Amazon has an impressive roster of smart displays, but few are as popular as the Echo Show 8 and Echo Show 10. The Echo Show 8 is now on its third generation, offering an HD display and a small footprint that’s great for most homes. The Echo Show 10 is also on its third generation — though it’s much larger than its sibling and comes with a few exclusive features.
But is the bigger smart display better? Both products share much of their spec sheets, and it’s not immediately evident that the Echo Show 10 does enough to deserve its hefty price. Here’s a look at the Echo Show 8 and Echo Show 10 to help you determine which is best for your needs.
Pricing and design
The Echo Show 8 is available in charcoal or glacier white and costs $150. Amazon frequently discounts the smart display, and it’s not unusual to find it for well under $100. Its design is fairly standard, boasting an 8-inch HD touchscreen display with a webcam built into its top bezel. The back of the unit is slightly rounded and is home to a variety of speakers.
The Echo Show 10 is available in charcoal or glacier white, and it costs $250. Discounts aren’t quite as common, but the Show 10 is often on sale during big shopping holidays. It features a 10.1-inch HD touchscreen display that’s lifted off the countertop by a large, circular base. That base takes up quite a bit of real estate (the base alone is nearly seven inches wide), and when coupled with the large screen, the Echo Show 10 can be difficult to squeeze into cramped kitchens or living rooms.
Winner: Echo Show 8
Display size and quality
As mentioned above, the Echo Show 8 uses an 8-inch HD display with a 1280 x 800 resolution. It’s large enough to read from a few feet away, though you likely won’t be scanning it from across the room. But its resolution works well for its size, making it a crisp-looking device.
The Echo Show 10 uses a larger 10.1-inch display, but it features the same 1280 x 800 resolution as the Echo Show 8. There are still plenty of pixels to give you a vibrant image, and there’s no denying the large 10.1-inch screen looks great in most homes. The extra space is especially nice for streaming videos or looking at a recipe while you cook.
Build quality is excellent for both products, with durable materials that should withstand the hazards of daily life without any issues. It’s also nice that they’re available in either white or black, giving you a chance to pick the model that best matches your existing home decor.
Winner: Echo Show 10
Features and smart home connectivity
One of the biggest selling points of the Echo Show 10 (aside from its large screen) is its auto-framing capabilities. Thanks to its large base, the Echo Show 10 can rotate its screen to keep you in focus. This gives it a generous 175-degree viewing angle, allowing you to move around the kitchen or living room while remaining in focus during video chats. There’s even a manual tilt function that helps you get a nice viewing angle without any glare from overhead lights.
Like the Echo Show 10, the Echo Show 8 uses auto-framing technology to keep you centered, but because it can’t rotate, it’s not nearly as exciting.
The Echo Show 10 uses a 13MP camera for video chat, and it also serves as a security camera. This lets you stream a remote feed of your home directly to your smartphone. And since it can pan 175 degrees, it works great as a makeshift security system. Both products feature a built-in shutter that can be activated if you want to block the webcam for added privacy.
Inside the Echo Show 10 is a pair of one-inch tweeters and a 3-inch woofer, which work well to produce crisp sounds that are excellent at filling the room. The latest Echo Show 8 uses two 2-inch speakers with a passive bass radiator. It sounds great for such a small device, but most listeners will find the Echo Show 10 to offer audio that’s a bit more exciting and with deeper bass.
Other features shared across the two devices include support for Amazon Alexa, a wide array of apps (including Netflix, Hulu, and Prime Video), the option to display digital photos, and additional functionality via Alexa Skills.
Winner: Echo Show 10
Which is the better smart display?
It’s no surprise that the Echo Show 10 offers more features than the Echo Show 8 — after all, it’s a much more expensive device. But is it a better smart display for your home? In most cases, probably not. The primary differences between the two are the larger display, support for auto-framing, and enhanced audio found on the Echo Show 10. However, most people will find that the added cost simply isn’t worth it.
With the Echo Show 8 regularly discounted to less than $100, it’s an absolute bargain. Its display is vivid, it works fine for video calls, and it supports all the big apps that you’d expect from a premium smart display. Springing for the Echo Show 10 will get you slightly better audio and a slightly larger screen — but at more than twice the cost of the Echo Show 8, it’s hard to justify the price.
The Echo Show 10 and Echo Show 8 share the same screen resolution, the same 13MP cameras, and support for visual ID personalization. They also come with Alexa so you can connect and control other smart home devices.
That’s a lot of common ground between the two, making the Echo Show 10 feel overpriced.
If you have space and don’t mind the sticker shock, go ahead and purchase the Echo Show 10. The auto-framing technology is impressive, and its larger screen is ideal for large kitchens or sprawling living rooms. But if you’re not concerned with having the most premium smart display on the market, the Echo Show 8 offers more value.
It’s also worth noting that the most recent version of the Echo Show 10 launched in 2021, while the most recent version of the Echo Show 8 launched in 2023. That means a new version of the Echo Show 10 could launch in the near future, while the Echo Show 8 3rd Gen will likely remain relevant for a much longer time.
