Echo Show 15 Review (2022): Is The Biggest Echo Show Worth Buying?

The Echo Show 15 is the biggest smart display from Amazon yet. Previous model sizes range from 5 to 10 inches, so a jump to 15.6 inches is a significant change. Aside from having a larger display, the Echo Show 15 also comes with new features, including widgets, wall mounting and a portrait mode. Unfortunately, there are also some downgrades, including lower camera and speaker quality. If you are currently looking at Amazon’s lineup of Echo Show smart displays, should you consider the Echo Show 15 or go with the smaller models? Below is our Echo Show 15 review to help you decide, but first, here is a comparison chart between the Echo Show 8, Echo Show 10 and the Echo Show 15.

Echo Show 15 Comparison Chart

Model	Echo Show 15	Echo Show 10 (3rd Gen)	Echo Show 8 (2nd Gen)
Price	Check price at Amazon	Check price at Amazon	Check price at Amazon
Dimensions & Weight	15.8 x 9.9 x 1.4 inches 78.1oz	9.9 x 9 x 6.7 inches 90.3oz	7.9 x 5.4 x 3.9 inches 36.6oz
Screen	15.6 inches 1920 x 1080	10.1 inches 1280 x 800	8 inches 1280 x 800
Orientation	Portrait or Landscape	Landscape	Landscape
Alexa Built-in	Yes	Yes	Yes
Camera	5MP with shutter	13MP with auto-framing & shutter	13MP with auto-framing & shutter
Speakers	Dual 1.6-inch	2x 1-inch tweeters 1x 3-inch woofer	2-inch neodymium speakers
Connectivity	WiFi 6, Dual band Bluetooth	WiFi 6, Dual band Blueooth	WiFi 5, Dual band Blueooth
Processor	Amlogic Pop1 octa-CPU core SoC	MediaTek 8183	MediaTek MT 8183
Wall Mountable	Yes	No	No
Warranty	1 year	1 year	1 year

Design

The Echo Show 15 is the first wall mountable smart display in the lineup.

The Echo Show 15 has a 15.6-inch screen that’s surrounded by a white frame and black bezels. As such, it has the appearance of a large picture frame. Measuring 15.8 x 9.9 x 1.4 inches, it’s not exactly the smallest smart display around. It’s actually quite thick. Fortunately, the back side of the device slopes slightly towards the center, so when it is wall-mounted, it looks like a floating picture frame.

The 15.6-inch screen of the Echo Show 15 has a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels for a pixel density of ~141. As a result, images and videos are clear. Text is sharp as well, so you won’t have trouble reading information even when you’re far away from the screen.

The Echo Show 15 is the first one in the lineup that can be wall mounted. Included in the package are the wall mount, screws, anchors and wall mounting template. You can also opt to place it on a stand. However, the stand is not included in the standard package and you’ll need to cough up an additional $30 for it.

Features

All the features from previous Echo Show models are also available on the Echo Show 15.

Given that the Echo Show 15 is from Amazon, having Alexa built-in is expected. It has microphones that can hear you so that Alexa can respond to your instructions or commands. The device has no issues hearing you even when the surrounding is noisy. You can use the voice assistant to stream content, manage your itinerary and stream music.

Aside from its built-in Alexa feature, the Echo Show 15 can also be the central hub for your smart home devices, including Amazon’s Ring Video doorbell, security cameras and more. You can also create personal profiles for each family member using visual and voice ID to let them see their specific schedules, appointments, recently streamed, recently listened to and more.

The Echo Show 15 is also an entertainment device that lets you stream content from various streaming platforms such as Prime Video, hulu, Netflix and more. Unlike with previous Echo Shows, though, this time you can view your content on a full HD screen, making the experience more enjoyable.

When the smart display is not in use, the Photo Frame feature allows you to display your photo albums from Amazon Photos or Facebook. As mentioned earlier, the display is surrounded by a white frame that mimics the appearance of a picture frame.

Hardware

The Echo Show 15 has a subpar camera and poorly placed speakers.

Aside from getting a larger display, the Echo Show 15 also has other hardware changes from previous Echo Show models. With the Echo Show 15, Amazon went with the Amlogic Pop1 SoC instead of MediaTek chipsets found on the Echo Show 10 and 8. Performance is decent with occasional unresponsiveness.

When it comes to camera quality, the Echo Show 15 is a disappointment. Sporting a 5MP camera, the Echo Show 15 fails to produce sharp images, unlike previous gen Echo Shows. Also gone is the auto-framing feature that keeps you centered in the scene. Thankfully though, it retained the camera shutter that you can easily slide to block the camera.

The speakers on the Echo Show 15 are also a disappointment. It has dual 1.6-inch drivers that are similar to those on Echo Dot devices. However, they are located at the back of the display, so they are not optimally placed. The result is lower quality audio that’s quite disappointing.

Widgets

Widgets are exclusive to the Echo Show 15 for now.

One of the features that is exclusive to the Echo Show 15 (at least for now) is having widgets at the home screen. Part of the home screen can be customized with widgets, mostly from Amazon, but there are a few widgets from 3rd party developers as well. For now, options include smart home, PIP camera view, sticky notes, calendars, music, to-do lists and more.

The home screen can display up to six widgets at a time, with the most used one being pushed to the front. You can add as many widgets as you like and rearrange them as you prefer. These widgets are helpful for viewing information with just a glance and when using other apps. Amazon has stated that they have built an API for third party developers to make their own widgets, so hopefully in the future, there are more widgets available for some of the most popular and most-used apps.

Verdict

If a big screen size is your main priority in a smart display, the Echo Show 15 is worth considering.

Echo Show 15

Bigger screen

Echo Show 10 (3rd Gen)

Better camera, speakers and performance

Its big 15.6-inch display is the biggest selling point of the Echo Show 15. The smart display is designed for people who want or need a bigger Echo Show for their home. Unfortunately, that’s about the only reason to buy it. It is priced exactly the same as the Echo Show 10 (3rd Gen), so there were a lot of cost-cutting measures done. The camera and speakers are of lower quality and overall performance of the device is not that great. The addition of widgets is nice, but this feature will eventually be available on other Echo Show devices, so it’s not an exclusive feature.

FAQs