Ranked on display usefulness, camera privacy, and whether the speaker still sounds good with the screen off.
The Best Smart Speakers with a Display (2026)
Smart speakers with screens for clocks, cameras, video calls, and glanceable answers.
Our top picks at a glance
Best display speaker
Amazon Echo Show 5 (3rd Gen)Bedside tables and kitchens where seeing the time, weather, or a camera feed beats hearing it.
Best clock display
Amazon Echo Spot (2024 release)Nightstands where a clock, an alarm, and Alexa matter more than a big speaker.
Best track display
Bose Home Speaker 500Living rooms where one speaker must sound like a small hi-fi and show what is playing.
The Echo Show 5 (3rd Gen) is the display pick for most homes: its screen is big enough for cameras and weather, and its camera shutter handles the bedroom privacy worry. The Echo Spot (2024 release) is better if you want a clock and no camera at all.
The picks, ranked
| Pick | Display | Speaker | Camera | Buy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best display speakerAmazon Echo Show 5 (3rd Gen) | 5.5 inch touchscreen, 960 x 480 | 1.75 inch full-range driver | 2 MP with built-in shutter | Check price |
| Best clock displayAmazon Echo Spot (2024 release) | 2.5 inch customisable display | 1.73 inch full-range driver | - | Check price |
| Best track displayBose Home Speaker 500 | Colour LCD showing track info and time | - | - | Check price |
 Best living room alternativeAmazon Echo Studio (newest model) | - | - | - | Check price |
Best display speaker
Amazon Echo Show 5 (3rd Gen)
A bedside smart speaker with a screen for clocks, cameras, and video calls.
Strengths
- The 5.5 inch display turns Alexa answers into glanceable info: weather, timers, song titles, and compatible camera feeds without reaching for a phone.
- A 2 MP camera with a physical shutter supports video calls and home check-ins, and the shutter answers the privacy question visibly.
- Deeper bass and clearer vocals than the previous Show 5 generation make it a genuinely better speaker, not just a screen bolted onto one.
Limitations
- The single small driver still cannot match a dedicated music speaker in a living room.
- A screen in the bedroom suits some people and disturbs others, even with brightness controls and night modes.
- Some video services have come and gone from Echo Shows over the years, so treat the display as an Alexa screen first and a video player second.
What owners report
Commonly praised
- Glanceable weather, timers, and camera feeds without reaching for a phone
- Camera shutter answers the privacy question visibly
- Noticeably deeper bass and clearer vocals than the previous generation
Common complaints
- Single small driver cannot match a dedicated living room music speaker
- A bedroom screen suits some people and disturbs others, even with night modes
- Treat the display as an Alexa screen first, since video services come and go
Recurring themes from owner reviews on retailers and forums, summarised by our editors. Updated October 2026.
| Display | 5.5 inch touchscreen, 960 x 480 |
|---|---|
| Speaker | 1.75 inch full-range driver |
| Camera | 2 MP with built-in shutter |
| Voice assistant | Alexa with Matter support |
| Size and weight | 147 x 82 x 91 mm, 456 g |
Best for: Bedside tables and kitchens where seeing the time, weather, or a camera feed beats hearing it.
Skip if: You do not want a screen or a camera in the bedroom, or you only need audio.
Best clock display
Amazon Echo Spot (2024 release)
A bedside clock with Alexa: custom faces, routines, and vibrant sound in a small round body.
Strengths
- A customisable round display shows the time, weather, and song titles at a glance, with clock faces and colours that suit a bedroom far better than a phone screen.
- Alexa routines can wake you with music and gradually brightening light, and motion detection can trigger smart home actions as you come and go.
- The 1.73 inch speaker delivers clear vocals and deeper bass than the size suggests, making it a credible music speaker for a bedroom.
Limitations
- No camera, so no video calls or visual check-ins like the Echo Show 5 offers.
- The small display is for glances, not for watching video or reading long answers.
- Bedside placement means the speaker is heard from one side of the bed more than the other.
What owners report
Commonly praised
- Round bedroom display shows time, weather, and song titles at a glance
- Routines can wake you with music and a gradually brightening light
- Clear vocals and deeper bass than the size suggests for a bedroom
Common complaints
- No camera, so no video calls or visual check-ins
- Small display is for glances, not watching video or reading long answers
- Bedside placement means sound reaches one side of the bed more than the other
Recurring themes from owner reviews on retailers and forums, summarised by our editors. Updated October 2026.
| Display | 2.5 inch customisable display |
|---|---|
| Speaker | 1.73 inch full-range driver |
| Voice assistant | Alexa |
| Smart home extras | eero Built-in, motion-triggered routines |
| In the box | Echo Spot, power adapter, quick start guide |
Best for: Nightstands where a clock, an alarm, and Alexa matter more than a big speaker.
Skip if: You want video calls, a camera, or a speaker for a large room.
Best track display
Bose Home Speaker 500
Bose stereo sound with a display, Alexa, and Google Assistant in one handsome box.
Strengths
- Two drivers firing in opposite directions create a wider stereo image than a single-driver smart speaker, which is the 500's main advantage over the 300.
- A small colour display shows album art, track info, and the time, so the speaker works as a kitchen or living room information point as well as a music source.
- Both Alexa and Google Assistant are built in, with Bluetooth and AirPlay 2 as fallbacks for guests and Apple devices.
Limitations
- Mains powered and fairly large, so it stays where you put it.
- Bose multi-room support is narrower than Sonos, with fewer speaker models to expand into.
- The display is small and best read up close rather than across a room.
What owners report
Commonly praised
- Opposing drivers give a wider stereo image than a single-driver speaker
- Colour display turns it into a kitchen information point as well as a music source
- Dual assistants plus Bluetooth and AirPlay cover guests and Apple devices
Common complaints
- Mains powered and fairly large, so it stays where you put it
- Bose multi-room support is narrower than Sonos, with fewer models to expand into
- Display is small and best read up close rather than across a room
Recurring themes from owner reviews on retailers and forums, summarised by our editors. Updated October 2026.
| Sound | Stereo via two opposing drivers |
|---|---|
| Display | Colour LCD showing track info and time |
| Voice assistants | Alexa and Google Assistant |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, AirPlay 2, 3.5 mm aux |
| Size and weight | 170 x 109 x 203 mm, 2.15 kg |
Best for: Living rooms where one speaker must sound like a small hi-fi and show what is playing.
Skip if: You want a portable speaker, or you plan to build a multi-room system beyond Bose.
Best living room alternative
Amazon Echo Studio (newest model)
The biggest, fullest Echo sound, with Dolby Atmos and a built-in smart home hub.
Strengths
- A 3.1.1 channel layout with three full-range drivers and a large woofer gives the Studio a wide, room-filling sound that smaller Echos cannot match, with Dolby Atmos support for compatible music.
- Automatic room adaptation measures the acoustics of the room and adjusts the sound continuously, so placement against a wall or in a corner hurts less than with a fixed-tune speaker.
- A built-in Zigbee hub plus Matter and Thread support lets it control compatible smart home devices directly, and it pairs wirelessly with Fire TV devices as a home cinema speaker.
Limitations
- Large and heavy for a smart speaker, so it dominates a small shelf or bedside table.
- Best results need an Alexa-centred home; Google Assistant fans get none of the same integration.
- The newest model costs several times the price of an Echo Pop, which is overkill for a bedroom.
What owners report
Commonly praised
- Wide room-filling sound that smaller Echos cannot match, with Atmos support
- Automatic room adaptation softens the penalty for wall or corner placement
- Built-in hub support controls compatible smart home devices directly
Common complaints
- Large and heavy for a smart speaker, so it dominates a small shelf
- Best results need an Alexa-centred home, with no Google Assistant integration
- Overkill for a bedroom, where a smaller Echo would do
Recurring themes from owner reviews on retailers and forums, summarised by our editors. Updated October 2026.
| Channels | 3.1.1 with Dolby Atmos and Amazon spatial audio |
|---|---|
| Drivers | Three 2.25 inch full-range drivers and one 3.75 inch woofer |
| Voice assistant | Alexa |
| Smart home | Zigbee hub, Matter, Thread border router, eero Built-in |
| Size and weight | 155 x 142.2 x 147.3 mm, 1.63 kg |
Best for: Alexa households that want one speaker to fill a living room and run a smart home.
Skip if: You live in the Google or Sonos ecosystem, or you only need a bedroom speaker.
Questions, answered
Is a display speaker worth it over a plain speaker?
Yes if you check cameras, use visual timers, or like seeing the weather and song titles at a glance. If you only play music and set timers, a plain speaker sounds better for the money.
Can I turn the screen off at night?
Yes. Both the Echo Show 5 and Echo Spot dim automatically and offer night modes that reduce the display to a faint clock, and the Show 5 camera shutter closes independently of the screen.
Do display speakers show video from every service?
No. Video support on Echo Shows has changed over time as services arrive and leave, so buy for Alexa features and camera viewing rather than for one particular streaming app.