Bigger is better, right? Guess we’re about to find out, as Amazon has unleashed its largest Echo Show smart display to date.
A bigger version of the just-refreshed and wall-mountable version of the Echo Show 15, the Echo Show 21 ranks as Amazon’s largest Alexa-powered smart display yet—and indeed, we’re hard-pressed to think of a roomier smart display, period. The 27-inch, Wi-Fi-connected Skylight Calendar Max ($600) is even bigger, but it’s designed for tracking appointments, to-do lists, chore charts, meal planning, shopping lists, and such. It doesn’t have an onboard camera or speakers, either.
As for the new Echo Show displays, they don’t stray far from the overall design of the original Echo Show 15, which was first announced back in 2021.
This news story is part of TechHive’s in-depth coverage of the best smart speakers.
Marking the first Echo Show that could be mounted on a wall, the Echo Show 15 was an ideal fit for the kitchen, arriving with jumbo-sized widgets and a screen large enough for extended streaming-video sessions.
But in our 2022 review of the Echo Show 15, we dinged it for its sub-par audio, a relatively low-resolution display panel, and the lack of a Zigbee hub, the omission of which knocked the unit down a peg compared to the Zigbee-packing Echo, Echo Plus, Echo Studio, and Echo Show 10.
The new Echo Show 15 and 21 displays ($299.99 and $399.99, respectively) both tackle the audio issues head-on, with Amazon promising double the bass (courtesy of twin 2-inch woofers) and “room adaptation” technology that tweaks the audio to fit the room’s acoustics.
The new Echo Show 15 and 21 arrive with improved audio, better Wi-Fi, and more.
Amazon
As far as video quality goes, Amazon’s answer is sheer size, with the jumbo Echo Show 21 offering nearly twice the screen real estate of the smaller Echo Show 15. Not bad, but at 1920 x 1080 pixels, the 21-inch Echo Show has the same screen resolution as its smaller sibling. That said, both displays carry over support for Fire TV apps such as YouTube, Paramount+, Peacock, and Max. Users will also be able to watch morning news segments from CBS News, FOX News Channel, or NBC News.
Finally, both the Echo Show 15 and 21 pack both Zigbee and Thread radios, enabling them to perform as Matter smart home hubs. That plugs a glaring hole in the original Echo Show 15’s feature set, which allowed you to control Alexa-compatible devices, but depended on a separate hub for anything other than Wi-Fi control.
The new Echo Show displays boast other improvements worth mentioning, including an enhanced auto-framing camera with double the field of view and 65 percent more zoom, while newly added noise reduction technology should make for better-sounding video calls.
The Echo Show 15 and 21 also mark the first Amazon Echo devices equipped with Wi-Fi 6E, ideal for stutter-free video and audio streaming.
Both displays ship with wall-mount kits, while a frame accessory (light brown or white) sells for $34.99. There’s also a “premium” counter stand available for $99.99.
We’ll have full reviews of the Amazon Echo Show 15 and 21 once we spend some quality time with the new displays, so stay tuned.
Author: Ben Patterson, Senior Writer, TechHive
Ben has been writing about technology and consumer electronics for more than 20 years. A PCWorld contributor since 2014, Ben joined TechHive in 2019, where he has covered everything from smart speakers and soundbars to smart lights and security cameras. Ben's articles have also appeared in PC Magazine, TIME, Wired, CNET, Men's Fitness, Mobile Magazine, and more. Ben holds a master's degree in English literature.