Amazon has introduced its latest iteration of its Echo Show devices – the Echo Show 8 and Echo Show 5.
“Customers love using Echo Show to stay in touch and in the past year have made nearly three times the number of video calls globally than the year prior,” said Eric Saarnio, vice president of Amazon Devices EU. “With these new Echo Show devices, we focused on creating experiences that would add even more value to our customers – bringing a powerful camera and digital pan and zoom capabilities to the new Echo Show 8, upgrading the Echo Show 5 camera, and adding the ability to securely access the built-in camera to check in on home when you’re away.”
At the same price as its previous generation, the new Echo Show 8 features an 8” HD screen with adaptive colour display, a powerful 13-megapixel camera with a built-in camera cover, a new octa-core processor, and dual stereo speakers for clear, balanced sound.
The biggest upgrade to the Echo Show 8 is the camera, which now automatically pans and zooms during video calls to ensure the user stays in centre frame. Users can make video calls via Alexa or create a group of up to seven family members and say “Alexa, call my Family Group” to join a group call.
For entertainment, the device has dual stereo speakers and an HD display. Users can ask Alexa to browse TV series or films from streaming services like Prime Video and Netflix or play music from services such as Amazon Music, Apple Music or Spotify. The Echo Show 8 will also display music playlists or station recommendations based on the song playing.
The device can also be used to display memories using Amazon Photos. Prime members have unlimited full-resolution cloud photo storage.
Smart homes can also be managed using the new Echo Show 8, giving homeowners the ability to control compatible devices such as light bulbs, thermostats, and more using the interactive display or voice commands. Users can also securely access a live feed on Echo Show 8 from their account on the Alexa app or other Echo Show devices to monitor the home at any time.
Alongside the Echo Show 8, Amazon has also released the next generation of its Echo Show 5, a compact 5.5” display in a choice of Charcoal, Glacier White or a new Deep Sea Blue colours.
Using the Echo Show 5, homeowners can have customised routines where the device turns on lights and plays a favourite song as an alarm, for example. It also allows users to check the news and sports highlights, set alarms and timers, check the calendar, or stream music or a series.
Echo Show 5 also has an upgraded HD camera with double the pixels to create clear video calls or watch the home when away.
All Echo Show devices are designed with multiple layers of privacy protection, including microphone and camera controls and the ability to view and delete voice recordings. All new generation devices come with built-in covers for the camera to ensure complete privacy.
Both new devices are available in Charcoal and Glacier White, with a new Deep Sea Blue colour option added for the Echo Show 5. They are both available to pre-order now with shipping due to begin in June.