With a 10-inch, 1080p screen and better sound, the new Echo Show is seeing the biggest upgrade in Amazon’s refreshed product line.
SEATTLE—Amazon announced a slew of Echo devices on Thursday, refreshing most of its lineup and adding some surprising new models (like a microwave) to fill certain holes in functionality and price. The Echo Show is getting what is perhaps the biggest upgrade, and we got to see (and hear) it in action.
The second-gen Echo Show gets a complete overhaul, moving up to a 10-inch, 1080p touch screen from the 7-inch, 1,024-by-600 panel of the original. It also features the same smart home hub as the one built into the Echo Plus, along with a more powerful speaker system.
Aesthetically, the new Echo Show looks much better than the previous one. The screen now takes up the majority of the angled surface instead of only half, and the very stark edges have been replaced with more friendly, curved lines. The back also now has the same fabric design as the Echo (as well as the new Echo Dot and Echo Plus), making it fit in much better with the overall lineup.
I couldn’t tell if the new Echo Show actually sounds better based on what I heard at Amazon’s demo, but the screen is certainly bigger, brighter, and sharper.
The most important changes are on the software side, and only a few were enabled at the demo. The new Echo Show (and the original Echo Show, with a planned update) features Amazon’s Silk web browser. This is a big addition in functionality over the original, which currently lacks any controlled web browser. The Show loaded PCMag.com without issue, rendering the front page clearly. It’s also being opened up to streaming video services outside of Amazon, with Hulu and NBC able to stream to the screen with voice control.
The Echo Show’s 5-megapixel camera will see more use beyond Amazon’s own Drop In messaging system, with new software support. A partnership will enable video calls over Skype (and voice calls over Skype on other Echo devices). However, this feature was not ready to be shown off at the event. The Echo Show will also enable two-way communication with certain home security devices, like August and Ring doorbell cameras.
This expanded third-party support on the Echo Show and other Echo devices with displays (like the Echo Spot) will continue to grow with Amazon’s release of Alexa Presentation Language, a new toolset for developers to make third-party Alexa skills with visual elements that can be shown on screens. Users will also be able to make personalized Alexa skills for the Echo Show with upcoming Alexa Blueprints with visual features.
The new Echo Show will retail for $229.99 when it ships in October; you can pre-order it now. An optional stand will enable tilt adjustments for the angled screen for $29.99. Check back for a full review.
