It is a smart hub, a photo frame and TV monitor all-in-one, and it now comes with a 21-inch screen.
Amazon has launched Echo Show 21, its largest smart display yet, and along with it an updated Echo Show 15. Both come with an Alexa voice remote.
“When we first added a screen to Echo devices, it changed the way customers interacted with Alexa, combining voice capabilities with glanceable information, to easily view things like the family calendar, reminders, trending news stories, and family photos,” Amazon says.
“Customers particularly loved these devices for household organisation and streaming video content. This inspired us to create an entirely new type of smart display with Echo Show 15 – a wall-mountable ambient device that fits in naturally with any home décor and elevated what customers enjoy most about Echo Show and Fire TV.”
Amazon says customer research showed users wanted better quality audio and a larger screen, which led to the creation of the Echo Show 21, which has nearly double the viewing area of the 15.
It claims the two new devices deliver “immersive sound, double the bass, and room adaption technology”, and that upgraded auto-framing camera tech means improved video calls.
“[There is] 65 per cent more zoom than the first-generation Echo Show 15, so you’re always in frame during video calls even while moving around your kitchen.”
Noise reduction tech has been integrated to clean up the audio during calls.
Both devices have a built-in smart home hub and are compatible with Matter as controllers and can directly connect with Wi-Fi, Thread and Zigbee devices.
The Echo Shows can control a range of devices locally, such as lights, switches and plugs. Equipping the smart hubs with Wi-Fi 6E should make Fire TV video and music streaming “smoother”.
With AI-enhanced search, Amazon says you can learn about TV shows and movies using “natural prompts and phrases – search by topic, genre, plot, character, actor …”
Amazon says millions of its customers have more than 20 devices connected to Alexa and that Echo Show 15 and 21 “make it easy to set up and control compatible devices with your voice or a few taps to manage smart home favourites. Easily turn on all of your living room lights at once, view camera feeds, and more.”
Amazon is selling the Echo Show 15 in Australia for $549.
The Echo Show 21 is not listed for sale in Australia as of publishing.
An adjustable wall stand is $169.95. A frame is $59.95.
