12/9/2023 0 Comments Smart wall displayThe widgets probably wouldn’t work on a display that was any smaller. So, why am I awarding the Echo Show 15 four stars in this review? It’s the ideal Echo for people who want an Echo that consumes zero counter space, and the new Alexa widgets make this smart display a fabulous family hub. I’m also surprised that Amazon left out a Zigbee radio, and that it outfitted this high-end smart display with such a low-res camera: 5 megapixels compared to the 13MP image sensor in the same-priced Echo Show 10 (3 rd Gen). Yes, you can buy an accessory to use it on a table or countertop-and the under-cabinet mount is a great option if you’re installing it in a larger kitchen-but those accessories add to its cost, and an Echo Show 15 on a countertop will consume a lot of real estate–at least in landscape mode. The Echo Show 15’s large size allowed Amazon to evolve and enhance the Alexa user interface, but the need to mount the smart display on the wall will make it a nonstarter for some. The controls we’ve come to expect from Echo displays (left to right): Privacy shutter for the camera, mute button for the mic array, volume up, and volume down. You can set up profiles for the children in your home, too, but Amazon’s displays will only show age-appropriate content when children’s faces are recognized. Once you’re recognized, they will personalize the information they display, including your own calendar events and reminders, preferred newsfeeds, recently played music, and personal notes. Higher-end Echo smart displays-the Echo Show 15, Echo Show 10 (3 rd Gen), and Echo Show 8 (2 nd Gen) can now also be set up to recognize your face as you approach (this is an opt-in feature). Some widgets-including Schedule and Music-can be resized.Īlexa has long been able to recognize your voice and personalize your experience based on your user profile. These appear as tiles on the display, and you can rearrange and reorder them as you see fit. You can choose from a gallery of 20 widgets, including a new family calendar feature, to-do and shopping lists, a photo gallery, music and podcast exploration, movie suggestions, and more. Widgets make this Echo model a more useful family hub than any smart display I’ve seen, while adding aesthetic appeal at the same time. The size of the display enabled Amazon to add widgets to Alexa’s repertoire for the first time. I’ve front-loaded this review with criticism of the Echo Show 15, so let’s move on to the pros. Michael Brown / IDG Alexa widgets and visual ID The Echo Show 15 has 1.6-inch full-range drivers mounted on each side of the display (the Echo is shown here mounted to a Sanus tilt stand). The display on the next-largest Echo Show, the Echo Show 10 (3 rd Gen), measures 10.1 inches and offers a resolution of 1280 x 800 pixels, thereby delivering 2,395 more pixels per square inch. Amazon spreads 1920 x 1080 pixels over a 15.6-inch screen that has a relatively poor off-axis viewing characteristic, so you might be disappointed by how soft your photos look in full-screen mode. The Echo Show 15 has the highest resolution of any Echo display, but it’s not based on a particularly high-end LCD panel. But that doesn’t change the fact that Amazon has broken a pattern of making the latest high-end Echo the best Echo. There’s a lot to like about this latest iteration of Amazon’s smart display, starting with the 15.6-inch LCD panel that allows the Echo Show user interface to evolve from those of previous-and smaller-Echo Show devices. But the low-res panel and camera, anemic audio performance, and absence of a Zigbee hub are letdowns.īefore you say “ouch,” you should know that the headline above is harsher than my bottom-line opinion of the Amazon Echo Show 15. The Alexa widgets made possible by the larger form factor are a terrific addition to the Echo experience, making the Echo Show 15 the perfect family hub. Must be wall mounted unless you pay extra for accessories.
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