Echo Show (2nd Gen) | Premium 10.1” HD smart display with Alexa – stay connected with video calling - Charcoal
- Premium speakers with Dolby processing let you stream music and books in crisp, stereo sound. With a vibrant 10.1" HD screen for watching videos, movies, and TV shows in a new fabric design.
- Connect with video calling and messaging – Make video calls to anyone with Skype, the Alexa app, an Echo Spot, or Echo Show. Make announcements to other devices in your home.
- Made to fit your life - Ask Alexa to see lyrics and album art with Amazon Music. Easily update to-do lists and calendars. Choose the clock face that fits your style best and glance at weather and traffic on your way out.
- Big Entertainment - Watch award-winning movies and shows from Prime Video and Netflix, or live TV and sports with a Hulu subscription.
- Your new kitchen companion - cook along with Food Network Kitchen, set timers and alarms, and add items to your shopping list.
- Control your Smart Home - Set up compatible Zigbee devices without the need for a separate hub. See your front door camera stream with 2-way audio and notifications.
- Put your memories on display - Use Amazon Photos & Alexa for a picture-perfect pairing. You can turn your home screen into a digital frame, share your favorites with friends and family, and even take photos. Plus, Prime members get unlimited photo storage.
- Designed to protect your privacy – Amazon is not in the business of selling your personal information to others. Built with multiple layers of privacy controls including a mic/camera off button.
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Echo Show features a new look, a vibrant 10.1” HD screen, built-in smart home hub, and improved speakers that deliver expansive stereo sound. Just ask Alexa to show you a recipe, watch live TV and sports with Hulu, make video calls, or see who’s at the front door. |
Echo Show makes it easy to stay in touch. Make video calls to friends and family who have Skype, the Alexa app, an Echo Spot, or Echo Show. You can also make voice calls, send messages, or instantly connect to other devices in your home to make a quick announcement or check in on the kids. With Skype calling you can stay in touch with friends and family in over 150 countries.
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Watch award-winning Prime Video content, Netflix, music videos with Vevo, movie trailers, news briefings, or live TV and sports with a Hulu subscription. |
See song lyrics and album art with Amazon Music or stream from Apple Music, Spotify, Pandora, and more. You can also listen to Audible audiobooks. |
Alexa and Echo devices are built with multiple layers of privacy protection. For example, on Echo Show, you can turn the camera and microphone off with one press of a button. You also have control over your voice recordings. You can view, hear, or delete them at any time. Learn more about Alexa privacy. |
Compare Echo Show devices
Price | From: $89.99 | From: $99.99 | From: $249.99 | From: $279.99 |
Ratings | 4.5 out of 5 stars (24,564) | 4.5 out of 5 stars (3,873) | 4.5 out of 5 stars (48,165) | 4.5 out of 5 stars (16,488) |
Alexa built in | ||||
Fire TV built in | ||||
Screen | 5.5" with 960 x 480 resolution | 8.0" with 1280 x 800 resolution | 10.1” with 1280 x 800 resolution | 15.6" with 1920 x 1080 resolution |
Release Year | 2023 | 2023 | 2021 | 2021 |
Motion | ||||
Speakers | 1 x 1.7“ | 2x2.0” neodymium stereo speakers with passive bass radiator | 2 x 1.0” tweeters + 3.0” woofer | 2 x 1.6“ |
Camera | 2 MP | 13 MP with auto-framing | 13 MP with auto-framing | 5 MP |
Visual ID personalization | ||||
Built-in Zigbee smart home hub | ||||
Wall mountable | ||||
Microphone Arrays | 3 | 4 | 4 | 6 |
Dimensions | 5.8”W x 3.6”D x 3.2”H | 7.9”W x 5.4”H x 3.9”D | 9.9”W x 9”H x 6.7”D | 15.5"W x 9.9"H x 1.4"D |
Always ready to helpEcho Show is the kitchen companion that helps you get more done in your day. Cook along to step-by-step recipes or get exclusive access to cooking classes with a complimentary Food Network Kitchen Premium subscription. Set alarms and timers, add items to your to-do and shopping lists, see weather forecasts, calendars, photos, and more. Echo Show is optimized for visibility across the room and can hear you even while music is playing. |
Alexa can control thousands of compatible smart home devices like security cameras, lights, thermostats, and more. Just ask her to show you the front door camera or brighten the kitchen lights.
Easily set up and control compatible Zigbee smart home devices without the need for a separate hub. Just say, “Alexa, discover my devices,” and Echo Show will discover and set up compatible devices so you can control them with your voice or manage them on-screen.
You can also set up Guard for free in the Alexa app to get mobile alerts if your Echo device detects the sound of a smoke alarm or glass breaking while you’re away. Subscribe to Guard Plus for an Emergency Helpline you can call through your Echo and more. Learn more about Guard and Guard Plus.
With over 50,000 skills and counting, Alexa is always getting smarter. Skills are like apps and let you do more like play Jeopardy!, meditate with Headspace, or view your favorite beaches with Surfline. Just say, “Alexa, help me get started with skills.” You can even create your own personal skills and custom responses with Alexa Skill Blueprints.
Alexa for kidsand familyAlexa can help kids learn and grow—while having fun along the way. And with free parental controls from Amazon Kids, Alexa will automatically give kid-friendly responses, filter explicit songs and block shopping. Children’s privacy is important to us. Discover how kids can use Alexa, watch helpful how-to videos, get answers to FAQs, and more. Haven’t tried Amazon Kids+? Click here to start your 1-month free trial. Amazon Kids+ is an all-in-one subscription that unlocks thousands of hours of kid-friendly videos, interactive games, educational skills, and Audible books starting at $2.99/month. |
Echo Show
Size |
9.7” x 6.9” x 4.2” (246 mm x 174 mm x 107 mm) |
Weight |
62.2 oz. (1765 grams) Actual size and weight may vary by manufacturing process |
Display |
10.1” touchscreen |
Camera |
5MP |
Wi-Fi connectivity |
WiFi 6 (802.11 ax) is not currently supported. Dual-band, dual-antenna Wi-Fi (MIMO) for faster streaming and fewer dropped connections than standard Wi-Fi. Supports 802.11a/b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi networks. Does not support connecting to ad-hoc (or peer-to-peer) Wi-Fi networks. Also includes an 802.15.4 radio for support of smart home devices. |
Bluetooth connectivity |
Advanced Audio Distribution Profile (A2DP) support for audio streaming from your mobile device to Echo Show or from Echo Show to your Bluetooth speaker. Audio/Video Remote Control Profile (AVRCP) for voice control of connected mobile devices. Hands-free voice control is not supported for Mac OS X devices. Bluetooth speakers requiring PIN codes are not supported. |
Audio |
Dual 2” neodymium drivers & passive bass radiator. |
System requirements |
Echo Show comes ready to connect to your WiFi. The Alexa app is compatible with Fire OS, Android, and iOS devices and also accessible via your web browser. Supported operating systems. Certain skills and services may require subscription or other fees. |
Setup Technology |
Amazon Wi-Fi simple setup enables customers to connect smart devices to their Wi-Fi network in a few easy steps. Wi-Fi simple setup is another way Alexa is always getting smarter. Learn more about Wi-Fi simple setup |
Processor |
Intel Atom x5-Z8350 processor for advanced technology and processing capabilities. |
Accessibility Features |
On Echo devices with screens, you can enable Alexa captioning and closed captioning, magnify the screen, toggle color inversion, and choose between color correction options. You can also enable the VoiceView screen reader to use gestures to navigate the screen and hear spoken feedback about the items you select. Learn more about Echo with a screen accessibility and Alexa accessibility. |
Warranty and Service |
1-year limited warranty and service included. Optional 1-year, 2-year, and 3-year extended warranty available for U.S. customers sold separately. Use of Echo Show is subject to these terms. |
Included in the Box |
Echo Show, power adapter (30W) /cable (6 ft.), and quick start guide. |
Generation |
Echo Show 2nd Generation – 2018 release. |
Privacy Features |
Wake word technology, streaming indicators, microphone/camera off button, the ability to view and delete your voice recordings, and more. Visit the Alexa Privacy Hub to explore how Alexa and Echo devices are designed to protect your privacy. |
Language |
Alexa speaks English and Spanish |
Recommended device footprint |
Echo Show Gen 2 device is 9.7”W x 4.2”D. Recommended footprint: 10”W x 6”D. |
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Customer reviews
Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them.
To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. It also analyzed reviews to verify trustworthiness.
Learn more how customers reviews work on AmazonCustomers say
Customers like the quality, ease of use, performance, and screen quality of the digital device. For example, they mention that it can control your whole smart home, it seamlessly integrates into your daily routine, and works extremely well with Amazon Music and Spotify. That said, opinions are mixed on connectivity, and value.
AI-generated from the text of customer reviews
Customers generally like the sound quality of the digital device. They say that the sound is great, the video looks great, and the mics are good. The videos play well, and are enough to enjoy using. The color and contrast are generous, and high quality visuals. The mute button is useful, and can control many things. Customers also like that the Echo can control so many things, and that it can booty shake.
"...to audiobooks, or watching movies, the crisp, stereo sound enhances the overall experience...." Read more
"...The sound on this Echo Show is very nice; the engineers kept the original two speaker design, but upgraded and, for better sound disbursement,..." Read more
"...the Echo Show 10 has great speakers, a terrific HD display, and really good mics. I'll use this space to explain how I use these devices...." Read more
"Over all it’s a good system, looks nice, sounds decent. She uses it mostly for music to relax and/or fall sleep to...." Read more
Customers generally like the performance of the digital device. They say it's excellent at what it does, works extremely well with Amazon Music and Spotify, and is a good system. They also mention that the initial setup of the group works great, and the quality is quite good. The Hulu integration works so well, and sound quality on the 2nd Gen is superior. Overall, customers find the product to be handy and excellent at its job.
"...From the moment I unpacked this sleek device, I was impressed by its premium design and the vibrant 10.1" HD screen...." Read more
"...The Echo Show 10 is an excellent digital frame. I listen to radio stations -- music, talk radio. Alexa keeps track of my favorites...." Read more
"...doesn't seem to interfere with the device in any way - it continues to work perfectly. When I first set up the device and noticed the issue..." Read more
"Over all it’s a good system, looks nice, sounds decent. She uses it mostly for music to relax and/or fall sleep to...." Read more
Customers are satisfied with the size of the digital device. They mention that it has a lovely 10.1-inch screen, big enough that they can see it. Some customers also say that the screen is highly finished and captures a wide view of the space.
"...The fabric design adds a touch of elegance, making it a stylish addition to any room...." Read more
"...-Setup is very easy-Stylish look; more modern and elegant than the first generation Echo Show-Ability to connect to wired Ethernet..." Read more
"Over all it’s a good system, looks nice, sounds decent. She uses it mostly for music to relax and/or fall sleep to...." Read more
"...The Echo Show was a nice addition, I liked the screen, especially when it came to monitoring multiple timers, or being able to look at lists without..." Read more
Customers find the digital device easy to use. They mention that it is straightforward, installs itself with some prompting, and seamlessly integrates into their daily routine. They love that it can "drop in" automatically without having to get to the phone. They also appreciate the image quality and the unobtrusive appearance of the device.
"...What sets the Echo Show apart is its versatility. It seamlessly integrates into my daily routine, from helping me in the kitchen with recipe..." Read more
"...It was easy, and in a matter of minutes I was up and running.I began familiarizing myself with its nuances...." Read more
"...Setup was extremely simple where as with Google I don't use it much more than for an old email account.I really enjoy the screen...." Read more
"...-Lack of options to setup the home screen-A ton of skills, but many are useless..." Read more
Customers are impressed with the screen quality of the digital device. They mention that it has a fantastic HD display, accurate color reproduction, and high-quality visuals. The contrast is generous, and nothing seems faded out. The screen and sound quality are just fine, and they like the crisp, colorful pictures and videos. The display interface is nice enough, and customers can see clearly and hear clearly.
"...I'm streaming music, listening to audiobooks, or watching movies, the crisp, stereo sound enhances the overall experience...." Read more
"...The result is a very nice looking screen featuring crisp, colorful pictures and videos...." Read more
"...to the fact that the Echo Show 10 has great speakers, a terrific HD display, and really good mics...." Read more
"...Screen is vibrant and crisp, text is clear and photos are well displayed...." Read more
Customers like the quality of the digital device. They mention that it can control your whole smart home, is great for monitoring parents, and is a great device for the bedside. Overall, it's a good device with a lot of potential, and has a built-in Smart HUB.
"...The device also serves as a central hub for controlling my smart home, eliminating the need for a separate hub for compatible Zigbee devices...." Read more
"...answering some basic questions and most importantly, controlling your smart home devices; it is worth owning this Echo Show just to perform these..." Read more
"...The Echo Show 10 has a built in Zigbee hub so you can control Zigbee devices without the need for a separate hub...." Read more
"...I love it. News, music, podcasts, books, web searches, timers, even math calculations...." Read more
Customers are mixed about the connectivity of the digital device. Some mention that they love the ability to connect with others away from home, and that the large screen size allows them to communicate with each other easily. They also say that it controls more things, allows video chats, and is Zigbee-certified. However, others say that the Silk browser fails to keep a connection and drops after less than 1 minute. The communication is an improvement opportunity, and the Alexa app on their iPhone does not do video chat.
"...With compatibility across various platforms like Skype, Alexa app, Echo Spot, and Echo Show, staying connected has never been this easy...." Read more
"...yet. Here's something I didn't expect - it supports Google Calendar better than Google does...." Read more
"...Communication is an improvement opportunity. Sure, you can call people or drop in on other Echos, but we are talking about 1x1 communication...." Read more
"...The addition of video calling capability keeps me connected with loved ones, making it easy to have face-to-face conversations from the comfort of..." Read more
Customers are mixed about the value of the digital device. Some mention it's worth the price, while others say it'd be disappointing for the price. The mount is a bit over priced, and the quality is good. However, some customers say the songs sound fake and poor, and that it' essentially useless.
"...Some songs just sound fake and poor. Others sound great...." Read more
"...Worth every penny for my household, wouldn't be without one anymore..." Read more
"...It may be great for smart home only users, but it is no fun or really that useful, other than that, at all!..." Read more
"...This was on sale for a solid price. I’ve been using echo devices since the first one came out in early 2016...." Read more
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The sound quality is exceptional, thanks to the premium speakers and Dolby processing. Whether I'm streaming music, listening to audiobooks, or watching movies, the crisp, stereo sound enhances the overall experience. The video calling and messaging feature is a game-changer, allowing me to connect effortlessly with friends and family. With compatibility across various platforms like Skype, Alexa app, Echo Spot, and Echo Show, staying connected has never been this easy.
What sets the Echo Show apart is its versatility. It seamlessly integrates into my daily routine, from helping me in the kitchen with recipe instructions from Food Network Kitchen to managing my schedule and to-do lists. The device also serves as a central hub for controlling my smart home, eliminating the need for a separate hub for compatible Zigbee devices. The commitment to privacy is evident with the mic/camera off button, reassuring me that my personal information is secure.
One standout feature is the integration with Amazon Photos, turning the Echo Show into a digital frame for displaying cherished memories. Prime members enjoy unlimited photo storage, making it a delightful addition for sharing memories with friends and family. The Echo Show (2nd Gen) is a true echo of excellence, delivering on both functionality and style. It has undoubtedly enriched my daily life, and I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a smart display that seamlessly integrates into their lifestyle.
The Echo Show 2nd generation is Amazon’s latest entry in the major “land grab” to fully automate your home. Being much more useful and refined than the Echo Show 1st edition, this device demonstrates that Amazon are good listeners; they discovered what users disliked about the first Echo Show and removed/reworked those functions and they discovered what users liked and improved those.
First, if you are new to the Echo Show line, let me describe some aspects of the device this way you know what you are getting.
Display: This new Echo Show features a larger touch screen (10.1” vs 7” on the Echo Show 1st Generation); the additional screen real estate comes in really handy for watching movies or following recipe videos. In addition, the resolution on the 2nd generation Echo Show has been bumped up to a more pleasing high definition (1280x720 resolution) from a non-hd (1024x600 resolution). The result is a very nice looking screen featuring crisp, colorful pictures and videos.
Sound: One of the reasons you would buy this device is to acquire a really smart speaker. The sound on this Echo Show is very nice; the engineers kept the original two speaker design, but upgraded and, for better sound disbursement, moved the speakers from the front to the sides. To help fill out the sound, they added a welcome addition, a “passive bass radiator.” Which, according to Wikipedia, is an unpowered speaker where the “Internal air pressure produced by movements of the active driver cone moves the passive radiator cone.” Or, put another way, the air moved by the two inch speakers drives the bass speaker. The result is a very enjoyable, full sound. How does the sound coming from this Echo Show compare to the sound coming from similar Bose or Sonos Bluetooth speakers? I do not have any experience with Sonos since I do not own one, but I have a Bose Sounddock and the Bose is clearly better. However, this Bose speaker is not a smart display; I can give up a little sound quality to get all this device’s other cool functionality. Anyway, the sound that is produced by this Echo Show is respectable and powerful enough to fill a medium sized room.
If you purchase this Echo Show and are disappointed in the sound, you always have the option to purchase a dedicated, high end Bluetooth speaker and pair (connect) it to your Echo Show. The result would be the best of both worlds; audiophile sound with the functionality of a smart display.
Physical design: The new Echo Show takes on a somewhat different form than the original Echo. Instead of being all plastic, it is covered in a pleasant and decorative tweed looking fabric. You get a choice of two colors, charcoal (dark gray) or sandstone (off white). On top of the newly redesigned show are the physical volume buttons, a mute button to mute the volume and turn off the camera and four microphones. On the front, near top of the screen bezel are four additional microphones. These eight mics do a nice job of picking up your inquiries to Alexa to perform all of her different functions. Additionally, one nice touch that will fly under the radar is the mini-usb port on the back. This will enable you, via a usb to Ethernet adapter, to connect your Echo Show to your wired Ethernet connection. Why is that important? For various reasons, people do not have solid, reliable wireless coverage in their home or they might not even have a wireless connection at all. This will help in those situations.
Software: The area most in need of improvement is Echo Show’s software. Owing to the contentious relationship between Google and Amazon, there is no way to easily access YouTube on the Echo Show Second Generation. You can do it, but it takes effort. The Echo Show has two browsers built in; Silk and Firefox. So, you will need to ask Alexa to open Firefox (or Silk). After your browser opens, you have to navigate to YouTube. After you get into YouTube, you will need to perform a search via the onscreen keyboard. Only after that, you will see your search results and can open your video. Wouldn’t it be much easier to say “Alexa, show me YouTube videos with funny cats” and have those search results displayed on the screen? However, if you want to watch YouTube videos, there is the capability to do so.
That brings me to another point. You have a nice new device with a screen, but do not confuse it for a fully functioning computer. Because there are no installed programs (or apps) like on your laptop or mobile phone, functionality is more limited. For example, if you start going to different web pages via one of the browsers, it does not take long before you find pages displaying oddly—videos not playing and login boxes not working; it is all because the browsers are not the full-fledged browsers that you are used to accessing on your computer. So, just keep in mind that even though this device looks like one, it is not a computer. It excels at doing certain things like keeping your shopping list, keeping a daily planner, displaying cooking videos, accessing Amazon Prime movies, answering some basic questions and most importantly, controlling your smart home devices; it is worth owning this Echo Show just to perform these functions.
Zigbee Home Hub: Huh? You will see some information about the Echo Show being a Zigbee Home Hub and everyone touts it as something really important, but never really explain what is going on. Let’s take a minute here to do that. It turns out that the networking that you are using now, WiFi (802.11x), Bluetooth, and wired Ethernet are not good for all of the home networking devices that you own or will own in the near future. That is where Zigbee comes in. Zigbee uses a different networking standard (802.15.4) in order to connect all of the home automation devices that you own, think thermostats, light bulbs, plugs, security cameras and the like. Now, with all of these different devices sending signals zooming around your house, you need something to pull them all together and control all the different aspects of them—are you on, are you off, turn the temperature up, turn it down, show me the backyard camera; in order to get all these to work, you need a hub. That is where the second generation Echo Show comes in. It is a Zigbee hub which will use this new 802.15.4 network to easily setup and control all of your Zigbee compatible devices. Even though it does not sound like much, being a Zigbee hub is kind of a big deal.
To summarize, here are the pros and cons of the Echo Show Second Generation:
Pros:
-Sharp HD touch screen
-Nice sound, much better than any other Amazon Echo device
-Nice integration with Amazon Prime (videos, photos, music)
-Setup is very easy
-Stylish look; more modern and elegant than the first generation Echo Show
-Ability to connect to wired Ethernet
-Zigbee home hub
Cons:
-It is not a computer which you will discover if you regularly use either of the show’s built in browsers
-Poor integration with video other than Amazon Prime video (think YouTube, Sling TV, etc.)
-Lack of options to setup the home screen
-A ton of skills, but many are useless
-Supporting Z-Wave (alternate protocol to Zigbee) would have been nice
Reviewed in the United States on February 12, 2019
The Echo Show 2nd generation is Amazon’s latest entry in the major “land grab” to fully automate your home. Being much more useful and refined than the Echo Show 1st edition, this device demonstrates that Amazon are good listeners; they discovered what users disliked about the first Echo Show and removed/reworked those functions and they discovered what users liked and improved those.
First, if you are new to the Echo Show line, let me describe some aspects of the device this way you know what you are getting.
Display: This new Echo Show features a larger touch screen (10.1” vs 7” on the Echo Show 1st Generation); the additional screen real estate comes in really handy for watching movies or following recipe videos. In addition, the resolution on the 2nd generation Echo Show has been bumped up to a more pleasing high definition (1280x720 resolution) from a non-hd (1024x600 resolution). The result is a very nice looking screen featuring crisp, colorful pictures and videos.
Sound: One of the reasons you would buy this device is to acquire a really smart speaker. The sound on this Echo Show is very nice; the engineers kept the original two speaker design, but upgraded and, for better sound disbursement, moved the speakers from the front to the sides. To help fill out the sound, they added a welcome addition, a “passive bass radiator.” Which, according to Wikipedia, is an unpowered speaker where the “Internal air pressure produced by movements of the active driver cone moves the passive radiator cone.” Or, put another way, the air moved by the two inch speakers drives the bass speaker. The result is a very enjoyable, full sound. How does the sound coming from this Echo Show compare to the sound coming from similar Bose or Sonos Bluetooth speakers? I do not have any experience with Sonos since I do not own one, but I have a Bose Sounddock and the Bose is clearly better. However, this Bose speaker is not a smart display; I can give up a little sound quality to get all this device’s other cool functionality. Anyway, the sound that is produced by this Echo Show is respectable and powerful enough to fill a medium sized room.
If you purchase this Echo Show and are disappointed in the sound, you always have the option to purchase a dedicated, high end Bluetooth speaker and pair (connect) it to your Echo Show. The result would be the best of both worlds; audiophile sound with the functionality of a smart display.
Physical design: The new Echo Show takes on a somewhat different form than the original Echo. Instead of being all plastic, it is covered in a pleasant and decorative tweed looking fabric. You get a choice of two colors, charcoal (dark gray) or sandstone (off white). On top of the newly redesigned show are the physical volume buttons, a mute button to mute the volume and turn off the camera and four microphones. On the front, near top of the screen bezel are four additional microphones. These eight mics do a nice job of picking up your inquiries to Alexa to perform all of her different functions. Additionally, one nice touch that will fly under the radar is the mini-usb port on the back. This will enable you, via a usb to Ethernet adapter, to connect your Echo Show to your wired Ethernet connection. Why is that important? For various reasons, people do not have solid, reliable wireless coverage in their home or they might not even have a wireless connection at all. This will help in those situations.
Software: The area most in need of improvement is Echo Show’s software. Owing to the contentious relationship between Google and Amazon, there is no way to easily access YouTube on the Echo Show Second Generation. You can do it, but it takes effort. The Echo Show has two browsers built in; Silk and Firefox. So, you will need to ask Alexa to open Firefox (or Silk). After your browser opens, you have to navigate to YouTube. After you get into YouTube, you will need to perform a search via the onscreen keyboard. Only after that, you will see your search results and can open your video. Wouldn’t it be much easier to say “Alexa, show me YouTube videos with funny cats” and have those search results displayed on the screen? However, if you want to watch YouTube videos, there is the capability to do so.
That brings me to another point. You have a nice new device with a screen, but do not confuse it for a fully functioning computer. Because there are no installed programs (or apps) like on your laptop or mobile phone, functionality is more limited. For example, if you start going to different web pages via one of the browsers, it does not take long before you find pages displaying oddly—videos not playing and login boxes not working; it is all because the browsers are not the full-fledged browsers that you are used to accessing on your computer. So, just keep in mind that even though this device looks like one, it is not a computer. It excels at doing certain things like keeping your shopping list, keeping a daily planner, displaying cooking videos, accessing Amazon Prime movies, answering some basic questions and most importantly, controlling your smart home devices; it is worth owning this Echo Show just to perform these functions.
Zigbee Home Hub: Huh? You will see some information about the Echo Show being a Zigbee Home Hub and everyone touts it as something really important, but never really explain what is going on. Let’s take a minute here to do that. It turns out that the networking that you are using now, WiFi (802.11x), Bluetooth, and wired Ethernet are not good for all of the home networking devices that you own or will own in the near future. That is where Zigbee comes in. Zigbee uses a different networking standard (802.15.4) in order to connect all of the home automation devices that you own, think thermostats, light bulbs, plugs, security cameras and the like. Now, with all of these different devices sending signals zooming around your house, you need something to pull them all together and control all the different aspects of them—are you on, are you off, turn the temperature up, turn it down, show me the backyard camera; in order to get all these to work, you need a hub. That is where the second generation Echo Show comes in. It is a Zigbee hub which will use this new 802.15.4 network to easily setup and control all of your Zigbee compatible devices. Even though it does not sound like much, being a Zigbee hub is kind of a big deal.
To summarize, here are the pros and cons of the Echo Show Second Generation:
Pros:
-Sharp HD touch screen
-Nice sound, much better than any other Amazon Echo device
-Nice integration with Amazon Prime (videos, photos, music)
-Setup is very easy
-Stylish look; more modern and elegant than the first generation Echo Show
-Ability to connect to wired Ethernet
-Zigbee home hub
Cons:
-It is not a computer which you will discover if you regularly use either of the show’s built in browsers
-Poor integration with video other than Amazon Prime video (think YouTube, Sling TV, etc.)
-Lack of options to setup the home screen
-A ton of skills, but many are useless
-Supporting Z-Wave (alternate protocol to Zigbee) would have been nice