00:05Amazon's latest Echo Show smart displays are here, and they look better than ever.
00:09But is that enough? I've spent the last few weeks trying out the new Amazon Echo Show 8 and Echo
00:15Show 11,
00:16which broadly pack the same specs, barring the screen size.
00:19While both impressed me, I think Amazon could have done a little more to match the really premium new look
00:25to the performance.
00:25A friendly notice, we will mention Alexa a few times in this video, so make sure to listen with headphones
00:31if you don't want a smart speaker jump scare.
00:37The Echo Show 8 is the fourth generation in its size, but the Echo Show 11 is technically a replacement
00:43for the Echo Show 10.
00:44Now that's worth noting, because the third generation Echo Show 10 is where both of these speakers take their design
00:50cues from.
00:50While the Echo Show 10 may have introduced the newer design language to Amazon's Echo Shows, the Echo Show 8
00:57and 11 refine it,
00:59squashing the height of the speaker into a pill shape to form the base for a floating, thin display,
01:03rather than the slightly clunky, unified wedge shape of previous Echo Shows.
01:08Its speaker base is clad in a mesh fabric, and inside are housed two full-range front-facing drivers for
01:14spatial sound, plus a 2.8-inch woofer.
01:17The screen is an all-round upgrade on both devices. The Echo Show 8 measures 8.7 inches, while the
01:24Echo Show 11 display is now 11.95 inches.
01:28Located on the screen's right side are the mute buttons and volume rocker, and the rest of the controls are
01:33touched base on the screen.
01:34This redesign is a lovely change that makes the speaker feel far less utilitarian in the home.
01:39However, you win some and you lose some in the world of tech, and there are some victims to this
01:44lovely, sophisticated redesign.
01:46For one thing, there's now no physical camera shutter.
01:48You can still mute and blind the device with an on-device button, or fully switch off the camera in
01:53the app, or just cover it with a sticker,
01:55but it's an unfortunate loss for those who want that extra layer of privacy and peace of mind.
01:59Another feature that didn't carry across from the Echo Show 10 is the rotating screen.
02:04I was really hoping that at least the Echo Show 11 might see this super handy feature to give it
02:08a little bit more distinction from the Show 8,
02:10but you'll need to shop for an Echo Show 15 or 21 if you want to be able to use
02:15both landscape and horizontal orientation.
02:17We've linked our review for those larger screens in the description box below, so make sure to check those out
02:21too.
02:21Overall, these displays are a great option for kitchens, hallways and offices, and I doubt that anyone will disagree that
02:28it's a much-needed improvement, both visually and in terms of build quality.
02:36So, we know the new Echo Shows look good, but how are they in use?
02:40In short, they're fast, facile and feature-filled, but they don't always quite stick the landing.
02:46In performance, the Echo Show 8 and 11 are broadly the exact same, owing to the shared components.
02:51However, the screen experience does differ somewhat.
02:54Starting there, then.
02:55The new displays are vibrant, clear and plenty bright, making them easily visible even from a few metres away, unless
03:02you need to make out some more of the more detailed text.
03:04The smaller screen real estate on the Echo Show 8 means it suffers a little bit more under the weight
03:09of Amazon's suggested content,
03:10which is the recipes, TV shows and products it thinks you should engage with, versus its 11-inch sibling.
03:16But I did find that setting up a photo album for the Echo Show to shuffle through reduced the amount
03:20of advertising and recommendations.
03:22Otherwise, the user interface is easily operated, responding quickly to touch controls.
03:27Widgets do feel a little squished in places on the Echo Show 8, and some buttons within apps can be
03:33a little awkwardly small,
03:34but it's nowhere near as bad as trying to do anything more than adjusting the volume and brightness on the
03:39tiny Echo Show 5 display.
03:41Every now and then, there's a slight stutter to an animation, with some customers even reporting mild to moderate issues
03:47with input delay.
03:48Now, I did find the Echo Show 11 to be a little bit troublesome at times in terms of screen
03:52glitches,
03:53but the Show 8 was really reliable for me on test, so I have to assume it's an issue with
03:57the 11's UI screen optimisation given it's a new size.
04:00The touch interface is super easy to navigate, though.
04:03You just swipe down from the top for the control centre and left for the widgets.
04:07The screen hasn't got any smudge proofing, though, so it does become grubby rather quickly with regular use.
04:12Alexa is faster than ever with the AZ-3 Pro chip on board, and replies come incredibly quickly, once or
04:19twice before I'd even finished speaking.
04:20Asking for recipes elicits lightning-quick instructions, music loads quickly, even through third-party services,
04:26and all of Alexa's standard commands work as expected.
04:29I'm based in the UK, so I couldn't test Alexa Plus, but we will have a full separate review coming
04:34soon.
04:34Now, it's worth noting that, for some reason, the Echo Show 11 I tested had an issue with launching and
04:39searching on streaming services via voice control at first.
04:42Using the control centre to manually open apps worked fine, so I had to perform a hard reset before I
04:48could summon streaming apps hands-free,
04:49but then it worked.
04:50I assume this has to be another UI optimization issue, as the Echo Show 8 worked perfectly out of the
04:55box.
04:56As long-time Amazon speaker users will know, audio quality is never the main setting point for Echo devices, barring
05:02perhaps the Echo Studio.
05:04The performance is often admirable for the size and price, but not one for audiophiles.
05:09Still, at this price and size, the clarity and volume are impressive, and the speakers really are room-filling.
05:15Just prepare for your favourite tracks to be rendered a little mudderly.
05:19Inside the Echo Show 8 and 11 are a range of sensors that can also be used to set up
05:23routines with Alexa and help you monitor your home.
05:26There's the auto-framing 13 megapixel camera, centred at the top of the screen, just like in the last generation,
05:32and also the onboard microphones, which are great for clear audio on video calls or drop-ins.
05:37Also housed in the Echo Show 8 and 11 are temperature, motion and brightness detectors, all of which worked well
05:43in my testing,
05:44as did the facial recognition and personalization features that underpin the seamless Alexa experience we all know and love.
05:54You can buy the Echo Show 8 for $179 or pounds and the Echo Show 11 for $219 or pounds,
06:02making this a slight increase for the 8 and a slight decrease for the 11 versus the 10.
06:07Both are available in black or white, and there's also an optional stylish stand, which costs $34.99, all the
06:14same amount in pounds.
06:15Personally, I'd have preferred they kept the higher price for the Show 11 and added in some more features,
06:21as now it doesn't quite have enough reason to exist unless you really need a bigger real estate,
06:26but prefer the design of the 11 versus the Show 15.
06:34Fundamentally, though these are both still relatively affordable smart displays and a huge upgrade if you have a 5-plus
06:40year old Echo Show 5, 8 or 10,
06:42if you're not in the US, they don't make as much sense.
06:45And part of that is because Alexa Plus's early access is exclusive to the US right now.
06:50Now, that might be enough to tempt some shoppers there,
06:52while over here in the UK we'll just have to wait to see what's in store when Amazon's agentic AI
06:57makes its way over the pond.
06:58Below, we've linked to the rest of our Amazon Echo content,
07:01including the best Alexa speakers and our Echo Show 15 and 21 reviews.
07:06Make sure to hit that subscribe button to see more of our reviews straight to your sub box,
07:09and we'll see you next time.
07:21And replies come quickly.
07:23Once or twice, a little bit-
07:24I'm not quite sure how to help you with this.
07:25I saw the background.
07:27No!
07:27Well, I thought I muted you.
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