Amazon Echo Show 21 is here in case you want a giant, wall-hanging Alexa display
The new Amazon Echo Show 21 and a refreshed Echo Show 15 both launch today
📺 Amazon launched two wall-hanging smart displays today
📐 Echo Show 21 is Amazon’s largest Alexa-powered 1080p screen
🆕 Echo Show 15 is a refresh of its 15-inch smart display from 2022
🔊 Louder speakers and a wider camera allow for better video calls
🍎 Timing: Apple is rumored to launch its own smart display next year
Amazon is super-sizing its wall-hanging Alexa smart display with the new Amazon Echo Show 21 and a refreshed Echo Show 15 to adorn your budding smart home.
The Amazon Echo Show 21, on sale now for $399.99, is the retailer’s largest Alexa-powered display with a 21-inch 1080p screen. Compared to the first Amazon Echo Show 15 from 2022, it doubles the view area, doubles the base, and more than doubles the field of view of its camera, which is meant for video conferencing.
The refreshed Echo Show 15, priced at $299.99 on Amazon, gets the same audio and camera upgrades as the Echo Show 21 (it’s identical minus the screen dimensions). This means you can have a built-in smart home hub hanging on your wall at either size. The specs include Wi-Fi 6E for faster streaming and compatibility with Matter, Thread, and Zigbee devices.
The Alexa Voice Remote is free with either display, but you’ll have to pay extra for other accessories. Both the 21-inch and 15-inch Echo Show displays can match your home decor with light brown or white frame accessories that snap around the edges for $34.99 (for the Echo Show 15) and $39.99 (for the Echo Show 21). Can’t fit it on your wall? While these smart displays come with wall-mounting gear in the box, Amazon will gladly sell you a Premium Adjustable Stand for $99.99.
Amazon launches before Apple gets there
Amazon’s timing of the Echo Show 21 and Echo Show 15 is rather interesting if you’ve been following recent Apple news. The next Apple event may see Amazon's rival entering the smart display market with a 6-inch “AI Home Control Hub.” Apple is also developing its own Apple smart home camera, though it’s coming out much later.
The question then becomes: do you want to have your home run by an assortment of Alexa and Ring devices, or are you willing to wait for Apple to create its own Apple Intelligence and Siri-run ecosystem?