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Amazon Echo Show review

A top-notch display and powerful speakers, but the visual Alexa experience could use some refining.

Matt Sayer

Pros and cons

Large HD-ready display
Easy control of smart home appliances
Simple setup

Limited video viewing options
Some visuals aren’t displayed well.
Large and heavy

The Amazon Echo Show 2nd Gen follows the Echo Spot as the second screen-based smart device Amazon’s rolled out. We’re seeing more “smart displays” emerge as part of the overall smart home scene, and Amazon’s take is among the largest you can buy. But is bigger always better?

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Design

Big, bold design
Easy to see from across the room
Choice of colors

The Amazon Echo Show is a smart display where the screen dominates the visual design, thanks to the inclusion of a full 10.1-inch, 720p-capable display. It does have some pretty hefty bezels, but the eye is still drawn to that much visual real estate.
The rear of the Amazon Echo Show is wrapped in fabric that comes in a charcoal or sandstone finish, with rear speakers that work best if you place the entire unit near a wall. You’ll need to give it plenty of space, as it measures 9.7 x 7 inches. It’s also pretty hefty for a smart home device, weighing just under four pounds.
While that weight isn’t a deal breaker, I did have some flashbacks to the era of CRT TVs while setting it up. Most smart home devices are much lighter than this one.

Speaker/Video quality

Large screen
Not enough video sources
YouTube capable, with limitations
Software needs tweaking for visual search elements.

The Amazon Echo Show features dual two-inch speakers with plenty of grunt, although not quite the highest level of audio output I’ve heard.
Still, across a crowded room and especially at higher volumes, you’re not going to miss a word that Alexa has to say, or a line of dialogue if you’re watching video content.
I’ve yet to test out the speaker quality for the new generation Amazon Echo Plus, but the Amazon Echo Show comfortably sits alongside the older Echo Plus in terms of audio quality. If you’re fussy about your music playback quality, you might find the Echo Show’s audio lacking, but it’s fine for the average user.
However, that presumes you can find content to enjoy on it. As with the smaller screen-enabled Amazon Echo Spot, the larger Echo Show supports Amazon’s own video service.
The problem is that there just isn’t that much content yet. Yes, you can (and should) watch American Gods and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, but the reality is that the overall Amazon Prime Video selection is tiny compared to the likes of Netflix or Hulu.
But there is a workaround here: If you want to watch services like YouTube, it’s possible to do so via one of the Amazon Echo Show 2nd Gen’s two built-in browsers, Silk and Firefox. Navigate to the mobile YouTube page and watch videos using the Amazon Echo Show 2nd Gen’s onscreen keyboard.
Voice commands are not supported in any way, so you might as well be using a more portable — and powerful — tablet. Alongside its smart display features, the Amazon Echo Show could make an excellent kitchen or small display area TV — if there was only more content available.
I’ve been testing out the Amazon Echo Show alongside the Google Home Hub, and the difference in the way the two devices present information is rather striking. Ask for a nearby gas station from the Amazon Echo Show, and it’ll give you a list. But ask the Google Home Hub and it’ll not only bring up the same information, but also give you a map and photo.
You can use the device as a large photo display, but you’ll have to upload your photos to Amazon Photos to do this.
All in all, Amazon’s delivered the goods in terms of hardware, but the software still needs time to catch up.

Smart home quality

Easy voice control of your smart home devices
Acts as a Zigbee hub as well
Can view compatible video cameras onscreen
Skype integration coming soon

It’s a more pleasing story in the smart home arena on multiple fronts.
Like any other Echo product, you can configure the Amazon Echo Show to talk to a wide range of smart home appliances, making it easy to control lights, cameras and more with just your voice.
The use of a display means that you get the ability to answer video calls through devices like the Ring Video Doorbell.
To add to that scenario, the Amazon Echo Show is also a full Zigbee hub for home automation purposes. I didn’t have Zigbee-capable gear to test this out, but if you’re already in that space, the Amazon Echo Show should integrate seamlessly.
Unlike the Google Home Hub, the Amazon Echo Show does incorporate a video camera into its front display, so it’s capable of video calling via the same “drop in” mechanism used on the Echo Spot. Amazon says it’s working on including Skype compatibility for the Amazon Echo Show in a future update as well, which would give it even more flexibility.

Verdict

Good for existing Amazon Echo households
Nice hardware, but the software is a bit of a letdown.

Pricing and availability

The Amazon Echo Show 2nd Gen currently sells for $229.

Amazon Echo Show 2nd Gen: What the other reviewers say

Site	Comment	Score
Tom’s Guide	“While still a bit confused about what it wants to be, the second Echo Show is a huge improvement over the first.”	4/5
Tech Radar	“Much better, but still has some creases to iron out.”	4/5
CNET	“If you like the idea of a smart display for cooking, calling or watching videos, the newest Echo Show is a great option. But don’t expect any extras.”	7.3/10
Digital Trends	“Amazon’s jumbo new Echo Show is the Alexa-powered mini TV you need”	4/5

Specifications

Product Name: Amazon Echo Show 2nd Gen

Assistant: Amazon Alexa

Wireless network: 802.11a/b/g/n/c

Weight (grams): 1768g

Height: 174mm

Width: 246mm

Depth: 106mm

Speaker information: Dual 2″ active driver stereo speakers with a passive radiator

Bluetooth: Yes

Min. Frequency Response (Hz): TBC

Max. Frequency Response (Hz): TBC

Audio out: No

Water rating: NA

Thank you for your feedback!

Matt Sayer

Matt Sayer is a technology writer and editorial engineer for Finder, combining industry expertise with data-driven solutions to help people make better decisions. His extensive portfolio spans investigate reporting on the roll-out of 5G, statistical analysis on the legacy of E3 and guides for popular products like mobile phones and smart speakers. Matt has a Bachelor of Computer Science from RMIT University and is passionate about finding ways that technology can better our lives.

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Amazon Echo Show review

A top-notch display and powerful speakers, but the visual Alexa experience could use some refining.

Smart Speakers

Smart Home Assistants

Music Streaming Services

Pros and cons

Echo Sub from Amazon

Design

Speaker/Video quality

Smart home quality

Verdict

Pricing and availability

Amazon Echo Show 2nd Gen: What the other reviewers say

Specifications

Matt Sayer

Ask an Expert

Amazon Echo Show review

A top-notch display and powerful speakers, but the visual Alexa experience could use some refining.

Smart Speakers

Smart Home Assistants

Music Streaming Services

Pros and cons

Echo Sub from Amazon

Design

Read more about the Echo Show's design

Speaker/Video quality

Read more about the Echo Show's performance

Smart home quality

Read more about the Echo Show's smart home functions

Verdict

Read the full Echo Show verdict

Pricing and availability

Amazon Echo Show 2nd Gen: What the other reviewers say

Specifications

Matt Sayer

Ask an Expert

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