The other new feature showcased in this hub is its embedded Nest Cam camera installed at the top of the hub’s display. This camera has a wide, 127-degree field of view, and the best feature is that the camera 9supports auto-framing technology, which tracks movements.
The biggest feature of this hub, however, is Google Duo, the chat feature which allows you to chat with your family/ friends on video easily. On top of the video chat function, the other impressive camera feature is the FaceMatch, a feature that allows Nest Hub Max to match users to their Google accounts using facial recognition easily.
The facial recognition function comes in handy in that the hub’s camera will recognize your face or even switch the user profiles depending on who is in the house or using the hub. In turn, the camera will take the commands of the users, intelligently framing you as you walk/ move in front of the camera as you hold conversations.
On top of all that, the hub’s camera also functions as a second camera, and you could easily log into your mobile device the look at the cam as needed. This home hub display system will also send you alerts if you need it to.
This Google Nest Hub Max also features some of the best audio functions delivered via the 38mm speakers and the 78mm subwoofers. These audio features give this Google Nest Hub with screen great audio quality, between your standard Google Home smart speaker and Google Home Max, the larger version of the two.
Also speaking of audio quality, this hub device also comes with two high-quality far-field microphones that allow the Google Assistant to hear your voice command clearly and instantly.
So, what can you use the Google Home Nest Hub for?
well, its touchscreen display makes it easy for you to watch videos, read the news, play interactive games, and you could also use to view your gallery photos on its rotating gallery.
But those are its basic functions – once it’s integrated with Google Assistant, you can connect this device to all the compatible devices in your home or even use it to form different scenes.
For example, you could use it to adjust the lights, report the news, play music, check your calendar, and a lot more. All these are made possible once you enable the Google Assistant voice commands.
Pros
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- The screen has an excellent design and size, and it works great
- It features high-quality music-friendly speakers
- Cool design
- Reasonably priced
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Cons
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- It lacks support functions for Netflix
- Other devices boast better/ sharper displays
- The integration is a little wobbly during the launch
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[su_button url=”https://www.amazon.com/New-Google-Home-Hub-Controller/dp/B07XB3FK2N/tag=smarthomegizmos-20″ target=”blank” style=”flat” background=”#2D3194″ size=”6″ wide=”yes” center=”yes” radius=”5″ icon=”icon: external-link”] Get Google Nest Hub Max Today! [/su_button]
2. Amazon Echo Show
If you are looking for an Alexa smart home hub that boasts a huge display, you may want to invest in this Amazon Echo Show, which is one of the best home hubs with a display.
This second-generation device is a huge improvement of the original Amazon Echo, and it offers all you need today, and so much more. This Amazon Echo Show is, therefore, regarded as one of the best Alexa displays.
This device works seamlessly with Philips Hue, Zigbee, SmartThings, Nest, WeMo, Honeywell, and IFTTT.
With the bigger display screen, you will be able to enjoy bigger and brighter views, improved quality of video calls, and a very clear, richer, audio system that works perfectly in your home.
Besides the enhanced functions, the new device boasts a sleeker display with sharper images, you can play YouTube videos from your browser, the speakers are elegant with great sound, and it also allows for two-communication, easily.
New features
One of the newest features added to the Amazon Echo Show is its accessibility skill function called Show and Tell.
This is our most favorite feature thanks to its exclusivity, specifically its capacity to help the blind and the low-vision customers to easily identify and use some of the most common household goods in the pantry, especially the things that could otherwise be harder to differentiate.
The best part is that item identification is as easy as asking, ‘Alexa, what’s in my hand?’ OR ‘Alexa, what am I holding?’ To us, this is a super cool function!
If you choose this Amazon Echo Show device, you will like its living room-friendly design. Its edges are not sharp and made of black plastic that would leave fingerprints all over, as it was the case with the first-generation device.
More features of the Amazon Echo Show
The new and improved Amazon Echo Show sits comfortably and looks sleek on different surfaces from countertops to desks and coffee tables. Its rounded edges enhance its ease of use. You may also like the three buttons at the top for muting, unmuting the microphone, and volume controls.
The microUSB at the back works as a network connector and also a power input. Unfortunately, it doesn’t have buttons for turning off the camera shutter.
At 6.9inches in height and 9.7inches in width, this smart home hub takes very little space, and at the same time, this device is sturdy and compact enough for easy mounting. Regarding its design and the interface, you may like the interface and the simple list structure of its features.
You could easily navigate different features like the weather forecast, calendars, and recipes, from wherever you are.
The display is also gorgeous, but you must be ready for some glare, just as it was the case in the older version. The glare is not, however, horrible, and the screen will somehow kick back the glares, except when you use it in the dark.
Wondering how the sound/ audio quality is like? Well, you might actually fall in love with its audio quality thanks to the excellent quality audio and the booming bass.
The great sound comes from the upgrade of the older dual 2-inch stereo speakers with new and improved dual, 2-inch premium quality sound drivers incorporated with a passive bass radiator. The audio quality for music and video is too good; you could easily throw a party with this device.
Pros
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- Feature-rich interface
- User-friendly design
- This hub boasts two browsers, Amazon’s Silk and Firefox and you could use them for browsing or watching YouTube Videos
- Skype Video calls will be added pretty soon
- It comes with a number of skills such as Song Quiz, the Musical Trivia Game, Magic Door fantasy, and Earthcam.
- You could also use it to scan and shop
- Excellent audio quality with a booming bass
- It’s very convenient
- Two-way easy communication for the doorbell and the camera’s audio
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Cons
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- The browsing experience could be better
- Screen glare
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[su_button url=”https://www.amazon.com/All-new-Echo-Show-2nd-Gen/dp/B077SXWSRP?tag=smarthomegizmos-20″ target=”blank” style=”flat” background=”#2D3194″ size=”6″ wide=”yes” center=”yes” radius=”5″ icon=”icon: external-link”] Get Amazon Echo Show Today! [/su_button]
3. Amazon Echo Show 8
Regarded as the smart home hub with the best Alexa Display, Amazon Echo Show 8 could be the next best home hub you invest in if you are looking for a high-quality home hub that can respond to all your voice commands and controls with ease or just a home hub whose screen makes it easy for you to browse for recipes, play games, and control your smart home with ease.
You may like the fact that its 8-inch screen is just small enough to stay out of your way, but at the same time, big enough for you to read everything on the screen without squinting. Its other impressive features are the physical camera shutter designed to enhance privacy.
As a smart device, this Amazon Echo Show 8 promises to make your life easier with the recent upgrades which saw the incorporation of the sunrise alarm feature that will help you ease out of sleep easily, since the screen will become brighter every 15 minutes, before your wake-up time.
Therefore, if you are looking for a smart home hub device that would work well in your bedroom, this Amazon Echo Show 8 could be the perfect control device for you. You could also use this device to watch your how-to-videos or to make video calls, all in one tap.
Amazon Echo Show also features
The other top features of this device include its two pinhole cameras sitting at the top-edge of Echo Show 8, as well as the up/down volume functions, and the buttons for muting and unmuting the microphone.
For enhanced privacy, there is a mechanical switch placed above the camera, designed to slide easily to cover the lens easily. At the back of this hub are a power connector, a 3.5mm aux output port, and a micro USB port for service and network connections.
The LCD screen on this smart home hub is an 8-inch touchscreen with a resolution of 1280×800 pixels. This screen is bright, colorful, and it is easily paired with two 2-0inch drivers powered to 10watts.
Next up, we take a look at the Alexa features offered by this hub device
Essentially, Alexa is voice-activated, and it will take different commands, as long as you direct your voice commands to Alexa.
Alexa will answer most of your general questions and commands for weather/ traffic, schedule, and you could also ask Alexa to create your to-do lists. Regarding music, Alexa could play music from Apple Music, Amazon Music, SiriusXM, Pandora, or Spotify.
And it could also read audiobooks from Audible while accessing videos from Hulu and Amazon Video.
The other things that Alexa can do include pairing your smartphone over Bluetooth to play audio, and you could also use it to control your smart home devices connected to major brands like TP-Link, Nest, and Philips Hue.
It could also connect with your video doorbell or the home security camera, giving you access to live feeds from these screens. The other cool feature is the two-way communication function enabled for communication via the speaker and the microphone. The audio, especially the bass, is great.
Pros
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- It is affordable
- Great and powerful sound
- Sharp screen
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Cons
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- The bass could be better
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[su_button url=”https://www.amazon.com/Echo-Show-8/dp/B07PF1Y28C?tag=smarthomegizmos-20″ target=”blank” style=”flat” background=”#2D3194″ size=”6″ wide=”yes” center=”yes” radius=”5″ icon=”icon: external-link”] Get Amazon Echo Show 8 Today! [/su_button]
4. Lenovo Smart Display
If you are searching for a full-size display smart home hub for your home, you may want to get this Lenovo Smart Display, a 10-inch 1920×1200 pixel touchscreen that’s powered by Google Assistant.
This hub is elegantly designed, and it’s one of the best innovations by Lenovo to debut a built-in Google Assistant.
It features great smart home control functions and panels, as well as recipe guides, and the high-quality screen display makes for excellent video calls, while the physical camera shutter allows you to cover the camera when you need added privacy.
Sound system and Display
Its sound system is decent, and the Google Cast feature enhances the device’s media flexibility.
The sound features of this display come from the 2-inch active speaker driver, which is powered by 10 watts of power, as well as twin, powerful passive tweeters.
The display is quite versatile, with a neutral aesthetic that features a flat, two-tone front panel, a rectangular framed white bezel, rounded corners, and the black-bordered screen located right next to the white speaker grille. All these features make this a beautiful, easy to use display.
There are two pinhole mics with a volume rocker and a microphone mute switch located on the right side corner.
This device runs on Android Things software that’s built around Google Assistant, and with access to first-party Google functions and services. This hub integrates well with Google Assistant.
Pros
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- Big, high-quality, and crisp screen
- It boasts an attractive design
- Features Google Cast for enhanced media flexibility
- It supports YouTube seamlessly.
- Powerful and very useful Google Assistant integration
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Cons
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- The bass is relatively weak
- Audio power is slow
- You need Google Duo for video and voice chats
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[su_button url=”https://www.lenovo.com/us/en/virtual-reality-and-smart-devices/smart-home/smart-home-series/Smart-Display-10/p/ZZISZSDSDX1″ target=”blank” style=”flat” background=”#2D3194″ size=”6″ wide=”yes” center=”yes” radius=”5″ icon=”icon: external-link”] Get Lenovo Smart Display Today! [/su_button]
Conclusion
The smart hub devices reviewed above are some of the best home hubs with Screens, and we’d recommend them to you any day. But for you to choose one device over the other, you need to bear in mind different features offered by the device such as the features offered, the display features, functions, overall design, voice-activated commands, and how the device integrates with your home devices.
Never overlook device compatibility and work within your budget.
