Amazon Echo Show 8 (2nd gen) review

We’re already Alexa users, so to test this Echo Show we connected it to our home wi-fi network, where it automatically learned about our existing devices, settings and Alexa Skills.

Skills are the little apps that connect your Alexa to additional services and devices. We tested it as a smart home controller, as a music player, as a kids-question-answerer and as a video streamer. For audio, we used it with the default Amazon Music service, but we also tested Apple Music and Bluetooth streaming from our phone.

The Echo Show 8 also went through rigorous inspection in the Saga Exceptional testing lab, where we monitored its audio and visual credentials.

While Echo speakers are set up via the Alexa phone app, on Echo devices with screens, you do all the setting up directly on the device – so you’ll need your Amazon ID and your wi-fi details handy.

If you don’t already have an Amazon account then you can create one during the setup process. The very first options in the setup enable you to turn on accessibility features, such as the screen reader for people with vision issues. 

During the setup process, you’ll be asked if you want to connect your Amazon Photos account – it can show a selection of pre-installed images during idle time if you don’t – and if you want to use Amazon Kids to make your device childproof and kid-friendly. It’s all very clear and straightforward. 

The design of the Echo Show 8 is not its strong point: it looks like a big black doorstop and the bezels around the screen are large, although proportionately they’re not as horrible as they are on the smaller Echo Show 5.  

The camera has been upgraded to 13MP from the previous two and the audio has also been improved – and while the Echo Show 8 can’t rotate to keep you in the frame like the Echo Show 10 can, its camera can automatically track and frame you to keep you in the centre of the picture during video calls.

There are three buttons on top – microphone off, volume up and volume down – and a sliding shutter to enable and disable the camera. 

One change we don’t like is that this version of the Echo Show doesn’t have a 3.5mm output: we used that on our older Show 5 to connect a much better speaker. It also lacks the Zigbee hub of similarly priced Echo speakers for easy connection to and control of compatible smart home devices. 

The Echo Show is very easy to operate, with a choice of voice and finger control. Swipe right from the edge to set up on-screen widgets to show key data, such as your weather forecast or to-do list; swipe down from the top to access categories – music, video and so on – and get into the device settings.  

As ever with Echo devices, Alexa’s accessibility options are comprehensive and easy to set up and use. 

One of our favourite things about Alexa is the speed and accuracy of the voice recognition, and this Echo Show is no exception.

Alexa responds much faster in our home than Apple’s Siri and controlled our smart home devices – Hue smart bulbs and a Hive smart thermostat – effortlessly and instantly. Alexa heard us fine unless we played our music very loud. 

The screen is clear and responsive, although it’s a little small for prolonged TV watching and the interface can be a little laggy sometimes, with a slight delay between touch and the on-screen tiles responding.

There are apps for Netflix and Amazon Prime Video but not Disney+ or iPlayer. Amazon Music support comes as standard and you can add more audio services via the Settings app under Alexa Preferences > Music & Podcasts. 

Sound quality is fine and impressively loud for such a small device – with U2’s One, it pushed the acoustic guitars and string section forwards and handled the bass fairly well, although Bono’s vocal and the drums sounded a little boxy.

Taylor Swift’s recent albums were overly bright at medium-to-high volumes, however, and old favourites such as Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours sounded a little weedy.

You can adjust the equalisation in the Alexa app, though, and pair the Echo Show with a compatible subwoofer.

It’s no substitute for a dedicated audio system, but it’s perfectly fine for smaller rooms such as bedrooms and kitchens, and it’s very good for audiobooks and podcasts.  

In addition to making video calls, the camera in the Echo Show 8 can be used as a security camera – although it’s limited to streaming video to the Alexa app, can’t move like the Echo Show 10, and can’t send you motion notifications or record video for future use.

You can use the Show as a display for Ring security cameras and video doorbells, and it can also be used as a digital photo frame.

If the presence of the built-in camera concerns you, there’s a sliding shutter to disable it.

We like Amazon’s choice of a hardware slider, so there’s absolutely no doubt that the camera’s disabled. As with other Alexa devices, there’s also a button to turn the microphone off. 

The price of the second generation Amazon Echo Show 8 has dropped since the arrival of the third generation model, so you should avoid anywhere still asking for its launch price of £119.99.

The second generation Echo Show 8 price is now regularly at £65, making it a far more attractive, and affordable option if you want a larger screen than the Echo Show 5, but don’t want to pay over £100.

At full price we wouldn’t recommend it, but at its now regular 46% off RRP it’s a decent device for the money. 

The newly updated 2023 Echo Show 5 has a 5.5-inch (14cm), 960 x 480 pixel display and a choice of black, blue and white cases.

The sound quality has improved – although with a device this small, you’re not going to be getting room-filling audio – and the single speaker driver is 1.75 inches (4.4cm) compared to the previous 1.65 inches (4.2cm).

There’s a very slightly faster processor inside, but the camera remains the same 2MP model as before.

We think the Echo Show 5 is best considered a digital clock with extra Alexa powers: the screen’s a bit small for anything useful beyond simple data, such as the weather forecast or your calendar. 

It’s a lot more expensive than the 8 (before the usual Amazon discounting – in recent months it’s dropped to £169 a few times) but the 10-inch (25cm) Echo Show has a winning and conversation-starting feature: its screen rotates to follow you in video calls and to face you when you talk to it.

The larger display is better for watching TV or reading news stories – and while its rotation means it needs a lot more space than the Echo Show 8, it’s a more compelling device, especially if you’re looking for a good kitchen companion.

It comes in the same white and charcoal options as the Echo Show 8. 

There are three key improvements in the newer Echo Show 8: significantly improved audio, including new spatial audio support, improved smart home compatibility, and an improved design.

The new Echo Show 8 now comes in a third colour option – a powder blue Amazon calls Cloud Blue – and it has been redesigned so the camera is now in the middle and the device looks a bit less like a giant wedge.

New quick-access buttons make it easier to launch your favourite features and it now supports both Thread and Zigbee smart home connections, as well as Matter, so there’s much wider smart home device compatibility. 

Of the three Echo Show sizes, this is the best option for most people: the 5-inch (13cm) version is just too small for anything other than very basic tasks, and the 10-inch (25cm) is much bigger and a lot more expensive, too. Unless you want to watch TV as you cook, the 10-inch (25cm) is unnecessarily large.  

The big question is whether to buy this or the newer third-generation model. 

The answer largely hinges on the price: the new model is unlikely to be discounted for a while, but the second generation is now readily available for £65.

With a decent discount, it makes the Echo Show 8 (2nd Generation) a bargain: it might not sound or look quite as good as the new model, but it’s great for radio, podcasts and audiobooks and does a decent enough job with movies. It’s also a good smart home controller and smart home hub.