Top positive review
5.0 out of 5 starsThe Show 10 is probably the best Echo ever
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 1 March 2021
It’s here-the new Echo Pub Till!
Not really, it’s the Echo Show 10, Amazon’s latest model in the Echo Show range of smart home assistants, featuring Alexa and some new features.
FIRST IMPRESSIONS
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Looking like the offspring of a regular Echo device and a Fire tablet, the Show 10 looms over its other siblings (see photo with Echo Dot for size comparison) and is clearly designed to be the centre of your smart home.
Amazon’s obsession with white power cables for every device, regardless of its colour, continues here (I own the charcoal fabric version) which isn’t a major problem but you do have to wonder at this particular decision.
The unit is reassuringly weighty so it sits firmly on a flat surface and there’s no danger of it falling over if knocked. The screen is a 10” HD display which is big enough for comfortable viewing and video calling. As everyone reading this probably knows, the screen rotates to track you while you’re video calling (or following a recipe) so you’ll always appear in-frame. The 13 MP camera can pan and zoom and you can make video calls to anyone who has the Alexa app, an Echo Show or Skype.
The controls for the Show 10 are on the top edge including a switch to close the camera to ensure privacy.
The device is very well-made and looks superb.
PERFORMANCE
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The Show 10 works just like other Echos and has all the features we know and love.
Setup is all done on-screen and is just a matter of selecting your Wi-fi network on screen and logging in to your Amazon account. As I already have Echo devices, this was easy for me but if you’re an Alexa newbie then setup is very easy. With the added display, all smart home requests are shown on-screen and you can control lights & plugs etc from there as well as via voice or app.
Next I played some of my Amazon Music HD playlists through the Show 10. I’m very keen on streaming music and regularly listen on my Echo Plus which is an excellent speaker for music. The Show 10 will be replacing the Plus’ duties in my living room so I’m happy to report that it’s music playback quality is superb. It has the perfect mix of clarity and bass and coped well with various genres of music. It has the ability to go pretty loud if necessary but you’ll probably never need to as it provides excellent listening at around volume 3. I haven’t tried Spotify yet but it’s pretty good on my Echo Plus so the Show 10 should be no different.
Films/TV shows on Prime & Netflix are crystal clear and vibrant, the interface positive and fast.
The most important new feature is the motion tracking screen, which will follow your movements while video calling, following a recipe or enable you to look around the room where your Show 10 is positioned while you’re away from the house. The latter is controlled via the Alexa app, and is how I tested the motion tracking. The movement of the screen is smooth, virtually silent and goes almost all the way around on its axis; not quite 360 degrees, but it will turn to “12:30” both ways if you imagine a clock face. [NB - the screen itself doesn’t move. The whole unit revolves on its base]. Upon setup there is a mode to go through where you can preview the full motion to make sure you have enough room. You can also calibrate the position the unit will be in during its “idle” mode. A full range of options to control the movement can be found in the settings.
A couple of things to note -
The Show 10 will track your movements even if you’re not calling someone. This can be disabled by closing the camera switch.
The motion tracking will be disabled if there is insufficient light in the room it’s in.
The Show 10 also includes the all-important Zigbee hub to control your lights etc so no need for an external hub. I have had no problems controlling my bulbs and plugs. I also ran through my existing smart home routines and the Show 10 performed them all faultlessly.
ALEXA
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It has been widely reported that previous Show models have suffered from a less-than attentive Alexa. This was probably due to the speakers being so much smaller than on a regular Echo. With such a large speaker on the Show 10 (it’s basically an Echo with a Fire tablet attached) you’d expect Alexa’s hearing problems to clear up.
My benchmark test for Alexa response is the fact that my Echo Plus in the lounge could easily hear me from upstairs, both while playing music and not. I tested both scenarios and the Show 10 passed each one with flying colours. Most problems with responsiveness are usually solved by going through the “voice profile” setup, but you shouldn’t have any with the Show 10.
CONS
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I haven’t yet found any faults with it, to be honest, but I suppose the main strike against the Show 10 at the moment is the price tag which makes it the most expensive Echo model. But does it justify this price tag ? For me it does, although a discounted price in the future certainly wouldn’t hurt.
VERDICT
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On the whole I’m very impressed with the Show 10. The sound is excellent, Alexa is responsive under all conditions and the screen is clear, bright and vibrant. It can handle all my routines and playlists and the motion tracking is as good as I hoped.
Its natural home is probably the kitchen where you can use it to follow recipes if you’re not a rubbish cook like me, or watch Netflix or Prime Video while cooking. But it would be equally suitable in the bedroom for those late night Netflix binges! If you don’t have Netflix or Prime Video in your main television then the Show 10 could easily fulfil those duties in the lounge if you don’t mind the smaller screen.
Even in the short time I’ve had it, I feel the Echo Show 10 is the best Echo device yet. It combines the best of Echo smart home control with the entertainment features of a Show screen. Compared to the other Show models, it’s faster, more responsive and has better sound. If you want to upgrade to some serious smart home hardware then it’s worth every penny, but if you’re happy with your current Echo or Show or you’re shopping for your first Echo device, I’d wait for the sales.
Thank you for reading my review.
