Rarely will you see five stars here when I review a product. In my opinion, the new Echo Show 21 deserves them and in this article I will tell you why.
The king of the screens
In the land of smart screens and speakers, Amazon is undoubtedly the king. The company maintains a very strong position in this segment thanks to the fact that it knew how to pave the way and then remain a leader with quality, innovation and a familiar touch thanks to Alexa. Also to the variety offered: from speakers ‘simple’ and cheap as Echo Dot or the most modern Echo Pop even their models with display of all kinds of sizes.
Amazon has achieved maintain that leadership without too much competitionwith the forgiveness of Google, which would be its most popular alternative and whose devices in this area also offer notable experiences.
It looks like that could soon change, as Apple has smelled the market here: rumors suggest that the Cupertino firm is working on a smart screen for the home in the style of Amazon’s Echo Show. Although it is also said through lies that those with the bitten apple could throw a television.
Taking into account that The Brainy Insights consultancy estimates that Global smart display market to reach $27.93 billion by 2032it is not surprising that the most valuable company in the world on the stock market wants to get in and take part of the pie.
But let’s go back to Amazon, which is what concerns us. Because Apple has to work hard to catch up with this company and its Echo Show line.
Since it started in the display speaker segment in 2017, They have been conquering millions of homes in the worldwhether with the youngest brother of the family, the recent Echo Spot; with the Echo Show 5 and Echo Show 8the most standard models that everyone likes; with the Echo Show 10the best in sound quality due to its powerful speaker; or with the largest so far: the Echo Show 15.
I say until now because, as you know, Amazon has just launched its new Echo Show 21, a beast that, as its name indicates, offers a 21-inch screen. After trying all the ones I mentioned before, I already suspected that this manufacturer is unbeatable in the sector. Now I have it clear.
A giant design that continues the lineage
The Echo Show 21, as is the case with the 15-inch model – which by the way has also just been renewed -, It can be placed both vertically and horizontally and can be anchored to the wall or with a support..
It comes with a sober, minimalist and clearly oriented to occupy a central place in the kitchen, bedroom or any other room in your house, even the largest ones. Goodbye to hiding ‘Alexa’ in a corner, the name by which half of Spain calls Amazon speakers. This is a feeling that I already had when analyzing the Echo Show 10 and much more with the Echo Show 15, but with the 21-inch version I have no doubt. Stands out at first glance.
If you choose You will see that the rear base is more elegant than that of the first generation model of the Echo Show 15. I suppose that in general users were opting more for this option than for hanging the device on the wall and that is why more attention has been paid to its design.
Since I mention it, this stand is sold separately and, to be an optional element, it’s not cheap at all: he package Complete it costs 549.98 euros, that is, if you want the foot to put the Echo Show 21 on you will have to pay 109.99 euros. We will talk about the price later, but in my opinion it is the biggest – if not the only – handicap of this device.
As usually happens with the Echo or Echo Show, It is not exactly a light deviceit is surely the heaviest of the brand at 4.9 kilos. But — as I always say — this is not relevant for a product that is designed to remain static. On the contrary, in devices that are not portable, robustness is usually a point that conveys confidence.
About buttons and ‘clickable’ things, The camera is located in the center of the top frame —if we put it horizontally—, instead of being on one side as it was in the previous generation of the Echo Show 15. It includes a tab to cover it, as is common in Amazon devices. Then we have the usual suspects: microphone mute, volume down and volume up buttons.
A screen that will become your new television
We have a ‘pants’. It can and does replace a television without problemsboth for its size and for its quality and definition. It is true that it is not 4K, but at 21 inches it doesn’t need to be either. It can and does replace a television without problems, but we are not talking about your smart tv latest generation 65”, things as they are.
You choose the experience: with the camera open or with everything closed, with Alexa listening or with the sound disabled, watching a screensaver or showing the widgets with tasks, reminders and playlists. Whatever you decide, looks fabulous.
The sharpness is remarkable, with good viewing angles and very balanced contrast. However, in conditions of a lot of natural light, better brightness levels are missing.
With Full HD resolution, the viewing experience is excellent for watching content from Prime Video, Netflix, YouTube or making video calls. Even for something that amazes me as a good millennial: it is perfect as a digital photo frame and it also has all the appearance of being one thanks to the ‘passe-partout effect’ achieved by its edges, which are also now thinner. Amazon has managed to combine two things that I love—seeing photos of my people and a little bit of technology.
Furthermore, the screen also It is very well designed as hub to control the home. You can include various widgets very useful. In my experience, the ones I have used the most have been the calendar, the shopping list, the to-do list, the weather, and the latest thing I listened to on Spotify.
It is true that if all you want is to use the screen to manage your smart home You have other cheaper and more discreet options, such as Amazon Echo Hub. It all depends on what your needs are.
I have all Alexa options and suggestions disabledfor example recipe recommendations, the latest news, sports results or the joke of the day. As I said, I like that only the photos and videos appear. widgets basics.
This is how the new Echo Show 21 works on a daily basis
Amazon assures that it has significantly improved the performance of the Echo Show 21 thanks to a more powerful processor that guarantees smooth transitions between apps and voice commands. Take a Amazon AZ2 neural network engine chip.
The Echo Show 21 is capable of recognize a person enrolled in Visual ID and you will be able to process your images directly on the device, as well as recognize it when it is nearby and if the camera is open. In this way offers you a personalized experience to the user profile.
However, as I have already said, The Echo Show 21 incorporates a physical shutter for the camera and the option to disable microphones with a single touch, for those who are more jealous of their privacy. In addition, you can request a summary of the voice commands that Alexa has heard, as well as delete them.
The Alexa experience is more agile than everwith immediate responses. This is where I have noticed the most change, not so much in the tactile part, which is also smooth, but still has room for improvement. I would say that in this Echo Show the listening precision of the Amazon assistant is greater.
As for the sound, The device features high-definition speakers with support for spatial audioallowing for an immersive experience. Power is enough to fill a large roomalthough at high volumes you may notice some distortion in the bass. It has 2 51 mm (2.0″) woofers and 2 15 mm (0.6″) tweeters.
Its 13 megapixel camera is more than enough for video calls, which are more natural thanks to functions such as automatic framing, wide angle, 3.3x zoom and noise reduction technology.
Here it is important to mention that Amazon has increased the megapixels of the camerawhich in the previous generation of the Echo Show 15 were only 5 —although in the Echo Show 10 and Echo Show 8 there are surprisingly 13 as well.
It is noted that Amazon wanted to put more focus on video callswith that increase in megapixels and with advanced functions such as autoframing or improved zoom.
And about the management part, the Echo Show 21 can be the center of the smart homewith the possibility of controlling lights, security cameras, thermostats and other devices compatible with Alexa.
The configuration of this new member of the Echo family, as with the rest of its siblings, is very simple and you barely need to do anything. By having Internet access on your mobile, the app of Alexa installed and the home WiFi to connect the device to the network is enough. Plus, it’s done pretty quickly.
Finally, as a novelty, the Echo Show 21 comes with remote includedalthough you can use other models if you already had one. I had another one that was a little more complete, which is the one I’m using. This is very useful especially since the device comes with Fire TV built-in.
Summary
I love it and I think it’s wonderful. After several weeks of use, the Echo Show 21 has proven to be a versatile and versatile device. Its large screen improves the user experience in every way: from video calls to consulting recipes or playing videos.
I recognize that its size may be excessive for small rooms. or if you don’t have a large space to put it. But that’s why there is the option of hanging it, which also comes with a guide on how to do it and doesn’t seem too difficult.
For the last few days I have had this enormous hub of smart home control, a super screen whose presence in the room in which it is installed is noticeable. AND My verdict is that I recommend it 100%. Bigger, at least in this case, is better.
But the Amazon Echo Show 21 is not simply ‘bigger’, it is more capable, more immersive and much more useful as a smart home control center. It is an all in one.
The main disadvantage? Its price is definitely highalthough it doesn’t seem expensive to me for everything it offers.
THE BEST
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Its enormous screen is a delight both visually and in size.
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It is very useful and practical as a smart home controller.
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It works great as a television to watch series and movies or as a music player.
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Recaptures the essence of one of my favorite retro devices: the digital photo frame.
WORST
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Its price is very high.
#Amazon #Echo #Show #bigger
