Amazon Echo Show 15: Great tool for a small audience

The Amazon Echo Show line has been around for four years, but so far the size of the screen has gone off five to 10 inches, making it ideal as a multi-colored side bed alarm or kitchen support curtain. 15 inches Echo Show 15, available here, is the largest ever Amazon to try, and especially the first Echo Show you can put on your wall. As a result, the company bet some people not only use it as a digital image, but also as a family identity board. If that’s what you want from a smart show, the Echo Show 15 may be the same but the most appropriate. In other words, however, we doubt that it is not many people.

Made as an artist

Echo Show 15 looks like it is in the showroom. Its 15.6-inch screen is surrounded by a white 0.7-inch bezel (equivalent to matting around the drawing), which is housed in a beautiful black metal fence. It is very small at a thickness of only 1.4 inches. If you had told me this was a picture, from a distance I would have believed you. One notable feature is the camera on the top left. You can hide them with a physical lock using a switch on the top of the frame, where you can also find volume controls and a silent microphone button.

Goodness

• Beautiful photo frame design
• The main curtain is bright
• The widgets are useful

worse

• Intermediate cameras are a type of voice
• Computer props are sold separately
• Limited widget library

Since Show 15 was designed to be hung on the wall, it comes with a bracket mounted along with the necessary equipment. (You must provide your own electric drill.) Amazon only offers a five-foot cable, however, you need to place the device near the exit. Alternatively, you can run the wire back on the wall just as you would with a TV, but it is a more complicated installation.

You can choose to place Show 15 directly or indirectly, but you cannot rotate it while it is still on the wall. You need to remove it, turn the bracket on, and then turn on the display again. The same goes for computer systems; you have to choose your preferences before posting Show 15 there.

I didn’t want to drill holes in my walls (especially not to use the device I just rented for this article), so I decided to use the Sanus Tilt Stand that Amazon sent me to review. It is longer and bigger, taking up more space in my kitchen. As its name suggests, this stand gives you the option to tilt Show up to 30 degrees for better viewing. It’s another great way to hang a wall, but if I were to have a Alexa computer display, I would probably choose one of the Echo displays as they are smaller.

However, the 15.6-inch screen here is the best of all Echo images, with a resolution of 1,920 x 1,080. The display is bright and sharp so I can see it clearly in the room (about nine meters). When it shows all the photos and images, the frame looks like a picture. It reminds me of the Lenovo Smart Frame we saw at CES 2020, as well as Samsung’s The Frame TV, except that they are all very large – the Lenovo Smart Frame has a 21.5.-inch display while the Frame TV line ranges from 32 to 85 inches. In addition, Smart Frame only featured images, while The Frame TV is a state-of-the-art digital video display, all of which lacks Amazon’s visual capabilities.

As for the brand, one of the advantages that appears on the big screen is the latest version of the Amazon Echo Show: widgets. With the exception of a wide range of home-made images such as headlines and weather updates, the display section can now be customized with tiles. Options include calendar, shopping list, sticker notes, to-do lists, weather forecast, maps and tracker delivery package for Amazon. There is also a “What to Eat” widget that includes recipes, restaurant delivery options and Blue Apron color ideas.

These widgets are available at Echo Shows at the end, but only Echo Show 15 can be continuously available on the home screen. You can add as many widgets as you want, though Echo Show 15 only shows up to six at a time, depending on the size of the tiles. It also pushes the ones you use the most in the future, and you can adjust them again according to your preferences.

I have found widgets to help me see all my details slowly. I made good use of the “smart home favorites” widget, which allows me to see the feeds of my security cameras and direct my smart lights with a single bomb. I also loved the view of the video camera, which made me see who’s in the front door and watch a movie.

Unfortunately, there are currently not many third-party widgets – only 14 so far. The company has said it has developed an API for manufacturers to create their own widgets, but it is not known if more will be coming soon. I would like to see the Spotify widget in addition to Amazon Music, for example. Short web browsers to access my favorite websites can also help.

Face ID recognition

Also making Echo Show 15 is Visual ID, similar to Face Match on Google’s Nest Hub Max. It is a face recognition feature that shows you the information and widgets that interest you, such as your scheduled time of day or a to-do list. Every time I appeared, Echo Show 15 featured greetings like “Hello, Nicole.” It was wise enough to separate me from my husband, who also recognized him well. Visual ID allows you to send messages; When my husband told Alexa to “leave Nicole a note saying ‘I love you'”, I saw it appear on the window the same day.

This will not be unique to Echo Show 15 for long; Amazon says the second version of Echo Show 8 and the third version of Echo Show 10 have also received Visual ID through future changes. In the case of privacy, the company claims that Visual ID and Voice ID data (already available on all other Echo devices) are stored on the device, with nothing going on in the cloud. But if you still don’t feel good about it, you can just turn it all off together. Additionally, you can view and delete your recorded text on the Alexa app, if this makes you feel better.

The annoying behavior of the camera

Many of the other features of the Echo Show 15 are similar to what Amazon offers on all of its smart lines, including the ability to set timetable, music controls, adjusting Alexa-like homeware and playing videos. In addition, it has a wide range of video streaming features including Prime Video, Netflix, Hulu and smaller apps like TikTok and Sling TV. That said, YouTube is available through a browser, and Show 15 is not compatible with Disney + or HBO Max (provided by Google Nest Hub).

While Amazon supports video streaming via Skype, the Alexa app or for anyone with an Echo device (Zoom support coming in 2022), Echo Show 15 uses a subpar camera that is not as sharp as the 13-megapixel sensors on the Echo. Show 8 and Echo Show 10. In addition, Show 15 does not offer Amazon auto-framing features that make you stand out from the crowd.

Because Echo Show 15 is smaller, I am not surprised that the sound quality is as small as it is. It was good on the occasional playlist, but there are no buses, so I would not use this to entertain guests.

Competition

There is nothing like Echo Show 15 in terms of size. The closest is Facebook’s Portal +, which also measures 15.6 inches. But Portal + cannot be fixed on the wall and does not have many Echo Show apps and features. It also costs another $ 50. That being said, Portal + has a great camera with the best social media, so it is great for making phone calls.

Followers of Echo Show 15 who are very close to his siblings, Echo Show 8 and Show 10. They all have the same features, except, the wall mount. And yes, its larger display is more suitable for widgets on the home page. This is the only chance, though, as Visual ID and widgets will return to the smaller Echo Shows. The Show 8 and Show 10 also provide better cameras and audio. Obviously, you have to move to see the widgets, but it is not a big obstacle. Show 8 is also priced at $ 130 (Show 10 is around $ 250).

wrap up

The great advantage of Echo Show 15 is that it can be placed on the wall, and frankly, is the only reason for access. Yes, the canvas is beautiful and creates a beautiful digital image, but everything else is no better than the small Echo displays. Plus, his camera is even worse than the Echo Show’s smaller arms. Unless you commit to the idea of ​​having a smart display on your wall, you might as well have one of Amazon’s Echo shows.