A morning cup of tea or coffee is a cornerstone of many people's daily routines, and the Morphy Richards Halo 1.5L Alexa Kettle (£119.99) promises to make it quicker and simpler than ever. Compatible with Amazon's Alexa, this smart kettle allows you to boil water using straightforward voice commands, making your daily routine more effortless than ever before.
Simply connect the kettle to your Alexa app or speakers, say 'Alexa, pop the kettle on' and away you go. You can also tweak the temperature or keep water hot from anywhere inside or outside your home, provided you remember to fill the kettle with water beforehand.
Voice-controlled brewing
The last thing I do before heading up to bed each evening is fill the Halo Alexa Kettle and instruct my Alexa to boil it at the same time my morning alarm sounds. By the time I make my way downstairs, the water is at just the right temperature for my morning brew.
Earlier this week, I even used the Alexa app from my work desk to set a timer to boil the kettle for roughly the time I'd be walking through the front door after a long day at the office. There is, however, one thing missing – there's nobody to actually make me that cuppa, unless I call upon my husband, of course.
Design and quirks
The kettle's sleek and stylish matt-black design slots effortlessly into any kitchen, while the glossy-finish control panel lends it an air of sophistication. For those who'd rather not use Alexa, the kettle is straightforward enough to operate via the LED touch control panel, and the digital display conveniently shows you the water level inside the kettle.
One slight issue I've encountered is that after placing the kettle back on its stand, it can take a little while to reconnect before you can ask Alexa to 'pop the kettle on'. It's not the end of the world, but if you're filling it up and then leaving the room, you may need to nip back after a minute or two to give the command if you're not in the same room as Alexa.
You also need to use the precise wording. The first time I tried it, I said 'Alexa, boil the kettle', and it didn't understand. After a quick glance at the instructions, I discovered that 'Alexa, pop the kettle on' did the trick immediately.
Features and alternatives
Another feature worth noting is the hour auto keep warm function, which can also be controlled through Alexa. Simply ask the device to keep the water warm after boiling, allowing you to keep topping up your tea or coffee whenever required. The ability to adjust the temperature is another notable bonus – it boils at 100°C, with additional settings for coffee, tea, green tea, honey or simply warm water at 40°C.
Over at Currys, the Russell Hobbs Calm Connected Smart Kettle is available for £149.99, with Bluetooth and WiFi connectivity allowing you to operate it through the Russell Hobbs app. Meanwhile, SharkNinja has knocked the Ninja Stainless Steel Perfect Temperature Kettle down from £109.99 to £99.99, with a variable temperature feature.
The Halo 1.5L Alexa Kettle is an impressively smart piece of kitchen technology that, once experienced, you simply won't be able to live without. The speed at which it boils, the ability to customise the temperature to your requirements, and how effortlessly it synced with the Alexa app and home devices makes it a standout appliance.
