92 T3 DECEMBER 2021
Best of the best
The most
comprehensive Alexa
smart speaker to date,
capable of doing lots,
and with a unique
trick: its large screen
rotates to follow you
around the room, so
that you can always
see it clearly.
£239.99, amazon.co.uk
APPLE HOMEPOD MINI
A quality little speaker
with the ability to
act as a HomeKit
hub to control smart
home devices – and
even support for
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Thread. The slickest
phone-to-speaker
experience there is.
£99, apple.com
GOOGLE NEST HUB MAX
Winner of our 2020
T3 award as the
best smart speaker
for doing absolutely
everything. You get
a crisp 10in screen, a
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a room, a front
camera and of course
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£219, store.google.com
AMAZON ECHO 4TH GEN
Bigger than the
previous model, it has
beefed up speakers
and features, while
the Zigbee smart
home functionality
that used to be part
of the Echo Plus only
has been moved into
the standard Echo.
£139, amazon.co.uk
PHILIPS HUE
Hue dominates the
smart lighting sector
for good reason: it’s
a superb system with
the widest range of
bulbs and a simple,
useful app. Rivals may
be cheaper but they
can’t compete with
Hue’s variety.
From £59, philips-hue.com
IKEA TRÅDFRI
Ikea’s Zigbee-
compatible system
doesn’t have the
range of Hue, but
if you prize control
over colour options
it’s stellar value for
money and has some
great controllers
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From £13, ikea.com
NANOLEAF ESSENTIALS
A line of bargain-
priced bulbs and
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support Thread,
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a bit like Zigbee.
We love the faceted
look, but they’re only
available in E27 or
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From £18, nanoleaf.me
LIFX
If you fancy a Hue
system but don’t want
to spend so much,
LIFX has a strong
product range and
integrates with your
favourite personal
digital assistant.
Philips still wins,
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From £19, lifx.com
NEST THERMOSTAT E
This cheaper
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information on its
screen and doesn’t
feel as premium,
but that’s it. Same
algorithm, same Alexa
and Google Home
compatibility.
£180, nest.com/uk
HIVE ACTIVE HEATING 2
This excellent system
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engineer, and includes
a receiver, an internet
hub and a wall-
mounted thermostat.
It’s easy to use, and
tracks your phone so
the house is warm
when you get home.
£179, hivehome.com
NEST LEARNING THERMOSTAT
Nest made smart
thermostats sexy
and this third-gen
model looks great.
It’s simple to use with
good Google Home
and Amazon Echo
integration, but a
tad pricey, especially
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£220, nest.com/uk
TADO SMART THERMOSTAT
Tado is very sociable:
it works with 95%
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clever and supports
a wide range of
accessories too.
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£99, tado.com
SMART
SPEAKERS
SMART BULBS
SMART
THERMOSTATS
Find the lowest prices at:
t3.com/bestsmart
Find the lowest prices at:
t3.com/bestbulb
Find the lowest prices at:
t3.com/bestthermostat
AMAZON ECHO SHOW 10