Best smart kettles 2020: Boil up a connected brew
Boiling up some water for a quick cup of tea (or a slow one) feels like one of the more timeless ways to use your kitchen. While we might have moved more from stove-top kettles to electric versions, the core routine of getting up, heading to the kitchen and getting the kettle going hasn't changed.
Except, really, in the last few years it has started to — kettles are getting connected.
If you're living in a smart home, and control your lights and other fittings with your phone or your voice, why not get a brew boiling without having to stand up and do it yourself?
Connected kettles are an obvious innovation, in short, and if you're looking to pick one up you'll want to make sure you pick a good one, although they're still a little thin on the ground. We've rounded up the best smart kettles on the market for you to have a look at, so check them out below.
Our pick of the best smart kettles to buy today
iKettle
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iKettle is probably the most well-known proponent of connected boiling — it's on its third iteration now, having improved its kettle over time, and equally importantly worked on its companion app.
The kettle is one of the most feature-rich on the market, letting you set it boiling remotely, regardless of where you are, from your phone. On top of that, you get temperature control in case you don't want the hottest possible water every time, and it can integrate with Google Assistant or Alexa to let you control it with your voice. Daily routines enable you to automate everything each morning. It really is the smartest kettle on the market.
AppKettle
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Probably the other big name in the connected kettle market is AppKettle. It's another Alexa-enabled kettle that has smart features to burn. You've got an app to control it with, and unlike the iKettle it's got a glass window that shows off the boiling process if you prefer that design — although its base station is a little clunkier-looking.
Temperature control is also on board in case you're into your herbal teas, and it's really a close-run thing between this and the iKettle.
Aimox Smart Wifi Kettle
The iKettle and AppKettle are great options, but they're a little pricey for some folks. At a lower price point, you can find candidates like Aimox's Smart Kettle, a less swish number that does still do some of the same things.
For one, it's got an app that lets you start your boil remotely. That said, the process of hooking it into your Wi-Fi, and the experience of it actually boiling, is far less swish.
It's slower and more cumbersome, and the same goes for its app. You get what you pay for, but if you've got a smaller budget this kettle will still get the job done.
Fellow Stag EKG+
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If the kettles we've looked at so far have been very smart, they've also been pretty conventional in terms of design. That's not something you can say about Fellow's Stag EKG+. It's a beautiful unit, with a long, thin spout for pouring and scandinavian, minimalist looks.
It's also quick to boil, with an app to start the process if you like, great to pour and satisfying to hold. The downside is chiefly to be found in its price, which is significant, and the difficulty you might have in finding it.
Xiaomi Mi Smart Kettle
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Finally, we have an effort from Xiaomi, again representing lower budgets. The Mi Smart Kettle is a compact little unit with a companion app that does a creditable job of getting you going via Bluetooth, although it's a little sketchily translated in places.
Still, it's got plenty of options and we also are quite taken by the all-white look that Xiaomi opted for and its tiny base station. It might not have a premium price, but Xiaomi's kettle is a great choice.
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