The Amazon Echo Show 15 is the new 15.6-inch smart display, which is part central home hub and part TV. With an all-new interface and the option to wall mount it, the Show 15 ditches the traditional Echo Show design to give more options for fitting it into your home.
Rather than a tablet in a box type display, that we’ve seen before, such as with the current Echo Show 10, the Echo Show 15 looks more like a regular TV or a smart display, such as the Netgear Meural Canvas II.
This model can sit on its stand but it can also be wall-mounted or mounted under a kitchen cabinet, letting you both place this device in a wider range of locations than previous models, but it can also act as a central family hub. There’s even a brand-new interface, featuring Alexa Widgets.
Today (November 17), the Echo Show 15 is available for pre-order direct from Amazon for £239.99. The new Echo Show will start shipping to customers from 9 December 2021.
It’s unlikely, although we can’t guarantee, that the Echo Show 15 will be in the Amazon Black Friday sale.
Alexa Widgets
Widgets are short snippets of information displayed on the screen. For example, you can have a family calendar, which everyone can add to, or you can have sticky notes appear, with family members leaving information for others. Your shopping list can appear, and you can add and remove items straight from the list.
The Show range has always been about combining voice and touch, so the smart home widgets lets you view your favourite device, which you can control with a touch. So, have you left the lights on in the lounge? No problem, just tap the tile in the widget and the light will be turned off.
Echo Show 15 can also show video overlays while you’re doing other things, such as listening to music, such as a pop-up to show the feed from your Ring Video Doorbell Pro 2.
If you don’t want the clutter of this kind of display, you can ask Alexa to show photos, turning the Echo Show 15 into a smart photo frame.
Privacy and Visual ID
As well as showing all-family content, the camera on the front can show you personalised information by recognising who’s viewing it. Visual ID protects this information and is both an optional feature that you have to enable, and all visual information is processed on-device thanks to the new AZ2 Neural Edge processor.
When the Echo Show 15 recognises you, it will change the display to show your personal information.
TV
With its 15.6-inch screen and Full HD display, Amazon is pushing the Echo Show 15 as a kind of TV replacement, ideal for smaller rooms, such as a kitchen. Integrated into the device are Amazon Prime Video and Netflix, but there’s currently no support for Disney Plus. Nor do you get live channels.
The Echo Show 15 is available to order now and countertop stands and under-cabinet mounts will be sold separately. We’ll bring you more information as we have it and a full review once samples are available.