The Amazon Echo Show adds a screen to the Alexa experience, providing a slightly different experience to the popular Alexa speakers that Amazon has offered for a number of years. There’s an advantage in having a screen: it adds a visual dimension to Alexa, allowing touch controls while also allowing video playback to expand the entertainment options.
Amazon’s Echo Show comes in a range of sizes – 15, 10, 8 and 5 – with the numbers referring to the screen measurement. Generally speaking, the functionality of these devices is the same, centred on Alexa’s skills, but there are many differences between them.
So how do these devices compare, and which is the best model for you?
Best Echo Show 2023 reviewed and compared
Amazon Echo Show 8 (3rd Gen, 2023)
1. Best Echo Show for most people
Fresh design and the latest connectivity
$105 $150 Save $45
The new Echo Show 8 boosts connectivity to make it even better as a smart home hub, while the new design makes it more attractive – with boosted sound quality.
- Chipset
- Octa-Core SoC with Amazon AZ2 Neural Network Engine
- Display
- 8in 1280 x 800
- Sound
- 2 x 2.0in driver with passive bass radiator
- Connectivity
- Bluetooth, Zigbee, Matter, BLE Mesh, Sidewalk
- Dimensions
- 200 x 139 x 106mm, 1034g
- Camera
- 13MP with privacy shutter
- Great new design
- Boosted audio performance
- Fully connected
- Same overall experience as other devices
The new Echo Show 8 shifts up the design with a mesh-covered rear that’s nicely sculpted, promising better sound quality thanks to spatial audio and adaptive sound that will tweak based on the room it’s placed in. The sound quality is great, with really robust performance and one of the highlights of this model. There’s also an adaptive display feature that will detect how far away the user is and adjust the information density on the display to make it easier to read from across the room.
On top of that, Amazon has packed in a Zigbee hub – as well as supporting Matter, Sidewalk and Bluetooth – so that the Echo Show 8 can be a better smart home hub while still keeping all the functions of Alexa that we know so well. In terms of overall sizing, price and performance, the latest Echo Show 8 is the model I’d recommend for most people.
Amazon Echo Show 10 (3rd Gen)
2. Best Echo Show for big rooms
The sound quality is robust
$160 $250 Save $90
The Echo Show 10 offers great sound quality, while the motion-controlled display makes for a great video-calling experience. It’s accomplished, but it’s expensive.
- Chipset
- MediaTek 8183 with AZ1 Neural Edge
- Display
- 10.1in rotating touchscreen
- Sound
- 2x 2in tweeter, 1x 3in woofer
- Connectivity
- Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Zigbee, Matter
- Dimensions
- 251 x 230 x 172mm, 2560g
- Camera
- 13MP
- Best sound quality
- Motion-controlled display
- Display resolution
- Expensive
The Echo Show 10 is slightly quirky, with a rounded base upon which a display is mounted. The display can rotate, so it’s ideal for placing in the centre of a room like a kitchen. The advantage here is that when used for video calling, it can track you around the room, so you’re not limited to staying in one place. We’ve found this really good for video calling, meaning you can make that call while doing something else without being limited to staying in one spot.
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The Echo Show 10 also has the best speaker performance of all the Echo Show models. This will make the music and video you consume sound better, but there’s a bigger price tag attached to it as a result. It also takes up quite a bit of worktop space,
Amazon Echo Show 5 (3rd Gen)
3. Best Echo Show for bedrooms
This compact Show is great for smaller spaces
$40 $90 Save $50
Fully updated, the new Echo Show 5 offers a refined design and boosted sound over the 2021 model – but it’s still compact and affordable.
- Chipset
- MediaTek MT 8169 B
- Display
- 5.5in touchscreen
- Sound
- 1.75in speaker
- Connectivity
- Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Matter
- Dimensions
- 147 x 91 x 82mm, 456g
- Camera
- 2MP camera with built-in shutter
- Compact display
- Great for the bedside
The Echo Show 5 is the smallest and cutest of the Echo Show models, and this means it’s also the most affordable. It’s now in the third generation, with the most recent model boosting the sound quality and refining the design, so it’s a little better looking and sounding than it was before. The display is small, so you don’t get the advantages you do from the larger Echo Show models – this isn’t quite as adept at playing movies or video calling – but both are still possible.
As an Echo device for a desk or small room, the Echo Show 5 is a great choice, and while many will use it as a bedside device, it doesn’t offer that many useful features for nighttime use. Still, it’s an affordable route into Echo Show ownership – and there are some great Black Friday deals on it.
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Amazon Echo Show 15
4. Best Echo Show for wall-mounting
Slimline for minimal intrusion
The biggest Echo Show is designed for wall mounting and offers Fire TV functions – but it’s expensive, and the sound quality isn’t very good.
- Chipset
- Amlogic Pop1 with AZ2 Neural Edge
- Display
- 15.6in touchscreen
- Sound
- 2x 1.6in speakers
- Connectivity
- Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Matter
- Dimensions
- 402 x 252 x 35mm, 2215g
- Camera
- 5MP with physical shutter
- Flat for wall mounting
- Fire TV functions
- Poor sound quality
- Expensive
The Echo Show 15 is pretty unique. It has the largest display at 15.6 inches and is designed to be wall-mounted, freeing your surfaces. That’s combined with a camera that will track you, as well as being able to recognise family members to customise the display experience for them. It also offers Fire TV viewing, so it’s good as an additional TV.
Pocket-lint
However, the sound quality is poor compared to the Echo Show 8 and Show 10, and there’s not really a huge advantage to having the larger display. The Echo Show 15 is pretty expensive – but it feels like it could be better – unless you really want it mounted on the wall, which looks great and is convenient.
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Amazon Echo Show 8 (2nd Gen)
5. Best Echo Show for less
Older model means lower prices
$55 $130 Save $75
The Echo Show 8 offers a great compromise between size and price. You get a decent display and good sound quality, but it’s not too large. This model has now been replaced.
- Chipset
- MediaTek MT 8183
- Display
- 8in, 1280 x 800
- Sound
- 2 x 2.0in driver with passive bass radiator
- Connectivity
- Bluetooth, Matter, BLE Mesh
- Dimensions
- 200.4 x 135.9 x 99.1mm, 1037g
- Camera
- 13MP with privacy shutter
- Pan and zoom camera
- Good sound quality
- Some Alexa Skills could be better
- It’s been replaced by a newer model
The Echo Show 8 sits in the middle of the Echo Show family, offering a decent-sized display and good sound quality. At 8 inches, the display gives you plenty of space, so this is great for a larger room. The upgraded camera will also track you around a room, but not to the extent that the Echo Show 10 will. We have found the Echo Show 8 to be a great compromise, strong in all areas.
Pocket-lint
It takes up less space than the Echo Show 10, while the functionality is pretty much the same, so it offers better value for money overall. It’s just not going to be a showpiece like the Show 10. With that said, the combination of screen size and sound quality will suit many buyers. However, the Echo Show 8 has been updated with a new model. You can see how those compare here, but the new model is better. However, the older Echo Show 8 is now cheaper, so might be worth considering.
Echo Show functions and software
All the Echo Show models offer the same basic set of skills. They take the Alexa experience and make it visual. For example, when you ask for the weather, you’ll be able to see that on the display, or when you ask about something, you’ll get supporting imagery. It’s more useful for things like recipes as you can have them displayed for you, while the ability to view things like home security cameras is an added benefit.
All the Echo Show models allow you to stream movies, but the Echo Show 15 goes a step further, offering a Fire TV experience and allowing you to pair the Alexa Voice Remote so you can control it. All the Echo Show models also offer Alexa Calling and related functions, such as Drop In – while supporting some other video calling apps, too.
The Echo Show 15 offers a little more flexibility with the larger display, but the Show 10 and Show 8 aren’t too different. The Show 10 provides an integrated Zigbee hub, while the old Show 8, 10 and 5 are all Matter compatible. The latest Echo Show 8 (3 gen) also has a Zigbee home, making it a great smart home controller.
The bottom line: Which is the best Echo Show?
Amazon Echo Show 8 (3rd Gen, 2023)
Editor’s Choice
$105 $150 Save $45
The best Echo Show for most people, the Show 8 combines performance, value for money and functions in a compact package.
The latest Amazon Echo – the Echo Show 8 – is the best option for most people. It offers the latest connectivity, the latest design and great performance. It combines everything in a package that’s not too large, but can still fill a room with music. It’s the option that I would recommend.
