Having lived with one for a while now, I’m convinced every kitchen needs a smart display – and the bigger the better. Amazon has taken that to heart for its latest effort. As the name suggests, the Amazon Echo Show 21 is a colossal 21in smart screen that’ll put home controls, streaming services and video calling anywhere you’ve got enough countertop space. It’s joined by an updated Echo Show 15, and both are on sale right away.
The Echo Show 21’s LCD screen has a 1080p resolution that’ll do justice to Full HD content beamed from any of your go-to streaming or catch-up services – including, naturally, Prime Video. That size is basically double the viewable area of the original Echo Show 15, so it won’t just be whoever’s slaving over the stove that gets to see how that next episode unfolds, but everyone at the dinner table too.
Internal upgrades include a webcam with double the field of view and 65% more zoom, for more effective auto-framing as you move about in front of it. Improved noise reduction should make video calls that little bit clearer, too. The uprated audio system gets room adaption tech to tweak EQ settings to match the Echo Show 21’s environment, and should deliver double the bass of the original Echo Show 15.
Zigbee, Thread and Wi-Fi connections should let you control just about any smart home kit you’ve got in your house, and Wi-Fi 6E speeds (if you’ve got a compatible router) should put an end to streaming stutters. The useful widgets that arrived on the first Echo Show 15, including a calendar, shopping list and to-do list make a comeback, while the music widget has been given a once-over with speaker grouping, for whole-home music jam sessions if you’ve got enough Echo products.
Smart home fans can order the Echo Show right now from Amazon, for £400/$400.
The revised Echo Show 15 is basically the same hardware squeezed behind a smaller 15in screen. It’s packing the same smart home sensors, same new speaker system, and same clearer camera. It’s going on sale for £300/$300.
Both versions come with wall-mounting gear and an Alexa Voice Remote. The countertop stand seen in Amazon’s press pics is an optional extra that’ll set you back an eye-watering £100.
