Apple announced HomeView on October 13, 2026: a 7-inch shared screen with a camera and speakers, meant for a kitchen counter or a wall. Amazon's Echo Show and Google's Nest Hub already occupy that spot. All three play music, run timers and control lights and locks by touch or voice, so the better question is which one fits the people and devices already in your home. This is a research comparison based on Apple, Amazon and Google product pages, stores, press releases and support documents checked on October 13, 2026. I have not used these devices or measured sound and recognition, and HomeView does not ship until November 13, so there are no real-world reviews yet. Prices are what the official US stores showed that day. There is no licensed photo of HomeView yet. The first image is Rank Three's simplified illustration based on Apple's published description and dimensions, and the second is a same-scale diagram of the three screens drawn from official specifications; neither is a product photo, and Apple's product page in the sources shows the device itself. The photos below them show earlier-generation devices.
Three things to write down first
Start with the household's phones. HomeView is set up with an iPhone running iOS 27.2 or later, or an iPad on iPadOS 27.2 or later. It recognises up to six people by face and gives each a personal Home Screen, but that personalisation needs an Apple Account and an iPhone or iPad for every member. Apple's pages say nothing about Android. Echo Show revolves around an Amazon account and the Alexa app, Nest Hub around a Google account and the Google Home app. In a home that mixes iPhones and Android phones, this is the first filter.
Next, check the assistant's language and the country you live in. HomeView's new Siri AI is a beta that launches in English only, in eight countries. Alexa+ on the Echo Show 8 needs a US-based account set to US English or Spanish. Google's new Gemini for Home is in early access across 20 countries and 10 languages, and Korean is not among them. If you want to speak to the device in Korean, that matters more than any price gap; the Korea details are below.
Finally, list your existing smart-home gear. Check whether your lights, sensors and locks use Matter, Thread or Zigbee. All three displays act as hubs for Thread and Matter, but only Amazon says its display also contains a Zigbee hub.
Apple HomeView: a shared screen for iPhone households
HomeView has a 7-inch square Liquid Retina display (1088 x 1088), an A18 chip, a 12MP Center Stage camera and four microphones, with Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 6.0 and Thread. Because the panel is square, its area, calculated from the official diagonal and resolution, is about 15% larger than the widescreen 7-inch Nest Hub's and about 26% smaller than the 8.7-inch Echo Show 8's (see the diagram above). There are two models, a tabletop version on a speaker base and a wall-mounted one, both $299 in the US. The tabletop model comes in four colours with a 1.5-metre USB-C cable and a 30W adapter. The wall-mounted model ships with only the device, so you also need a Schneider Home mount: $59.95 for the USB-C wall connector, which also needs a 20W or higher adapter, $79.95 for the AC-wired version, or $129.95 for a PoE version due in early 2027. Pre-orders opened on October 13 in the US, Australia, Canada, India, New Zealand and the UK, with availability from November 13.
Apple's pitch is shared use. HomeView recognises who is standing in front of it and adapts the screen, and Apple says personal information appears only when that person's paired iPhone or iPad is nearby and recently unlocked. Camera and microphone data are processed in isolated Secure Exclaves on the A18, according to Apple. As a home hub it works with Matter accessories, and its camera view can show up to nine live feeds. FaceTime video calls support Center Stage.
The caveats are just as clear. Siri AI is a beta with daily limits on server-side features, and Apple says expanded access will cost a fee in future. Apple describes the apps as its built-in apps plus supported third-party audio and video apps from your iPhone; none of the Apple pages I checked mentions an App Store on HomeView. Setup needs an iPhone or iPad, so it is a poor fit for an Android household. Apple's Korean website has no HomeView product or store page.
Echo Show 8 (2025): Amazon's hub, Zigbee included
The Amazon comparison is the Echo Show 8 (2025 release), which went on sale in the US in November 2025. It has an 8.7-inch 800 x 1340 screen, a 13MP auto-framing camera, an AZ3 Pro chip, a 2.8-inch woofer with two full-range drivers, Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.4. Its built-in hub covers Zigbee and Matter and includes a Thread border router, and it has temperature and light sensors plus presence detection. It launched at $179.99, but amazon.com listed it at $199.99 on October 13.
The assistant is Alexa+, Amazon's generative-AI Alexa. In the US it is included with Prime ($14.99 a month) or costs $19.99 a month on the Standard plan, and a new Echo includes it free for a limited time that Amazon does not specify. It needs a US-based account set to US English or Spanish. For video there are Prime Video and Netflix apps, with other services through the web browser. Amazon promises security updates at least through December 31, 2030.
The weak point is the camera cover. For this model Amazon lists a privacy button that turns off the microphones and camera together, but unlike the Echo Show 5 (3rd Gen), 15 and 21, it names no physical shutter. A camera-only switch lives in the device settings or the Alexa app, and the camera is on by default. Korean is not an Alexa language. Amazon says International Version Echo devices bought from Amazon.com can be used in Korea in US English, but shopping, local traffic and business search, some music services and other features are missing.
Nest Hub (2nd gen): no camera, but a 2021 product
Google's closest match in size is the second-generation Nest Hub. It has a 7-inch 1024 x 600 screen and no camera; a Soli radar sensor reads gestures instead. There is one full-range speaker, three far-field microphones and a mic-off switch, along with Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac), Bluetooth 5.0, a Thread border router and a Matter hub role. Sleep Sensing, which uses the radar to track sleep, is still a free preview and is not available in every language or country.
Its assistant is moving to Gemini for Home. Basic features such as smart-home control, media, alarms and calendars are free, while the free-flowing Gemini Live needs Google Home Premium, from $10 a month. Gemini for Home is still in early access in 20 countries and 10 languages, and once a home switches, it cannot go back to Google Assistant. Korean works only with the older Google Assistant.
Age and stock are the problems. The Nest Hub went on sale in the US in March 2021 at $99.99, and Google's minimum security-update date of March 30, 2026 has passed, although Google's table says it still receives critical updates. On October 13 the US Google Store listed it at $99.99 with all four colours out of stock, and I found no official discontinuation notice. Google's newest Gemini for Home device, the Google Home Speaker ($99.99, June 2026), has no screen, and I found no new Google display from 2025 or 2026.
Cameras and privacy: where will the screen live?
If you make video calls from the kitchen or living room, HomeView and Echo Show 8 are the candidates: HomeView uses its camera for FaceTime and face recognition, Echo Show 8 for calls and visual recognition. For a bedroom or a child's room, the camera-free Nest Hub may feel more comfortable. Its radar still senses nearby motion, so decide separately whether to turn on features such as Sleep Sensing.
Each company frames privacy differently. Apple stresses on-device processing and Private Cloud Compute; Amazon points to its button, app controls and the review and deletion of voice recordings; Google replaces the camera with radar. I have not tested how well any of these promises hold. Before buying, read each company's instructions for switching off cameras and microphones and for managing stored recordings.
In Korea, only one display officially speaks Korean
For readers in Korea this is the deciding section. Korea is not a HomeView launch market, Apple's Korean site has no product or store page for it, and Siri AI is English-only for now. Apple Korea says Korean support for Siri AI on iOS and other platforms is planned within this year, but that statement does not mention HomeView. There is no Korean Amazon store, and Alexa does not support Korean.
Google's KC-certification list shows that Google Korea imported the Nest Hub (2nd gen) and released it in Korea on October 8, 2021, and Google Assistant supports Korean on it. It is the only one of the three with official Korean voice support. But there is no Korean Google Store today, so there is no official won price, and Gemini for Home is not available in Korea. I did not check current stock or prices at Korean retailers.
Our three picks
- iPhone households in launch countriesApple HomeView
Fits homes where everyone uses an iPhone or iPad and wants English Siri AI, FaceTime and a Matter hub on one screen. Not sold in Korea.
- US homes with Prime and Zigbee devicesEcho Show 8 (2025)
Fits a US-account, English-speaking home that wants Alexa+, a Zigbee and Thread hub and an 8.7-inch screen. Amazon lists no physical shutter.
- Korean voice and no cameraNest Hub (2nd gen)
The option for Korean Google Assistant and a camera-free 7-inch screen. It is a 2021 product and out of stock on the US Google Store.
Side by side
| Question | Apple HomeView | Echo Show 8 (2025) | Nest Hub (2nd gen) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Screen | 7-inch square, 1088 x 1088 | 8.7-inch, 800 x 1340 | 7-inch, 1024 x 600 |
| Camera | 12MP Center Stage | 13MP auto-framing; no shutter listed | None (Soli radar sensor) |
| Smart-home hub | Home hub, Thread and Matter | Zigbee and Matter, Thread border router | Thread border router, Matter hub |
| Assistant and language | Siri AI beta, English (8 countries) | Alexa+, US English and Spanish | Gemini for Home without Korean; Assistant speaks Korean |
| Accounts and devices | Apple Account; iOS/iPadOS 27.2 device required | Amazon account (US account for Alexa+) | Google account |
| US price (Oct 13) | $299; wall model needs a mount | $199.99 (launched at $179.99) | $99.99 listed; all colours out of stock |
| Release and Korea | Nov 13, 2026; not sold in Korea | Nov 2025; no Korean store | 2021; officially imported to Korea |
| Not verified here | Real-world sound and recognition | Real-world sound; shipping to Korea | Current Korean stock and price |
Which screen for which home
If everyone at home uses an iPhone and you live in an English-speaking launch country, I would wait for post-launch reviews of HomeView in November and judge it then. A US household with Prime and existing Zigbee devices fits the Echo Show 8 naturally. If you need a screen that understands Korean in Korea, the Nest Hub is the only one with official support, so I would first confirm retailer stock and accept that it is 2021 hardware. Whichever you choose, write down which standards your lights and locks use before you buy.
