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arrive Early afternoon Sunday for CES.
Smart displays are the tech world's latest fetish. Put Google Assistant or Amazon Alexa into a [smart speaker](https://www.wired.com/story/best-smart-speakers/) with a tablet-sized screen and you get a fun way to see the weather, album art, TV shows, video calls, and other (mostly) useful stuff. With [Facebook](https://www.wired.com/story/facebook-portal-smart-home-device/) and [Google](https://www.wired.com/story/google-home-hub-smart-display/) each jumping into the fray with their own displays, it's a good time to step back and examine the LCD-filled terrain. Below are the major smart displays, and the best use-case for each.
*Updated November 2019: We've included all the latest models and added the Echo Show 8, and some hands-on thoughts about the Facebook Portal.*
### Best for Music
If you want a speaker with a screen, which is to say you want good sound above all else, JBL's Link View ([8/10, WIRED Recommends](https://www.wired.com/review/jbl-link-view-google-smart-display/)) is an early frontrunner. It has the best speakers of any display we've tried, and its 8-inch screen is almost ideal—small enough that it doesn't take up your whole countertop, but big enough for squint-free Google Duo video chats. Plus, it has a built-in privacy cover over its webcam to ensure no one is snooping on you unless you allow it.
### Best for the Kitchen
Lenovo's Smart Display ([8/10, WIRED Recommends](https://www.wired.com/review/review-lenovo-smart-display/)) can't pump out the jams as well as JBL's Link View, but it has a stylish design that's kitchen friendly. Google Assistant's step-by-step recipe directions work perfectly on it. You can prop it up vertically for Google Duo calls or keep it widescreen, and it comes in two sizes: [8-inch](https://goto.walmart.com/c/1305164/565706/9383?subId1=bestsmartdisplays&veh=aff&sourceid=imp_000011112222333344&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.walmart.com%2Fip%2FLenovo-Smart-Display-8%2F599801301){: rel=nofollow} or [10-inch](https://goto.walmart.com/c/1305164/565706/9383?subId1=bestsmartdisplays&veh=aff&sourceid=imp_000011112222333344&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.walmart.com%2Fip%2FLenovo-Smart-Display-10-with-the-Google-Assistant%2F552189414){: rel=nofollow}. The 10-inch may be too large for some, but we loved the bamboo wood grain design touches on the back. And, like the Link View, this also has a privacy shutter so you can keep the camera covered.
### The Amazon Show
Amazon's [2nd Echo Show](https://www.wired.com/story/amazon-echo-show-future-of-tv/) has a larger 10-inch screen and enhanced, rearward-firing speakers. It has a more high-end look and can now play NBC and Hulu videos. Amazon has even added step-by-step recipes to Alexa to combat what Google cooked up for its displays. Frankly, it's still not as good as Google Assistant in this regard, but Amazon invented this category and the latest Echo Show is a promising evolution of the smart screen concept.
There's also the [Echo Show 5 ($90](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07HZLHPKP/){: rel=nofollow}, with a much smaller screen that makes it more at home on a bedside table then anywhere else. This year Amazon added the [Echo Show 8 $130](https://www.amazon.com/Echo-Show-8/dp/B07PF1Y28C/){: rel=nofollow}, the middle child you might say. We haven't laid hands on one yet, but with the same pixel density of the 10.1 inch model in a smaller form factor, the Echo Show 8 will likely offer the best screen quality of the Echo show family.
### The Creepy Clock
The Echo Spot is the smallest Alexa smart display, and it creeped us out at first (we gave it a [6/10](https://www.wired.com/review/review-amazon-echo-spot/) when we reviewed it). Amazon positioned it as a smart alarm clock of sorts, but it has a camera without a privacy shutter—giving you the uneasy feeling that it watches you sleep. The round 2.5-inch screen is also too small for watching Netflix or video calling, even if it's fine for at-a-glance info. But if you have some electrical tape handy and want to wake up to Alexa in the morning, it's a fun little device.
### Tablet Transformer
Amazon's new Show Dock recharges one of its 8-inch or [10-inch Fire HD](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07DDDPWML/){: rel=nofollow} tablets and turns it into a very nice Echo display, complete with voice commands. The microphones won't pick up your voice quite as well, but using a tablet adds portability to the smart display experience. If you want apps, but tend to place your Fire HD back in the same spot each night, a Show Dock might be right for you. One thing to note, your Fire will only stay active for 30 minutes at a time.
### Facebook Has One Too
Adrienne So
Facebook wants in on the hardware market. The [10-inch Portal and 16-inch Portal Plus](https://www.wired.com/story/facebook-portal-smart-home-device/) are its answer. WIRED senior writer Andrienne So, liked using the portal ([6/10 WIRED Review](https://www.wired.com/review/facebook-portal-2019/)), but found the portal "difficult to separate this family of devices from the social network that makes them." And therein lies the rub. To add to the creepiness the Portal can rotate, with a camera that follows your movements. Other than video chatting, Amazon's Alexa runs the show. It should operate similarly to the Echo Show and pull off most of Alexa's usual abilities without trouble. Facebook also stresses that calls are encrypted and the camera can be disabled or blocked with the included camera cover.
### Google's First Display
There are a growing number of smart displays with Google Home, and finally Google makes one of its own. The Google Nest Hub Max has an unobtrusive design, 10-inch touch screen display, some pretty good speakers, and a camera for video calls over Google Duo. There's also the slightly smaller [Google Nest Hub](https://store.google.com/config/google_nest_hub){: rel=nofollow} with a 7-inch screen. This ends up a slightly odd size, too small to be useful in places like the kitchen, but a little large for the bedside. It also doesn't have a camera. It can do voice calls, but Google opted out of the growing concerns over the amount of cameras in our lives.
### Go Screenless
If you don't feel the need for a screen, a smart speaker offers the power of an assistant and often much better sound to boot. We like the JBL Link 20 ([8/10, WIRED Recommends](https://www.wired.com/review/review-jbl-link-speakers-with-google-assistant/)) which strikes a great balance between price, size, and sound quality. If you want the best sound you can get from a smart speaker, the [Sonos One](https://www.amazon.com/Sonos-One-Gen-Controlled-Built/dp/B07NJPXRBC/){: rel=nofollow} is a good choice ([8/10, WIRED Recommends](https://www.wired.com/story/review-sonos-one/)). Be sure to read our [guide to choosing the right Sonos speaker setup](https://www.wired.com/story/best-sonos-speakers-buying-guide/).
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