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Amazon’s Echo Show 8 has long been the Alexa smart display for most people. Its 8-inch display was neither too lofty nor too small and was great for scrolling widgets, controlling smart home gadgets, and even video-calling with others. The built-in speakers also provided strong sound, which made it great for playing music.
Now in its third generation, the Echo Show 8 boasts a better-looking design, with room in the rear for two speakers and Amazon’s latest processor to speed the whole thing up.
How does all of this stack up, and does it account for the $20 price increase? I’ve spent the last few days with Amazon’s Echo Show 8 to see just how well it performs.
A less blocky, more rotund build
Since its inception, the Echo Show 8, like the original Show 10 or current Show 5, sported a more blocky, triangular build with the screen at a slight tilt backward. The Show 8 still presents the 8-inch display with a slight tilt, but it feels like a tablet propped in front of a more rounded, bulbous triangular rear.
Instead of sharp corners, you get rounded edges on a slightly raised ovular rubberized bottom. This gives it an ever-so-small height and keeps the smart display from being easily knocked out of place.
Simply, it’s a bit more modern and continues to put the focus on the screen, and that makes sense as this is a smart display. It also feels more premium with smooth, soft glass bezels around the display.
Buttons for controlling the device, like a mute button and volume up and volume down buttons, live on the top edge of the Show 8. Additionally, you have a physically sliding camera shutter, which lets you block the view of the 13-megapixel lens. It’s great for privacy.
The camera is another major design change, now sitting above the display instead of in the right corner. It makes more sense as it will better properly frame you for video calls or messages. It was an odd choice on the previous Echo Show 8’, so it’s great that Amazon corrected it.
Under the hood, this is yet another Echo gadget that can control your smart home and function as a true hub. Aside from Z-Wave, you get support for Zigbee and Matter, but maybe most importantly, this acts as a Thread Border Router. This means you can use Show 8 to help get other smart home gadgets like lights, outlets, and more online and stay online.
Alexa responses now faster, with a great view
Rather than just tell like an Echo Pop or Dot, an Echo Show, well, shows. The Show 8 sports a familiar 8-inch 1280 x 800 HD Display, which provides a great view for anything you’d used a smart display.
At first glance, as it shuffles through headlines and widgets, it offers plenty of clarity and accuracy for colors. Alexa's responses to queries and questions come through clearly; the text accompanying this is plenty crisp.
The Echo Show interface has been a bit more streamlined, so instead of swiping to get around everywhere, you can use a series of buttons up top. You can quickly pull up one of your favorite playlists, choose what to highlight from the widget gallery, check your shopping list, or even jump into connected devices. It’s still easy to read and now a bit more intuitive to get around.
While I did have a few slowdowns as the device was still setting up, basically slower load times opening up specific things, those have since smoothed out. Additionally, while the 13-megapixel camera is the same megapixel count as the previous generation, it’s in a better spot and will automatically keep you in the frame.
So, for video calls through Amazon’s own service or with a third party like Zoom, you’ll automatically be kept in the shot, even as you walk around or move from side to side at your desk.
You can even stream content from channels supported on the Fire TV and watch content from Prime Video on Show 8. It’s small for a feature-length film, but the display crafts visuals well.
The neatest part is that the display is intelligent for the type of content it shows you based on how close or far you are. For instance, standing next to the Echo Show 8 or close to it, you’ll see more detailed information, while farther away focuses on smaller amounts of larger text and a bigger visual. It works automatically, assuming you leave it turned on, and Amazon calls this “Adaptive Content.” Adjusting the home screen, various widgets, and Alexa voice responses lets you easily make out what’s on-screen regardless of how far away you are.
This is exclusive to the third-generation Echo Show 8 but will eventually roll out to other Echo Show devices.
Strong sound with support for spatial tuning
I saved the best for the last with the Echo Show 8, and that’s the audio experience. The previous-generation Echo Show 8 always delivered an impressive playback experience with strong audio.
Compared to the second generation, the third generation sounds better and places audio in a space with more finesse and intelligently places audio into your space. It’s a new set of 2-inch full-range neodymium drivers paired with a passive bass radiator. And it comes together for a really rich listening experience.
That’s pretty critical, as I am sure most of us still use our Alexa devices for hands-free music playback. I threw a range of tracks streamed from Spotify, Apple Music, and Amazon Prime Music on the Show 8, and almost all of them sound great. “Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out” by Bruce Springsteen opened smoothly with the classic horn riff, and Show 8 masterfully handled the wall-of-sound effect as vocals came in on top.
The biggest night and day improvement over the second generation is two-fold: the latest Show 8 gets louder but provides a significantly wider soundstage. Tracks have a bit more room to breathe, and it can still fill a good-sized space with sound, rivaling that of the Echo 4th Gen smart speaker.
With “Bad Idea Right” by Olivia Rodrigo, you can get the constant bass notes with her vocals layered on top of the rest of the band. It’s a packed track with many elements, but Show 8 places it out seamlessly for the most part. I noticed at ultra-high volumes, the first few seconds of a track could be a bit muddy, but this is likely the Show 8 reading the room for the proper mix. Either way, it quickly adjusts for solid music playback.
Suffice it to say, if you have an Echo Show 8 second- or first-generation and primarily use it for audio playback, I’d recommend making the jump to the Show 8.
Bottom line: Is the latest Echo Show 8 worth it?
As it has long stood as the excellent middle-of-the-lineup option for most folks, the latest iteration of the Show 8 strikes the same chord. It doesn’t rotate like Show 10 and doesn’t need to be mounted on the wall like Show 15, while at the same time, it’s not super small like Show 5.
With an impressive audio setup, an excellent visual experience that’s now intelligent, and all the power of Alexa packed into a better-looking material design, the Echo Show 8 is the best Alexa smart display for most people. Whether you want visuals when asking Alexa questions, a device to help you cook in the kitchen, or a mini karaoke machine with rich audio playback, consider the $150 Echo Show 8.
It’s up for order at $150 from Amazon and begins shipping on Oct. 25. You just need to decide if you want the Show 8 in Charcoal or Glacier White.
Amazon Echo Show 8 specs
| Echo Show 8 3rd Gen | |
|---|---|
Display |
8-inch 1280 x 800 HD touch display |
Speaker |
Dual 2-inch full-range neodymium drivers with passive bass radiator. |
Processor |
Octa-core processor with Amazon Az2 Neural Network Engine |
Connectivity |
Zigbee, Matter, Thread Border Router, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth. |
Size |
7.9-inches x 5.5-inches x 4.2-inches |
Colors |
Charcoal or Glacier White |
Price |
$150 at Amazon |
Prices are accurate and items in stock at time of publishing.
