Amazon is trying to sell you a TV but is calling it an Echo Show

No company needs to sell 20 different versions of essentially same product, yet Amazon continues to push that strategy with its Echo line. Amazon has revealed the Echo Show 21, an absolutely massive, TV-like smart screen with a 1080p resolution that also doubles as a Fire TV.

The online retail giant says the Echo Show 21 is capable of “delivering immersive sound, double the bass and room adaption technology,” thanks to speaker improvements. It also offers “65% more zoom” and double the field-of-view compared the first-generation Echo Show 15, Amazon’s first wall-mounted Echo device.

Other features include a built-in smart home hub functionality, Wi-Fi 6E, Thread, Zigbee, and Matter support. Given the Echo Show 21 also works as a Fire TV, it’s compatible with Amazon’s Fire TV remote. That said, the device ships with an Alexa Voice Remote, alongside accessories required for wall-mounting.

The Echo Show 21 costs $400 and is available now.

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The Echo Show 15 also gets an upgrade

It’s basically a smaller Echo Show 21

Along with the Echo Show 21, Amazon also revealed a refresh to 2022’s Echo Show 15 with better audio quality, reduced bezels, and an improved camera. Its upgrades seem to be identical to the Echo Show 21’s, just with a smaller display. The refreshed Echo Show 15 costs $300 and is available now.

I assumed Amazon’s throw-everything-at-the-wall approach to hardware, and, in particular, the Echo line, would change when Panos Panay took over as Devices and Services lead following his lengthy tenure as Microsoft’s Chief Product Officer, but it appears that’s not the case — at least not yet. It’s likely this refresh is in some way tied to the rumored AI-powered Alexa upgrade that’s still reportedly coming by the end of this year or early next year.

Why would someone want a massive Echo smart display mounted on their wall or on a stand in their kitchen? I’m not entirely sure, especially given the Echo Show 21 is so massive and a bit imposing. Maybe you could use it to look up recipes while you’re cooking or for glancing at the weather? It’s possible the soon-to-be revealed AI-powered Alexa could make a device like the Echo Show 21 more useful. We’ll likely know for sure in a few weeks.

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