Amazon Echo Show 10 smart display: The display you never knew you needed

The Amazon Echo Show 10 checks all the right boxes when it comes to the features. If you have some extra cash to spare, Echo Show 10 is definitely worth trying.

Amazon Echo Show 10 (Shweta Ganjoo/HT Tech)

Rating

4 out of 5

Price

INR 24,999/-

Product Name

Amazon Echo Show 10

Brand Name

Amazon

Pros

• Great display
• Balanced sound
• Motion
• Smarter Alexa
• Camera shutter for privacy

Cons

• Pricey

Specifications

• Display
  10.1-inch HD display
• Camera
  13MP front camera
• Virtual Assistant
  Alexa

Amazon recently launched the Echo Show 10 smart display in India. It is the successor to the first-generation Echo Show 10 that was introduced back in 2018 but never made it to India. Amazon introduced its second-generation Echo Show 10 smart display at its annual fall event last year. And finally, after a delay of JUST nine months, the company brought its biggest Echo Show smart display to India.

The second-generation Echo Show 10 was launched in India alongside the second-generation Echo Show 5 that was also introduced at the company's fall event in September last year. The Amazon Echo Show 10 is available at a price of ₹24,999 in India, which makes it the priciest smart speaker/ smart display launched by the company till date. For reference, it is costlier than the Echo Studio that was launched in India at a price of ₹22,999. It is also the smartest Echo smart speaker/smart display made by the company so far.

Now, the question is -- what is so special about the Echo Show 10 smart display? And does it warranty the cost that it is demanding? Well, there's plenty! It's intelligent (and not just smart), it sounds nice and the fact that it looks good also doesn't hurt. While Amazon may have kept things relatively unchanged in the case of the second-gen Echo Show 5, with the Echo Show 10, it has left no stone unturned. Apart from Alexa, which gets better each day, the Echo Show 10 has great sound, connectivity, entertainment, and some more.

Design

First, let's talk about the design. The newly introduced Echo Show 10 comes with a 10.1-inch adaptive HD display with a resolution of 1280x800 pixels. On the top right corner of the display is a 13MP wide-angle camera with zooming capabilities. On the top part of the chassis are four buttons. There is a toggle button on top of the camera that can be used to prevent Alexa from seeing you or the device tracking you as you move in its viewing area. Moving towards the left of the chassis are three buttons two of which can be used for controlling the volume, while the third can be used to prevent Alexa from snooping in on your conversations.

While this design looks quite similar to the first-gen Echo Show 10 and to a certain extent it is. After all, you get the same 10.1-inch HD screen in the new Echo Show 10. In reality, it couldn't be farther from its predecessor, at least in terms of the design. For starters, the first-gen Echo Show 10 came with a 5MP camera, whereas the new Echo Show 10, as I mentioned earlier, comes with a 13MP camera. Also, the former didn't feature a physical camera shutter for added privacy, whereas the latter does. Additionally, its display comes with ambient light sensors. This means that your Echo Show 10 will adjust the screen brightness automatically based on the light in the environment, in this case, your room. It also lights up when it senses you around. At all other times, it remains cautiously asleep.

Amazon Echo Show 10 (Shweta Ganjoo/HT Tech)

Amazon Echo Show 10 (Shweta Ganjoo/HT Tech)

Adding to all of this is the base on which the second-gen Echo Show 10 stands. The old Echo Show 10 came with a static base, which means that you had to manually lift it to place it in a direction in which you could see it. The second-gen Echo Show 10, as I said in the beginning, is intelligent and not just smart. The display of the device is mounted on an Echo Studio-esque base that can rotate at an angle of 350-degrees. What's more? You can not only set the default direction of the display but you can also tilt it up and down slightly to get a comfortable viewing angle that best suits your needs. Simply said, the newly introduced Echo Show 10 will follow you as you move in its area of view -- something that the first-gen Echo Show 10 couldn't even dream of doing.

Performance

Now, let's talk about the performance. But for the sake of this review, we will call it experience. So the question that I will try to answer here is: how is the overall experience? In one word - great!

There are several reasons for that. The first is Alexa. I've always liked Amazon's overall ecosystem as far as Alexa connectivity is concerned. I like the fact that it connects with almost every smart device to give you a hands-free experience. I also like the fact that it lets me shop or drop-in on other connected Echo devices to inform a friend or family member about anything, even things as mundane and boring as dinner time. With the new Echo Show 10, it gets better and even smarter.

Echo Show 10 uses advanced computer vision algorithms to help make your home smarter and more secure. As Amazon explains it, the new Echo Show 10 uses advanced computer vision algorithms to help make your home smarter and more secure. In practice, Amazon's smart display-cum-smart speaker periodically asks you if it is rotating in the right direction and if its default direction (where it usually points at) is right. It learns and then it gets better in locating you in the space around it and tracking you as you interact with it. This feature is particularly helpful when you are on a group call with your friends and family. This is also one of the reasons that help in the overall experience. Sure, it has its hits and misses sometimes but it learns every time it misses.

For those of you who don't know, you can call your friends and family using Amazon's Alexa app and connected smart speakers and smart displays. I have kept the Echo Show 10 in my kitchen, which is where you will find me if I am not working or sleeping. I use it to experiment with new recipes (did I mention how much I love food?). I also use it to listen to songs, catch up on news updates and watch movies. In case you are wondering, you can easily watch at least half a movie when making those alu-parathas or butter chicken. I recently watched Tom & Jerry (stop judging me!) and I must say that the time while making all those dosas passed in a jiffy! I also use it to call my family members, especially while preparing dinner in the evening. What I like about this new Echo Show 10 is that it not only makes it easy for the entire gang to get together in a single call but it also moves the display and zooms in and out as I move around in the kitchen. Basically, I get to talk over a video without actually having to sit down for it. And guess what? It does make up for interesting conversations.

Amazon Echo Show 10 (Shweta Ganjoo/HT Tech)

Amazon Echo Show 10 (Shweta Ganjoo/HT Tech)

Lastly, the sound. The second-generation Echo Show 10 comes with dual front-firing 1-inch tweeters and a 3-inch woofer, which makes up for an equally great audio experience. It is loud and yet it doesn't lose its balance on high volume levels. It produces a perfectly balanced and clear sound with no shred of extra treble or high pitch, which honestly is a boon because most of the time I also use it as my sound system. It also has a strong base, which means that given the right song and the right volume, you can hear that thumping sound. Yet, amid all that noise, Alexa manages to hear you without skipping a beat.

Apart from this, the Echo Show 10 also has an inbuilt smart home hub that supports Zigbee smart home devices. This means that you can control all your Wi-Fi-connected smart home devices such as lights, plugs, AC, fans, TVs, geyser, air purifiers, and even robotic vacuum cleaners using it. You can also watch the feed from your smart camera on it.

Conclusion

Now the most important question of this review: should you buy the second-generation Echo Show 10 smart display or not? Well, the answer is a simple 'yes'. The Amazon Echo Show 10 checks all the right boxes when it comes to the features. It comes with a bright and responsive display. It has Alexa, which gets better with every interaction that you have with her, and smart home connectivity. It has motion (oh, how much I love that!) and it has a balanced and clear sound. Combined together, these features make your life a tad bit easier. Sure, at a price tag of around ₹25K, it is a bit pricey but it is not asking for anything that it doesn't deserve. So, if you have some extra cash to spare, Echo Show 10 is definitely worth trying.