is a senior reviewer with over twenty years of experience. She covers smart home, IoT, and connected tech, and has written previously for Wirecutter, Wired, Dwell, BBC, and US News.
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Amazon’s newest Echo Show smart displays launch this week. They’re purpose-built for the new AI-powered Alexa Plus, which comes preloaded in the US. I’ve had a couple of days to play with them, and I have some early thoughts to share.
Overall, the devices are a significant upgrade from the last-gen Show 8 and aging Show 10. They’re sleeker, with more modern hardware, a more responsive touchscreen, and packed with radios and sensors. They’re also powered by the new AZ3 Pro processor, which makes them feel faster. The new Shows look ready to take center stage in your smart home.
But Amazon tells me that the devices will still display the full-screen ads the company recently introduced to its devices. And that significantly dampens my enthusiasm for the new hardware.
The Echo Show 8 ($179.99) and Echo Show 11 ($219.99) are mostly identical to each other, save for the bigger 10.95-inch, full HD touchscreen on the 11. The 8 sports a smaller, 8.7-inch HD display. If you want more room to see your Ring cameras, or watch Prime Video, or use the calendar frequently, opt for the 11. If you just want to use the screen for controlling music and smart home devices and glanceable info like weather and shopping lists, the 8 is fine.
Both Shows share the same oblong speaker base wrapped in 3D knit fabric containing a 2.8” woofer and two full-range drivers, so they have the same sound. Both run Amazon’s new Vega OS, and feature a 13MP camera along with support for Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth, and Thread, Matter, and Zigbee smart home protocols. They also have Wi-Fi sensing presence detection in addition to the existing ultrasound sensors and built-in temperature sensors, which can be used to trigger Alexa Routines.
1. Better hardware
The Echo Show 11 has a clear, crisp display. The more slimline screen is also a nice update. The Echo Show 8 has the same design with a smaller screen. Both screens are very responsive to touch.
The most striking thing about the new Shows is the hardware. The fabric-wrapped speaker and thin, floating display are a significant step up from the chunky styling of the Echo Show 8 (third gen) or bezel-heavy Echo Show 15. Amazon has combined a good touch interface with an improved speaker on these devices, allowing them to work as both excellent voice control devices and intuitive touchscreens.
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