Nothing says it’s the holiday season like a brand-new Amazon device. Amazon has been expanding its product lineups left and right this year, from its speaker options with the revived Echo Spot to a relaunch of the entire Kindle line (with some hiccups). Now the Echo Show family is getting a big update. Literally—it’s getting a massive, 21-inch device added to the roster.
The Echo Show 21 ($400) is the newest member of Amazon’s vast list of Echo-powered devices, with a 21-inch display. It’s a larger version of the Echo Show 15 ($300), a 15-inch display, which also got its second generation today. If you aren’t familiar with the world of smart displays, think of a smart speaker, but add a screen that can display your smart home devices, let you play music and TV, and make video calls with the built-in camera. Both these new devices promise an upgrade in audio quality compared with the first-gen Echo Show 15, with more bass and room-adaptation technology. It’s a smart move, since these large displays sit somewhere between smart display and small TV. Amazon includes an Alexa Voice Remote with both devices so you can actually use it like you would a TV.
I’m a little surprised to see Amazon expanding its massive Echo Show devices. There are some easier wins, like announcing a new Echo generation or restocking the popular Echo Dot speaker with clock, especially since the Alexa department is known for having posted massive losses a couple years ago. We’ve seen Google and Apple move toward making smart displays out of existing devices rather than launching an entirely separate device. But there are rumors of a mountable Apple TV screen, so perhaps a new massive Echo Show isn’t so out of the blue. If a TV-like smart display sounds up your alley, here are the most interesting updates promised in Amazon’s new devices.
Stream On
Photograph: Amazon
Amazon says that the inspiration behind adding the Show 21 and updating the Echo 15 were customer requests for better audio and a larger screen. Amazon did include both of these features; in addition to the 21’s 21-inch screen, it added an extra inch of speakers between the original Echo Show 15 and the new model. Plus, both the Show 21 and second-gen 15 will have two 0.6-inch tweeters and two 2-inch woofers.
It’s still not as impressive of a speaker array as other Echo Show devices with a larger base. For example, our favored Echo Show 8 ($150) has two 2-inch stereo speakers plus a passive bass radiator, and the bulbous Echo Show 10 ($250) has two 1-inch tweeters and a 3-inch woofer. The Show 21 and second-gen 15 are both limited by their thin profiles, since they’re designed to look more like a digital photo frame that happens to double as a family calendar and TV device.
Instead, you get larger screens that you’re more likely to mount on your wall like a small TV. Amazon is including its remote for a reason, after all—so you’ll turn to this device not only for your Alexa questions and to control your smart home, but also for your TV-related needs. All Echo Show devices offer this, but these larger screens are the only ones it makes sense to watch something on. I wasn’t super impressed by the experience of using the TV features on the original Show 15—a real TV and streaming device work much better—but I’ll be retesting these devices soon to see if the experience has improved.
There’s also a camera included at the top and a microphone built in, so you can use these screens for video calls or as an indoor security camera. Amazon says there’s a bigger field of view and 65 percent more zoom on the Show 21 and second-gen Show 15 compared with the original, and Amazon has added noise reduction technology to make calls clearer. If you don’t want to use the camera, there’s a physical shutter to cover it.
Screen Grab
Photograph: Amazon
The best feature of the original Echo Show 15 was the widgets. You can find them on any Echo Show device now, but the Show 15 had them first and still uses them best. With so much more screen real estate compared with the smaller Shows, you can really take advantage of widgets and make the screen your own. Plus, the Echo Show 15’s screen stays static, so you aren’t waiting for your widgets of choice to appear in the carousel of content.
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