The Amazon event 2020 may seem like a long time ago, but the good news is, the brand-new Echo Show 10 which was unveiled at the event, has finally been given an on-sale date.
The third generation of Amazon’s flagship smart display brings new features like “intelligent movement” and the ability to stream your favorite Netflix shows.
Designed to make interactions with Alexa “more natural”, the new Echo Show 10 can actually turn to face you as you move around the room – and if you’re cooking, for example, and walking around your kitchen, this means you can always keep an eye on the recipe your following on your smart display.
It also comes with support for Netflix, which is a brand new feature for Amazon’s popular smart display – it was last updated in 2018, so the Echo Show was due an upgrade.
The new Echo Show 10 was announced alongside a host of new Echo speakers, upgraded Fire TV Sticks, and the company’s first games streaming service, Amazon Luna.
While the Amazon Echo Show 10 isn’t on sale just yet, here’s everything we know so far about the updated Alexa smart display.
Cut to the chase
- What is it? The latest Amazon Echo Show smart display.
- When will it be released? It goes on sale on February 25 in the US and UK. It’s still TBC in Australia
- How much does it cost? $249.99 / £239.99 / AU$399.
Amazon Echo Show 10 release date
The Amazon Echo Show 10 will go on sale on February 25 in the US and the UK and is available to pre-order now. However, the smart display doesn’t have an on-sale date in Australia yet, and there’s no option to preorder it either.
It was announced at the same time as the new Echo, Echo Dot, and Echo Dot with Clock, but has taken nearly four months to be given an on-sale date.
Amazon Echo Show 10 price
The new Echo Show 10 will set you back $249.99 / £239.99 / AU$399 – that’s a little pricier than the previous Echo Show, but only by $20 / £20 / AU$50.
It’s possible (though not guaranteed) that the price could be reduced slightly during special events such as Amazon Prime Day 2021.
Amazon Echo Show 10 design
Design-wise, the Echo Show 10 looks a little like a mini Echo Studio with a movable 10-inch HD screen stuck on the front – and like the All-New Echo, Echo Dot, and Echo Dot with Clock in 2020, it’s a big aesthetic departure from its predecessor.
That display is capable of rotating automatically, allowing the Echo Show 10 to face you as you move around the room, which is handy if you’re following a recipe or making a video call while pottering around your home. You can also manually tilt the screen.
It works thanks to “a virtually silent” brushless motor, and an AZ1 neural processors, that triangulates on the “form” of a human body, rather than your face alone. Apparently, the AZ1 enhancements are coming to the US first, so readers in other regions may have to wait to take advantage of these features, including Alexa’s “more natural” conversational style.
On the front of the display you’ll find a 13MP camera, which comes with a manual cover, and you can turn the rotating motion off at any time by sliding that shutter closed, adjusting settings on-device or in the Alexa app, or just by saying, “Alexa, turn off motion.”
Controls can be found on top of the display, including camera and mic on / off buttons and volume up / down buttons.
Now onto the speaker element of the Echo Show 10 – with a cylindrical build and wraparound grille, it’s far bigger than the built-in speakers found in previous Echo Show models.
At the bottom of the speaker / base, is a power port – unfortunately, there’s no 3.5mm audio port for wired listening or hooking the Show 10 up to more powerful speakers (though its size suggests the audio should be pretty powerful on its own).
Amazon Echo Show 10 features
The new Echo Show 10 could be a one-stop shop for your music playback, smart home control, video calling, and home security needs if the specs are anything to go by.
Like all Echo smart speakers, the Echo Show 10 comes with the Alexa voice assistant built-in, which can do everything from telling you the news to scheduling calendar events.
You can also use Alexa to control your other smart home devices, including your smart lights, smart security cameras, and smart locks. And, thanks to that 13MP camera, the Echo Show 10 can even double up as a security camera if you don’t have a separate model.
The new Echo Show 10 allows you to view a live feed of your home from another Echo Show or the Alexa app on your phone. Amazon says you can also “remotely rotate the screen to take a look around the room”.
When you put Alexa Guard in Away Mode, you can also get a smart alerts if the camera detects somebody in its vicinity while you’re away – and Amazon says that for “added peace of mind, [the] Echo Show will periodically pan around the room to see if anyone is in its field of view”.
Want to see what’s going on outside your front door? You can view a live feed from any compatible smart security camera on the new Echo Show’s display, too.
Video calling is increasingly important as the Covid-19 pandemic has forced more of us indoors, and Amazon has introduced a number of new ways to stay connected with the Echo Show 10, including Group Calling, and new effects for video and Drop In calls to other Echo speakers, which make it appear as though you’re in a garden or in different bubbles.
Perhaps most excitingly, the new Echo Show 10 comes with support for Netflix – so you can stream your favorite Netflix shows, alongside content from Prime Video, Hulu, and more.
Not interesting in watching anything? You can use Amazon Photos or photos from Facebook to turn the Echo Show 10 into a digital frame – or use the built-in camera to take a selfie.
Like the other new Echo speakers announced at the hardware event, the Echo Show 10 doubles up as a Zigbee Hub, and can work as an Amazon Sidewalk Bridge device, connecting compatible devices over the 900 MHz spectrum in areas with spotty Bluetooth or Wi-Fi connectivity.
Amazon Echo Show 10 audio and camera quality
The new Echo Show 10 boasts a 2.1 speaker system, which, in combination with its larger, almost 360-degree build, should give at least a semblance of stereo sound.
Inside that speaker is a 3-inch subwoofer, with tweeters in front, which deliver “almost a surround sound effect”, according to Eric Saarnio (Vice President Amazon Devices EU). He also told us that the speaker “sounds same from in front as behind, so shouldn’t matter if speakers turn away from a listener to face someone else in the room”.
Like the new Echo, the smart display supports Adaptive Sound, which allows it to customize its soundstage to suit your room.
Meanwhile, the 13MP camera is designed for clear video calls via Zoom, Amazon Chime, Alexa calling, and Skype – and thanks to that intelligent motion feature we mentioned earlier, the camera can follow you around the room as you go about your day.
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