There are many reasons to buy a smart mirror. Smart mirrors come in all sizes, shapes, configurations, and price points. A smart mirror is an excellent choice if you’d like to check the stock market or the news while preparing for work. Unsure how to dress for the day? A discreet weather forecast tucked into the corner of your mirror will give you a good idea about what kind of weather to dress for. Or perhaps you’d like a smart mirror that doesn’t fog up due to moisture in your bathroom? What about a mirror that provides friendly pointers on how to apply makeup?
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When we look at “reasons to buy a smart mirror,” we’re specifically looking for mirrors that contain “smart” features. In our book, smart mirrors have more than LEDs with adjustable intensity, attachable (magnetic) magnification mirrors, built-in display clocks, or anti-fog elements. Smart means smart!
We will dig into the nuts and bolts of five different types of smart mirrors and see what makes them tick. We’ll cover the bathroom, vanity (makeup), workout, shower, and automotive rearview mirror. We’ve got you covered if you’re only interested in a smart mirror for your bathroom.
Let’s look at the best reasons to buy a smart mirror today.
Some Background on the Smart Mirror
A mirror is a polished glass surface with a reflective surface on the back (rear) of the glass. When looking into a mirror, you’ll see a reflection of whatever is in front of the mirror. A smart mirror reflects an image of the object placed in front of it and displays light passed from the rear of the mirror (behind it) to the front of the mirror.
A smart mirror isn’t simply a mirror; it’s also (depending on the complexity of the smart mirror) a mirror with a display monitor or tablet screen powered by an internal computer. Computing hardware is mounted to the rear of the mirror. The display screen is seen and touched (or operated) through the front side of the mirror.
A smart mirror can display the time, calendar events, sports scores, weather forecasts, pictures, or news feeds. Smart mirrors can increase or decrease the lighting, charge a device, or capture photos or videos. Fair warning: The smart mirror price tag increases as you increase the number of smart features.
Smart Mirror History
Around 2015, home electronic enthusiasts began piecing together smart mirrors using electronics found in their homes. Nearly ten years later, smart mirrors have gone high-tech, with many manufacturing companies releasing new models yearly.
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While a traditional mirror will do its job, day in and day out, until it’s broken, a smart mirror has electronic components that will require replacement at some point in time. A smart mirror is a snapshot in time. If you’re content with basic content (weather, Bluetooth speakers, adjustable LEDs, fog prevention, etc.), a smart mirror should last a long time.
Streaming Content
If you’re into streaming video, two-way interactive video chats, or have a whole host of specific (HBO-Max, Hulu, Disney+, YouTube, Hulu, Apple+, etc.) applications, a smart mirror may need to be replaced more often. Applications are constantly updated. Old application versions fall off the support list, and you may end up stuck with a smart mirror that isn’t so smart.
6 Reasons to Buy a Smart Mirror
A smart mirror can radically redefine how you use mirrors. Gone are the days of trying to multitask between a bathroom mirror, a cell phone, a tablet, and personal grooming objects like a toothbrush, hairbrush, shaving or makeup tools. There are excellent reasons to own a smart mirror. Let’s look at the reasons to buy a smart mirror today.
Check the Weather
How should you dress for work today? A quick glance at the mirror, and you’ll have an answer. Use a weather forecast application of choice and dial into the weather forecast how you want it! Want to know the temperature outside before you walk out the door? How does the temperature and humidity inside compare to outside your house?
Watch the News
Gone are the days of gathering around the communal TV in the mornings to watch the news channel. Chug your quad expresso while preparing for your day in front of a smart mirror. The great thing about watching the news on your smart mirror is choosing the application that meets your needs: sports, finance, weather, local or national news. What if you don’t care about the news but instead check out the latest episode from Mr. Beast? Crack open YouTube and catch up.
Mirror, Mirror On The Wall
We’ll let you decide if it’s good, but the latest smart mirrors track your skin performance. A smart mirror can take a picture of your face today and let you know which areas require additional care. The smart mirror will compare your photo from today against the photo collected yesterday and let you know if your facial skin condition has improved or worsened since yesterday.
Workout
No longer can you merely go through the motions of working out. A smart mirror can record your movements, and a coach can give you pointers on improving your posture or putting in a little more effort. Live or recorded videos are displayed in the mirror to walk you through a workout, yoga, strength training, or meditation session.
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Shower Time
The latest generation of smart mirrors allows you to take a shower or bath, watch television, stream content, check your calendar, and gaze at yourself, all at the same time. Smart mirrors can be placed directly onto your shower wall. (You’ll need to add an electrical outlet.)
Rearview Mirror
The latest automotive rearview smart cameras allow you to view and record behind you. Front and rear-facing cameras capture all the action and stream it to your smart rearview mirror. Use the touch controls on the mirror to view past recordings, the GPS, the direction of travel, time of day, or speed. A great feature is the auto recording if someone is trying to break into your car or rear-ends it while it’s parked. The cameras automatically record if you’re involved in a moving accident.
Best Smart Mirrors Today
Now that you know all the features of smart mirrors, you can pick one up for your house, car, or truck. Below are our recommendations for the best smart mirrors today.
BYECOLD Smart Bathroom Mirror
- LED Mirror with Bluetooth
- Real-time weather updates
- Backlit
- Made from durable armored glass
It’s not hard to understand why the BYECOLD Smart Bathroom Mirror is trendy! The 48″ X 24″ (horizontal only) mirror connects with Bluetooth for audio streaming. Stream your favorite tunes while prepping in front of the mirror.
The BYECOLD Smart Bathroom mirror connects to a 2.4 GHz WiFi signal to provide the current indoor and outdoor weather, plus a forecast. Note the 2.5 GHz. If your WiFi is only 5 GHz, this smart mirror isn’t for you. The WiFi will provide the weather forecast and date/time information. No WiFi connection equals no date/time or weather display.
A toggle switch near the mirror’s front-side bottom will allow you to activate the “anit-fog” feature. The anti-fog feature on the BYECOLD and other smart mirrors is simply a heating system on the rear of the mirror. Heat is applied to the mirror to warm it up. The warm mirror doesn’t collect moisture. It’s a nice option but not necessarily a “smart” feature.
You’re in charge of the intensity of the light-emitting diodes. The side-lit mirror has two bringness options. Set the LEDs to 3000K or 6000K. At 3000K, the LEDs have a warmer, yellowish color. At 6,000K, the LED’s color is white. Choose the color option that will work the very best for you.
As with any Smart Mirror, remember you need an electrical outlet behind the mirror.
Echelon Reflect Smart Connect Fitness Mirror
- Echelon Premier Membership free 30-day trial
- Built-in camera
- Connect with a personal trainer
- WiFi-enabled touchscreen display
The purpose of a fitness mirror is entirely different from a bathroom mirror’s. The Echelon Reflect aims to provide on-demand and live fitness classes. Ready for a little interactive yoga, strength, meditation, Zumba, boxing, conditioning, meditation, cardio, stretching, or pilates training?
Hang the 47.75″ X 24″ Echelong Reflect Mirror to the wall in your workout area. The mirror needs to be plugged into an electrical outlet.
The Echelon Reflect requires a monthly subscription to access the live and on-demand classes. If you skip the subscription, you’ll still have an excellent smart mirror, which won’t live up to its potential to help you get in shape. A monthly subscription will run for $39.99.
The mirror has two built-in Bluetooth speakers; you’ll connect to the WiFi through 2.4GHz. The Echelon Reflect is a touch screen. You’ll make class content choices on the mirror by touching the menus and selecting your class of interest.
Ready for a little one-on-one training? An 8MP camera located on the front of the mirror will allow you to work with your coach and for your coach to see what you’re doing. The coach can provide you with immediate feedback. Are you moving your body the correct way? You’ll watch your coach performing the same movements in the mirror.
You can also connect your smart fitness devices such as Fitbit, Zwift, Apple Heath, Strava, or Spotify.
Himirror Slide Smart Makeup Mirror
- Foldable stand
- Monitor skin condition over time
- Adjustable LEDs
- Watch your favorite YouTube videos
Smart mirrors are fine and dandy, but are you ready for a smart mirror that keeps track of your skin condition?
The Himirror Slide will monitor your skin condition over time. The Himirror tracks wrinkles, pores, dark spots, dark circles under your eyes, fine lines, and skin roughness. The software provides skin condition data based on comparing an image captured today against a photo from yesterday. Each category will have a positive, negative, or neutral (no change) value.
Gone are the days of attempting to determine the specific skincare product you need to maintain healthy skin. The Himirror slide provides product recommendations based on your facial photo analysis.
The Himirrow Slide is a tabletop mirror measuring 11″ X 5″ with a foldable stand. LEDs on each side of the mirror are adjustable. The mirror slides open to reveal a display screen on one side and the smart mirror on the other. Watch your favorite YouTube videos and learn about skincare from the experts.
HaoCrown Vanity Mirror and Touchscreen TV
- Bluetooth voice remote
- Watch your favorite TV shows
- Connect to your health data devices
- Very easy to install
Unique on our list of smart mirrors is the HaoCrown Vanity Mirror and Touchscreen TV. The HAOCROWN is the only smart mirror on our list that includes a full-sized display for a touchscreen television. The mirror size is 24″ X 32″. The top half of the mirror is a conventional reflection mirror. The bottom half of the mirror is a smart TV hub. When activated, the smart touchscreen TV encompasses the bottom half of the mirror—the bottom half acts as a standard mirror when the smart touchscreen is deactivated.
Including a smart touchscreen opens up a gigantic world of configuration options—Netflix, YouTube, HBO, Disney+, etc. Select your streaming application and stream to your heart’s content.
The smart features include the date, time, weather forecast, music streaming, and web browsing. Bluetooth lets you connect your health data devices like weight, blood pressure, blood sugar, sleep apnea, walking, heart rate, or oxygen saturation.
Should you feel so inclined, the HaoCrown can be installed in your shower. Running at 12V, the smart mirror and smart TV use a low electrical voltage. We recommend hiring an electrician if you choose to install the mirror in your shower.
Let’s switch gears, jump out of the shower, and look at a smart mirror for a truck or car.
WOLFBOX Smart Rearview Mirror for Cars & Trucks
- Smart rearview mirror
- Large display eliminates blind spots
- Enhanced night vision
- Features GPS tracking
Smart rearview automotive cameras add a new dimension to rearview automotive mirrors. The WOLFBOX smart rearview mirror brings a lot of functionality to the driver’s seat.
The smart mirror (literally) snaps in place over your existing rearview mirror. You’ll need to plug it into your 12V power adapter. The mirror contains a forward-facing camera. After installing a rearview camera, you’ll run a power/data line up from the rear of the automobile to the front and attach it to the rearview mirror. Once you’ve installed the hardware, you’re off to the races with the smart mirror.
The WOLFBOX forward-facing camera is 4K, and the rearview camera is 1080P. You can have a split screen on the mirror. The left half can be the forward, and the right half of the mirror can be the rearview camera. The mirror can also display the front or rear camera only. You choose the configuration you want by tapping the mirror face to activate a menu that allows you to select your desired option.
Not entirely sure where you’re going? The mirror displays the speed, direction, and time. There’s a GPS unit included with the WOLFBOX smart rearview mirror. The best use case scenario for the GPS is to review a recording of your route. The GPS doesn’t provide directions. Many users don’t bother installing the hardware.
The mirror allows you to increase or decrease the intensity of the screen display. This is perfect for nighttime driving. The smart mirror automatically records front and rear cameras if you’re in an accident or the truck or car is bumped when parked. The WOLFBOX ships with a 32GB or 64GB mini-SD.
Reasons To Buy A Smart Mirror-Wrap Up
As we’ve shown you, there’s a lot to like about smart mirrors. Looking hard at what you want from a smart mirror before purchasing is a good idea. Many mirrors are labeled as smart but only have the ability to not fog up in the bathroom and have adjustable rear or front-facing LEDs. There’s nothing wrong with that, but these types of mirrors lack smart features.
If you want a smart mirror, we’d suggest deciding if you want a smart mirror for streaming music, movies, television, and Bluetooth applications or a smart mirror that only provides the weather forecast, time of day, adjustable LEDs, and anti-fogging capabilities.
Determining if you genuinely want a smart mirror or an LED adjustable anti-fogging mirror can save you hundreds of dollars.
- BYECOLD Smart Bathroom Mirror
- LED Mirror with Bluetooth
- Real-time weather updates
- Backlit
- Made from durable armored glass
- Echelon Reflect 50in Touch Smart Connect Fitness Mirror
- Echelon Premier Membership free 30-day trial
- Built-in camera
- Connect with a personal trainer
- WiFi-enabled touchscreen display
- HiMirror Himirror Slide: Smart Makeup Mirror With Skin Detector
- Foldable stand
- Monitor skin condition over time
- Adjustable LEDs
- Watch your favorite YouTube videos
- Haocrown 21.5 Inch Bathroom TV Waterproof Touch Screen Smart Mirror
- Bluetooth voice remote
- Watch your favorite TV shows
- Connect to your health data devices
- Very easy to install
- WOLFBOX G840S 12" 4K Mirror Dash Cam Backup Camera
- Smart rearview mirror
- Large display eliminates blind spots
- Enhanced night vision
- Features GPS tracking
We earn a commission if you make a purchase, at no additional cost to you.
We earn a commission if you make a purchase, at no additional cost to you.
We earn a commission if you make a purchase, at no additional cost to you.
We earn a commission if you make a purchase, at no additional cost to you.
We earn a commission if you make a purchase, at no additional cost to you.
