Swan Alexa Smart Kettle: Is It Worth It?

I’m a big fan of gadgets and smart home devices, maybe it comes from the time I used to watch cartoons like Inspector Gadget when I was younger.
Smart home devices can do many clever things, such as turning the heating on, turning the lights on, and even boiling the kettle. How cool is that?
Speaking about kettles, when I first came across the Swan Alexa Smart Kettle, I just knew I had to buy it. Not only does it look smart, but it offers some awesome features, which I’ll talk about later in this article.
I’ve been using the kettle for around three weeks, and I finally decided it was time to share my thoughts about it. So without any further ado, here is my three-week review…
Product Specifications
Starting with the technical details, the Swan Alexa Smart Kettle is a 1.5-litre digital kettle, which the manufacturer claims to be perfect for making 8 to 10 cups. I guess that depends on the size of the cups you use, as per my testing, I managed to get around 8 standard mugs out of it.
The kettle features a touch display, which you can use to set the temperatures, which range from 40 °C to 100 °C. Speaking about temperatures, the kettle also features a 2-hour keep warm function, which is great for when you need hot water available rapidly.
It’s 1800w, which the manufacturer claims is for quieter but rapid boil times. Based on my experience, it’s a lot quieter than my previous kettle, which was just a basic one I picked up at my local supermarket.
Most importantly of all, the kettle features dry boil protection, which activates if boiled with no water.
The kettle also has a cool touch body and features stainless steel on the inside.
It’s also compatible with Alexa, and what I found really cool is that I don’t need a companion app to use it with Alexa, it works directly with the Alexa app.
Key Features
I found the kettle incredibly easy to set up. I simply opened the Alexa app on my phone and added the kettle, following the instructions in the Alexa app and the manual included inside the box. While I did have the paper-based manual open, I didn’t need to use it, as the Alexa app guided me through the process of setting it up.
On a side note, I highly recommend keeping the sticker with the QR code if you require it in the future. The instruction manual includes a section at the back where you can add this sticker.
The kettle allows you to set a temperature ranging from 40 °C to 100 °C. According to the guide, 100 °C is fully boiled, 90 °C is great for coffee, 85 °C is great for tea, 80 °C is great for green tea, 60 °C is great for honey, and 40 °C is great for warm water.
My Experience
As I mentioned at the beginning of this article, I’ve been using the kettle for around 3 weeks, and based on my experience so far, I think it’s pretty good, especially if you work from home.
When it’s time to get more coffee, I simply ask the Amazon Echo Show 5 I have on my desk to turn the kettle on. I then make my way to the kitchen to make a coffee.
I find that using Alexa to boil the kettle works very well for me as I no longer have the need to wait around for the kettle to boil, meaning that I can spend more time being productive at work.
While I haven’t set this up yet, I am considering creating a routine where, when I disable my alarm in the morning, it turns on the lights in my bedroom and boils the kettle. That is something I will look into doing in the future.
While I am a fan of the new kettle, there are areas where it can be improved. For starters, I don’t like the lack of a transparent window allowing me to see how much water is inside. I get it, they’ve done it to make it look more aesthetically pleasing, and do you know what? I think it’s working. However, it does mean I have to open the top to see how much water is inside.
I also don’t like the constant beeping. The kettle doesn’t have a physical button that clicks when it’s completed boiling; instead, it beeps, and I think that’s perfectly fine. However, the kettle also beeps when I put it back on the base, which, I think, is unnecessary and can be annoying.
Pros and Cons
✅ Pros
- Doesn’t require a companion app to set it up
- Works with Alexa
- Temperature control
- It can be controlled remotely
- Dry-boil protection
- Aesthetically pleasing design
❌ Cons
- Can seem more pricey compared to standard kettles
- Beeping can get annoying
- Lack of a window indicating water level
Conclusion
Based on my experience so far, I think that the Swan Alexa Smart Kettle is a perfect addition to my smart home. While there are a few areas I think should be improved in future versions of the product, I think the advantages outweigh the disadvantages.
I’m a big fan of the fact that it doesn’t require a dedicated app to operate, I think it makes the whole process of setting it up and operating it a lot easier. I also like that it has dry-boil protection.
At the time of writing this article, the kettle costs around £59 on Amazon, which can seem expensive, but looking at some prices of traditional kettles online, it appears to be about right for mid-to-high-end kettles.
My Rating: ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
Based on my experience with the kettle so far, I think I’m going to give it 4 out of 5.
The reason for this rating is that the advantages outweigh the disadvantages, and I think that as a whole, it’s actually a very nice kettle.
Disclaimer: This article contains Amazon affiliate links.