Amazon's Echo Show 16 redesign adds always-on home screens and Fire TV for $499.99
A thinner 16-inch smart display with a night-vision camera, Fire TV and always-on Screen Styles. Preorders get $100 off; it ships in December.
The skim
- Amazon announced the Echo Show 16 on Wednesday, a ground-up redesign of its big smart display with a 16-inch full HD screen, Fire TV built in and a remote in the box.
- It costs $499.99, or $569.99 with an anti-glare Nanomatte screen. Preorders are open in the U.S. now with $100 off, and it ships later this year (Amazon's store lists Dec. 16).
- The headline feature is software: always-on "Screen Styles" that turn it into a family calendar, smart home dashboard or photo frame, plus a redesigned Alexa+ interface.
What's new
Amazon says the Echo Show 16 has 10% more viewing area than the Echo Show 15 and colors twice as vibrant, in an aluminum frame that's nearly 40% thinner, according to its announcement. Inside are eight micro woofers and two tweeters, a new 13-megapixel wide-angle camera and, for the first time on an Echo Show, night vision for checking in on your home through the Alexa app. Visual ID, which recognizes who's in the room, now works from up to 17 feet away, up from 8.
It runs on a MediaTek processor rather than Amazon's own AZ3 chip and shares a lot with the Alexa Tablet 12 Pro, The Verge reports. A wall mount is included and it's VESA-compatible. Two stands are sold separately: a fixed one for $69.99 and a swivel-and-tilt one for $124.99.
The bigger change is the interface. Screen Styles can stay on all the time or appear when you walk up: Family Organizer shows color-coded calendars, to-dos and meal plans; Smart Home turns it into a control panel with a new 3D home map; Photos makes it a digital frame. A favorites bar sits on the side of most screens. Alexa+ answers now land as "Cards," saved summaries of a conversation you can return to later on the Show, in the Alexa app or on Alexa.com.
Why it matters
Smart displays have mostly been voice speakers with a screen attached. The Echo Show 16 is Amazon's attempt to make the screen the point, closer to a kitchen iPad that never leaves the wall. TechRadar's Jacob Krol, after a short demo, said it "feels less like a screen that simply sits on a counter or wall and more like a hub for organizing your home."
The catch is price. It's double the $250 Echo Show 11 and $200 more than Apple's new HomeView smart display, The Verge notes. Ads haven't gone away either: Amazon's Aidan Marcuss confirmed to The Verge that full-screen ads will still appear in the optional Alexa Recommendations screen, though not on the other home screens, and you can turn that screen off. Some features need Alexa+, which is included with Prime.
Who should care: Alexa households that want a wall-mounted family hub or replacement for an Echo Show 15. Owners of current Echo Shows will get the new interface eventually, but Amazon told The Verge the customizable home screens will need a subscription on older devices, with no price yet. It's U.S.-only for now, per TechRadar. If you want one, Amazon's store page calls the $100 preorder discount a limited-time offer.
