The Morphy Richards Halo 1.5L Alexa Kettle (£119.99) lets you boil water with voice commands, but it still won't make your tea for you. The kettle connects to Amazon's Alexa app or speakers, so you can say 'Alexa, pop the kettle on' to start boiling. It also allows temperature adjustment and keeping water hot from anywhere inside or outside the home, provided the kettle is filled in advance.
Voice-Controlled Morning Brew
The reviewer fills the kettle before bed and asks Alexa to boil it at the same time as the morning alarm. By the time they come downstairs, the water is at the perfect temperature. They also used the Alexa app from a work desk to set a timer to boil water for when they arrived home from the office.
The one thing missing is that there is no one to make the cuppa, unless the reviewer asks their husband. They speculate whether Alexa-controlled self-pouring kettles that make the perfect brew might come next.
Minor Frustrations and Design
One slightly frustrating point is that after replacing the kettle on the stand, it can take a while to register again before you can ask Alexa to 'pop the kettle on'. If you fill the kettle and leave the room, you might have to return after a minute or two to ask it to boil.
You also have to get the exact wording correct. The first time, saying 'Alexa, boil the kettle' did not work. After checking the instructions, 'Alexa, pop the kettle on' worked straight away.
The kettle has a sleek, stylish matt-black design that fits into any kitchen, with a glossy-finish control panel. If you don't want to use Alexa, the LED touch control panel allows boiling with a few clicks, and the digital display shows how much water is in the kettle.
Comparison and Features
Currys sells the Russell Hobbs Calm Connected Smart Kettle for £149.99, which uses Bluetooth and WiFi connectivity for control through the Russell Hobbs app. SharkNinja has reduced the Ninja Stainless Steel Perfect Temperature Kettle from £109.99 to £99.99, offering variable temperature control.
The Halo kettle has an hour auto keep warm function, controllable through Alexa, to keep water warm after boiling. It boils at 100°C and has settings for coffee, tea, green tea, honey, or warm water at 40°C.
The Halo 1.5L Alexa Kettle is a clever kitchen gadget that the reviewer says they'll never look back from, praising how quickly it boils, the adjustable temperature, and how seamlessly it connected with their Alexa app and devices.
