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How much time a year do we spend waiting for our kettle to boil? The statistic is 33 hours wasted per year. That can’t be right… can it? Whatever the count, that time watching water boil could be spent more wisely. So I was really pleased to get the chance to review Smarter’s iKettle 3.0 – an app-operated smart kettle with Alexa voice control.
Quick version: The iKettle is a robust, well designed smart kettle. It’s both fun to use and a huge timer-saver. Remote boiling via the app, setting timers and Alexa voice control are the main plus points. Grab yours on Amazon.
Lets get down to greater depth on the iKettle. Real time-saver, or HUGE gimmick? Also, how does this smart kettle compare to the AppKettle, previously featured here on Smart Tech Stuff?
First up: What’s exactly is an iKettle?
Created by smart tech company Smarter, the iKettle is a regular (if attractive-looking) kettle that does everything a kettle should. Spoiler alert: it boils water! This being a smart kitchen gadget, however, the iKettle 3.0 has some major differences over the humble kettle found in every UK home.
The major difference being this kettle connects to your home WiFi and can be controlled with tablets and smart phones. The whole point of it being you can set your kettle boiling so you’re not waiting around to make your tea or coffee.
The iKettle has a wealth of other clever functions that are designed to make life a bit easier and more fun. We’ll be looking at these in depth during this iKettle review.
Main things you need to know about the iKettle
- 3rd generation iKettle – with brand new app, built from the ground up
- Remote boil – from anywhere, using your smart phone
- Boil water to specific temperatures – from 20°C to 100°C
- Formula mode – for making baby’s bottle up to a set temperature
- Holds 1.8 litres of water
- Set timers – set to boil at any time of day
- Set daily routines
- Fast boil – to 100°C
- Compatible with Alexa & Google Assistant
- Designed not to spill – has a special spout!
- The app can control any other Smarter products you have
- Works with IFTTT
- Support for Android and iOS (Apple)
- Uses BlinkUp technology to connect securely
- Geolocation – detects when you’re nearly home and can boil the kettle
- See how much water is in the kettle – on your phone *
- Integrate this kettle with other smart devices – such as motion sensors
* If you’re wondering how iKettle knows how much water is in the app, it’s got scales in the base, which it uses to calculate the volume.
Are you killing your tea?
Who knew? You’re not meant to pour boiling water on your tea. Or coffee for that matter. One of the good things about the iKettle is you can easily set say 85°C for your green tea, or 95°C for coffee and get the most out of your hot drinks.
Integrating into your connected home
The 3rd gen iKettle users are finding all kinds of interesting ways to use this smart kettle. With a bit of tinkering, you can even get it to work with IFTTT. Set it up so that your kitchen lights come on and the kettle starts to boil when you enter the room.
The iKettle also supports all major voice assistants and is a 100% Alexa compatible kettle. To get Alexa to start the kettle, simply say:
“Alexa, boil the kettle”
“they never knew they needed a smart kettle until they got one and found out how useful they are…”
iKettle feature list
Here’s the full tech specs you can expect with this clever kettle:
| Capacity | 1.8 litres |
| Weight | 1.2kg |
| Minimum Fill | 500ml |
| Colour | Silver / Stainless Steel |
| Power Wattage | 3000 watts |
| Kettle version | 3 |
| # cups of tea | 7 |
| Element type | Concealed |
| Water warmer | Yes |
| App support | iOS & Android |
| Window on kettle | No |
| Manual controls | Yes |
| App name to download | Smarter 3.0 App |
| Modes | Wake up / Formula mode / Home mode |
| Geolocation | Yes |
| Notifications | Boiling finished, keep warm started / finished, cooling finished |
| Voice assistants | Alexa and Google Home |
What I like about the iKettle
So is this iKettle any good? Here’s some things I found with my time with the iKettle. If you’ve got one of these kettles, please don’t forget to share your experiences in the comments below.
iKettle is a fun product to use
You’ll get a great deal of enjoyment using this kettle (I never thought I’d say that about a kettle…) Pressing a button on your phone to boil the kettle? It’s so lazy, but it feels so good. Sure, iKettle does things you might never use.
But, even if you only ever use remote boil, you’ll still have a lot of fun with this smart kettle. The only downside being you have to manually fill it up. Now there’s an idea for gen 4 of the iKettle – a self-filling one.
The smart features are actually useful
I’ve heard people say that they never knew they needed a smart kettle until they got one and found out how handy they are. But is it just hyperbole? Being able to boil the kettle without having to get up, and instead just going in and quickly making tea or coffee doesn’t sound like much, but it works well and does save time.
Being able to start the kettle boiling as you leave work, or setting timers so it starts boiling for when you get up are things I can see being helpful in your daily routines. iKettle 3 can also detect where you are, using geolocation. It can then boil itself to the correct temperature in time for arriving home.
Like the AppKettle, the iKettle also keeps water warm , at a specified temperature.
It’s a good looking, well made smart kettle
Too often with smart tech type products, the creators forget that this is something that should look good. While the iKettle 3.0 aesthetics are exactly the same as the older iKettle 2.0, there’s no need to change a winning design. It’s a high quality, sleek and modern stainless steel kettle.
The iKettle 3.0 also feels robust and built to last. It’s not flimsy and it fits securely on it’s base. The paired back, simple design is clearly something Smarter have put some work into and I think it’s paid off. No complaints about how the kettle looks, although a choice of colours would have been a big plus!
Smarter keep patching and improving the software
I think a lot of the reviews I saw for the iKettle were possibly for an older version of the iKettle software. Updates to the app have made it work a lot better, in terms of getting the iKettle paired up and the initial set up.
What I don’t like about the iKettle
So lets balance out the above praise with a few things I didn’t like with the iKettle.
Not the quietest smart kettle
You could aim this criticism at a lot of kettles, smart or not, but it’s got to be said that the iKettle is not the quietest at doing it’s job. One of the good things is, if you’re using your smart kettle correctly. you’ll never actually be there when it’s doing the boiling bit anyway.
Alexa can’t tell you how much water is in the kettle
More a fault of the way Alexa works, than a design flaw in the iKettle, but there’s no way to ask Alexa how much water is in the kettle. You’ll never be completely voice-only with the iKettle. I have read that there’s a possibility of this being added in with a future update.
There’s no window on the iKettle
One curious omission with the design of the iKettle is the exclusion of a window on the body that would allow you to see see how much water is actually in there. Even the cheapest kettles out there to buy usually have this feature.
While it arguably looks better without one, it’s extremely handy to get an old-school eyeball on whether or not there’s anything in your kettle, without having to reach for your phone, or peak in the top.
Review Verdict – Should you buy an iKettle?
There’s no doubt that the iKettle is an awesome addition to any smart kitchen. It’s a bit cheaper than the competing AppKettle and is both well made and looks very fetching! The smart features are genuinely useful – especially being able to boil the kettle from a cold bedroom in the morning, or setting it away before you leave work. And using your voice assistant to put the kettle on never gets old. Definitely worth a buy.
Click here to check prices on Amazon
Sources & Further Reading
- Check out our guide to the best smart kettles here
- The IFTTT website has more info on how to use it with the AppKettle and other wifi controlled appliances.
- Interested in brewing the perfect cup of tea? This guide has some facts you might not know about the process!
- The official iKettle website – Smarter.am has plenty of info, and important numbers if you need support.
- Need to contact iKettle, get a hold of them on 0800 471 4935
- I was also able to get help via Smarter’s support form, here.
- If you’ve not heard of BlinkUp, it’s an interesting tech that’s used in the iKettle, and many other smart devices. You can read up on it here.
- If you prefer to shop on the high-street, then this kettle has been seen for sale in Argos, Currys / PC World and
