We pitted 2019’s Echo Show 8 against the latest iteration to find out which smart display you should grab this Black Friday.
The best smart display offers a way to see as well as hear the information being served up by a voice assistant. Amazon currently has two versions of its 8-inch Echo Show smart display – the original iteration, which was launched in November 2019, and the Echo Show 8 (2nd gen), which was launched in June this year, on the market. Both smart displays have been discounted several times this year, and with Black Friday and Cyber Monday just days away, you’re probably wondering just which of these two 8-in smart speakers with built-in screens you should be buying? Will spending $20 / £20 / AU$30 more on the list price of these smart displays really make a difference to your experience at home? We pitted the Echo Show 8 (1st gen) against the Echo Show 8 (2nd gen) to find out, so you can confidently riffle through the best Black Friday Echo deals and nab yourself a bargain. Read on to find out just how these smart displays compare – or, if you know which Alexa smart speaker and screen in one you want, check out the best prices right now for both products below: When it comes to cost, the two 8-inch displays don’t vary dramatically. The Amazon Echo Show 8 (1st gen) is priced at $109.99 / £99.99 / AU$169, while the Amazon Echo Show 8 (2nd gen) will set you back $129.99 / £119.99 / AU$199. As smart displays go, both the Amazon Echo Show 8 models are slightly more expensive than their closest rival from Google, the Google Nest Hub (2nd gen), which costs $99 / £89 / AU$149. However, this is understandable given both models of the Amazon Echo Show 8 have a built-in camera for video calls – not something the Google Nest Hub offers.
