Amazon’s Echo Show Smart Screen Is Either a Tiny TV or a Gigantic Tablet

There must be someone out there who just doesn’t think a 15-inch display can cut it for their larger-than-life lifestyle. Otherwise, Amazon wouldn’t have a reason to introduce the new 21-inch Echo Show, the biggest rendition of its smart screens yet. The ginormous display acts as a smart home hub for all your Fire TV and Alexa-related products, and it wants to absolutely consume your kitchen counter space.

Gizmodo wasn’t a fan of the old Echo Show 15, Amazon’s previous large-scale smart home display. However, Amazon says the 2024 Echo Show 21 and Echo Show 15 have upgraded sound with improved bass and an upgraded camera. The poor sound quality and camera were our biggest complaints about the previous device, so it’s nice to see that Amazon has listened to critique.

The new camera on the Echo Show should have a larger field of view and better 3.3x zoom for actually fitting your mug in frame during video calls. You should be able to hear friends and family better as well, with an improved noise reduction algorithm. The boosted specs accompany a jump in price, however: The old Echo Show 15 started at $250, while the new 15 starts at $300, and the 21-inch version costs a whopping $400. At that price, you’re already close to the cost of a solid 55-inch TV on sale, such as the TCL QM7 QLED.

Still, a 21-inch screen is straddling the boundary between portable TV and tablet. Perhaps it’s the Goldilocks “just right” size for some folks out there, but it’s likely to consume most of the leftover space in a small kitchen. For that, the Echo Show 5 or Echo Show 8 are still a better choice. The 21-inch version will be better for watching TV, which may be especially handy if you have a Prime account and enjoy Fire TV.

Both 2024 Echo Show devices use the same Alexa-based smart home hub with calendars and weather widgets. It’s also effective for controlling any of your Echo or Matter-connected devices. It includes Thread and Zigbee radios for connectivity, so it should be able to hook up to your smart lights or smart plugs. Both the 15 and 21 use WiFi 6E for when you want to stream Netflix without sitting down in front of the actual TV. Otherwise, you can set it up on a stand to act as a massive smart photo frame. Both the 15 and 21 come with the Alexa Voice Remote.

There are two color options for the additional frame, either a light brown or white, but you’ll need to spend an extra $35 for the Echo Show 15 or an extra $40 for the Echo Show 21. The counter stand requires spending an additional $100, which is already a lot for what’s still just a smart display and smart home hub.

Last year, Amazon launched several other Echo smart home products, including the Echo Hub, which is more of a control panel for adjusting all your smart home gear. It’s a better form factor for most people. It doesn’t have a camera or a big enough screen for streaming, but it also costs just $180, which seems like a bargain compared to the new Echo Shows.