As shopping experts, we get to try out a whole host of cool and innovative products, but some really stand out as superior. And as part of our bi-weekly Top Tech series, where we showcase our favourite deals and gadgets, Bethan Shufflebotham has been waxing lyrical about an Alexa-compatible kettle that’s been reduced for Amazon’s Big Deal Days. Here’s why she loves it so much…
I talk about my kettle a lot. Far more than anyone should talk about any kitchen appliance, really, but there’s a reason the Swan Smart Kettle was crowned ‘the most talked about kettle of 2023’. And even after a whole year of daily use, the savvy water boiler still brings me more joy than I ever could have imagined a gadget would.
You see, I’m not much of a tech whizz and I’m rarely wooed by the specs or features of electronic devices (though those smart fridges that just *know* what’s inside them absolutely blows my mind), but my voice-activated kettle never fails to impress me and my guests. That said, it’s not about showing off - it’s genuinely been the single most practical device I’ve added to my home in recent years.
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Better than the air fryer, even. And you know what? They’re not even that expensive, either. Usually £79.99, the world’s first Alexa kettle is currently down to £69.99, saving £10 on the RRP.
It’s definitely pricier than your average kettle, but when you consider that a Smeg kettle is £149 and nowhere near as impressive in terms of tech features, it feels like great value. And let me tell you, after using the Swan device, there really is no going back.
What immediately sets this Swan appliance apart from its competitors is that it was the very first Alexa-compatible kettle, which means you don’t even need to get up to boil it. Within a few short and simple steps, you can connect it to your Amazon device and control it with your voice through your Amazon Echo. Alternatively, the smart kettle can even be controlled via an app remotely, so you could have it boil five minutes before you’re due home.
It never fails to bewilder visitors when I call out ‘Alexa, turn on the kettle’ from the other room and the water begins to boil. Many often ask ‘What if there’s no water in it’ and the key is to simply refill it after making a cup of tea, so it’s ready for the next one, too.
Further features that make this smart kettle superior are its two-hour keep warm function, dry boil protection, and the fact you can set up routines in the app so your kettle boils at certain times of the day, which can also make it more energy efficient.
The kettle fills just over five large mugs of tea each time - bigger households may need to boil it twice or opt for a larger capacity device like this one from Sage - with four temperature options between 40 and 100 degrees that make it great for coffee and various green teas. The only downside is that it takes around three minutes to boil, but while there are faster kettles out there, this is something I've grown used to, and doesn't diminish the joy the device brings me - it's not like I've got to stand next to it and wait for it to boil, anyway.
I have to admit, I thought the novelty would wear off after a few weeks, but this Swan kettle is far from a gimmick and really puts the fun into functionality, adding tech into the home that is convenient and seamless, which is why I named it our Mirror Choice best smart kettle.
Since Swan’s launch, WeeKett has released a slightly larger capacity Smart Kettle at 1.7L, which works with Alexa, Siri and Google in a similar way, however, it is more expensive at £94.99. There are plenty of other smart kettles on the market, too, though most aren’t voice activated. For example, the Ninja Perfect Temperature kettle is £79.99 down from £99.99, and while it can rapidly boil and offers temperature control, it doesn’t have the wow factor of Swan’s voice activated and app-controlled device .