CNET

Amazon Echo Show 15 review: Alexa gets widgets, Visual ID and a mega screen

The $250 smart display from Amazon is a 15.6-inch screen designed to live on your wall. Widgets, Visual ID and a picture frame design make this display a tempting option, but it might not be the best bet for most people. We installed and tested it to find out. 0:00 Intro 0:51 The Basics 1:22…

Published

on

The $250 smart display from Amazon is a 15.6-inch screen designed to live on your wall. Widgets, Visual ID and a picture frame design make this display a tempting option, but it might not be the best bet for most people. We installed and tested it to find out.

0:00 Intro
0:51 The Basics
1:22 Installation
2:08 Visual ID
2:57 Widgets
3:42 Show 15 vs Show 10
4:22 Sound Comparison
5:40 What’s Missing?
6:07 Should You Buy It?

You can see the Amazon Echo Show 15 here:
*CNET may get a commission from this offer.

Subscribe to CNET:
Like us on Facebook:
Follow us on Twitter:
Follow us on Instagram:
Follow us on TikTok:

73 Comments

  1. matthew s

    December 17, 2021 at 4:15 pm

    You asked….. if Amazon should continue reinventing The smart display

    Steve Jobs Always acted and produced gadgets
    apple since his death,,, have done nothing …. Would you prefer that?

  2. matthew s

    December 17, 2021 at 4:20 pm

    By the way
    There is something called software …. and amazing concept which allows you to reprogram existing devices
    and make it do other things
    Maybe,,, in the future the 15-in show will be more interesting …..

  3. Twisted Trigger Enduro

    December 17, 2021 at 4:24 pm

    All of a sudden I am thinking how did we ever use Alexa without a screen? 😃👍

  4. Ian Fitzwilliam

    December 17, 2021 at 4:31 pm

    It’s clearly not meant to be a tv like display. My guess is it’s more meant to be like a smart board/home control system. Not sure why she would think a wall mounted display that’s not at television would have any other use? This is for leaving notes, setting the alarm etc.

  5. Investing, swing trading, day trading

    December 17, 2021 at 4:35 pm

    Who wants that ugly thing on the wall with the cord hanging down?

  6. Rene Molina

    December 17, 2021 at 4:51 pm

    The audio demonstration was useless

  7. Pinkie Love

    December 17, 2021 at 4:55 pm

    car mount..

  8. Bee Kaye

    December 17, 2021 at 5:02 pm

    I will wait another 3 years when they bring a better sound and much better interface as you mentioned.

  9. Johnny Roses

    December 17, 2021 at 5:08 pm

    You should consider the fact it’s the same dimensions as a vesa mount. So her whole shaking the product and saying it can’t move is bullocks. You simply didn’t use a swivel mount. Which isn’t their fault as amazon was mute on this.
    Though you’d need slack on the cable to move freely and that cord is not long.

  10. useduction

    December 17, 2021 at 5:17 pm

    its a pass!

  11. GamerT M

    December 17, 2021 at 5:47 pm

    What a bias review what’s the big deal about wall mounting a echo show
    The person that did this review obviously doesn’t like things wall-mounted from how many times they mentioned it
    I think this echo show 15 is great I personally love the fact it wall mounts and frees up space from my home

  12. Ian John

    December 17, 2021 at 6:37 pm

    I like this presenter. Good job cnet, good review.

  13. C H

    December 17, 2021 at 6:58 pm

    If you can’t spare any countertop space then buy this. Otherwise the Gen 3 Show 10 is a no brainer. Not having to stand in a particular spot to view info on the screen is a game changer. If they built a Smart Mirror then I could see the utility of having a wall mounted echo.

  14. smohan123

    December 17, 2021 at 7:17 pm

    Well written review. Swiveling older sibling. Nice

  15. Electrex

    December 17, 2021 at 7:51 pm

    That hanging cord is atrocious

  16. 03parham

    December 17, 2021 at 8:36 pm

    I couldn’t care less about the sound quality or camera. This is going to be nice and easy to use as a smart home display. I think they have a great product here. Hopefully they will come out with a smaller one for the wall just like this.

  17. Wookori

    December 17, 2021 at 9:11 pm

    I think the best way to use this is to put it on a fully adjustable monitor mount attached to a wall.

  18. Justin Abrams

    December 17, 2021 at 10:02 pm

    have three echos and not liking this. Prefer my old dot (or any dot) than this

  19. Jessica Mergen

    December 17, 2021 at 11:31 pm

    I really appreciate this product, and I’m actually planning to purchase it. To me this looks like it will fill all of the needs that I originally wanted on my echo show 8, namely to be a home control center for my kitchen. I want something that will at glance showing me chore reminders, grocery list, calendar, and other important items. I want these all on the screen all the time. I feel to me they are exactly targeting what I needed, and I suspect other homes near as well. I really don’t need to have overwhelming sound and camera in my kitchen. And like another user if I need better sound I can simply attach a Bluetooth speaker, which I already own. I feel like this review was based on assumptions that this echo was supposed to be exactly like all of the others. When clearly Amazon is making strides at finding markets for their smart devices. Not all users are going to like all of the devices which is why having different versions with different features is a perfect way to go. And I really appreciate the price point here, I was looking at a few other similar devices and they are priced well out of my league. I’m excited to purchase one or perhaps I’ll get one for Christmas!

  20. Pieceof Shitzu

    December 17, 2021 at 11:34 pm

    i actually like this concept a lot. I can imagine this would be great to exist right at your front door so you can have your to do lists, keys next to it, and weather shown a great glanceable distance

    • Atheral

      December 18, 2021 at 2:48 pm

      This is how my family uses it – like a family HQ in the mud room near the entrance. Most used features are family to do and shopping lists, as well as the standard echo functionality.

  21. Ahmed Khan

    December 17, 2021 at 11:54 pm

    I wish Molly Price did every single review or preview video for Cnet

  22. T Mar

    December 18, 2021 at 12:40 am

    “Yuck your yum!” 🤣😂🤣😂 Weirdly my wife liked the 15 though it is bigger and did not like the 10. Though I would would like to have the 10 again some day.

  23. W Powell

    December 18, 2021 at 12:50 am

    I own one and love it. So, many things that Show 15 does great that are not even mentioned.

  24. 4daluvofnikki

    December 18, 2021 at 12:52 am

    One correction to this video. The presenter said once you put it on the wall you are stuck with that orientation. That is incorrect. I watched a reviewer post a video showing that you can disconnect the device from the wall bracket and turn it to the other orientation. The bracket stays attached to the wall, but you can detach the device from the bracket and change its orientation. However, she is correct it does not rotate.

  25. pianokeyjoe

    December 18, 2021 at 2:10 am

    The thing I enjoyed the most of this review was the vlogger and that electronic tune used to demo the speakers! Heck NO! I do not want a smart LCD on my wall. A self contained system that can connect to the net as an option but has all the wanted features already standalone in the device, yes.. I know I know, go back to the 90s ya say.. Ok, I would if I could

  26. Cory Hyatt

    December 18, 2021 at 3:21 am

    The part you mentioned about rotating on your way is incorrect. You simply remove from mount rotate and rehang. It can only rotate one way though.

    The widgets sucks. Why cant I use my anylist app that alexa recognizes. My eufy doorbell doesnt automatically show up when the button is pressed. My favorite smart buttons quick working and wont update.I could go on and on. But the summary is this feels very beta and lack luster.

  27. Robert Chittenden

    December 18, 2021 at 3:32 am

    Thanks for saving me from a costly mistake. I would still want this or something like it once sound and camera are upgraded.

  28. JEEP 2019

    December 18, 2021 at 5:09 am

    Google needs something like this.

  29. Darren Calhoun

    December 18, 2021 at 6:08 am

    The orientation can change. The hardware works in either portrait or horizontal.

  30. Darren Calhoun

    December 18, 2021 at 6:09 am

    The home screen needs to be so much more customizable. And the calendar isn’t great… it also doesn’t update enough or scroll with the day.

  31. Darren Calhoun

    December 18, 2021 at 6:09 am

    Why isn’t there an aux port?!

  32. Henz BikerTV

    December 18, 2021 at 6:35 am

    I have one. Best by far.

  33. DariusRoland

    December 18, 2021 at 7:17 am

    Woah, Woah, Woah. I think what we as loyal CNET viewers really deserve is the full story about this pickle jar bet, and perhaps an accompanying demonstration video! 😁

  34. SecretOfMonkeyIsland

    December 18, 2021 at 8:58 am

    Other reviewers pointed out that the supplied power cable is only 1m in length so incredibly short so this heavily restricts mounting locations.

  35. Duran Family Travels

    December 18, 2021 at 2:58 pm

    Wasting money

  36. Ahmad Razan video

    December 18, 2021 at 3:03 pm

    Ternyata gak dapet

  37. Trepalium

    December 18, 2021 at 3:21 pm

    If I can link my studios to this I will absolutely be buying I love it

  38. Alex Crawford

    December 18, 2021 at 9:07 pm

    “I’m not trying to yuck your yum”, amazing.

  39. williem hendra

    December 18, 2021 at 9:10 pm

    I hope Google made one like that.. ^_^*

  40. Josh Greaves

    December 18, 2021 at 9:44 pm

    I plan to pick one up. There is a great spot on our living room wall for it. We really don’t use the camera on any of our Echo shows, and don’t care about speaker quality either. I will put it in my existing living room group, which defaults to playing music on Echo speakers in that room.

    I feel this will be a good replacement for an android tablet we have on a table. It’s used to display a family shared calendar, weather, and control smart home devices.

    As mentioned in the video, hopefully more show 15 widgets will be available in the future. I’d like to see the show 10 get this feature as well.

  41. Z A ki

    December 18, 2021 at 11:13 pm

    2006? Lol I used to have a generic LCD TV thicker than that from 2013

  42. Cassidy Sanchez

    December 18, 2021 at 11:50 pm

    We can’t drill in your walls. Better off getting the new fire HD 10 and using command strips to mount it.

  43. Joe Baron

    December 19, 2021 at 12:33 am

    🤔I just know my kids would use it to display phallic shaped vegetables and find it hilarious at how long it would take me to notice. Call me old fashioned, but I’ll stick to my smartphone and a printed picture in a frame on the wall thanks.

  44. 헝그리 크랩HUNGRYCRAB

    December 19, 2021 at 2:29 am

    RIP Privacy

  45. Earl Small

    December 19, 2021 at 2:55 am

    Typical of the Amazon ecosystem. They have their own apps, but not what you are used to or what’s expected 👎🏾

  46. Earl Small

    December 19, 2021 at 2:57 am

    That power cord on my wall is not beautiful 🙁

  47. umkc73

    December 19, 2021 at 3:16 am

    A hard no.

  48. Ramona & Greg Weir

    December 19, 2021 at 5:58 am

    I got it partly because the cats love to push my 5″ Show into the litter box. I believe you can re-orient it by simply by lifting it out of the wall mount and rotating it 90 degrees. I didn’t buy it for sound, I can use a Bluetooth speaker if I want that. I really like the widgets and it has potential. One improvement I’d do with the mount would be to change the holes to curved slots in case you need to tweak it. As for holes in the wall, that’s what spackle is for.

  49. ATHIESHKUMAR T

    December 19, 2021 at 9:45 am

    What is the internal storage of Echo Show 15?

  50. Ivan M

    December 19, 2021 at 10:37 am

    Have a echo 8 love to have an icon on bottom to have for mum to use to call me not hard Amazon!!!!!?????????

  51. Stevie Cooper

    December 19, 2021 at 11:00 am

    I’d like this from google

  52. 1pt21gw

    December 19, 2021 at 2:13 pm

    Amazon really needs to work on their hardware… There doesn’t seem to be a reason why it’s so thickkkk

  53. Ruben Whitter

    December 19, 2021 at 11:21 pm

    Why would I have this over a tablet?

  54. nika quiambao

    December 20, 2021 at 1:02 am

    I absolutely love the echo show 15! The sound is a bit lacking in terms of hearing timers, but I can make it louder so I can hear it. My echo device in the kitchen is connected to my sonos speaker. The widgets could be better but they just introduced the widgets feature. So I’m not expecting much right away. I love being able to use Pinterest via the browser, and playing lofi music via YouTube. And that’s where the echo 15 shined. I was able to read recipes while cooking without having to use an iPad and worrying about battery life. I could use Picture in Picture with my ring doorbell. Which helps when waiting for my sons school bus. I have multiple Alexa devices in each room and this one is my favorite. If this is your first Alexa device, I’d probably say to get the 10. But if you have multiple devices, this one is really great.

  55. Nicholas White

    December 20, 2021 at 2:26 am

    This audio demo is the proper way of demonstrating the difference between devices.

  56. Wayno Guerrini

    December 20, 2021 at 4:19 am

    Thanks. I just canceled my pre order.

  57. Oliver Smith

    December 20, 2021 at 7:10 am

    This seems like a pretty good device from Amazon and mediatek and affordable too

  58. Chyna Edwards

    December 20, 2021 at 7:28 am

    I’M GETTING ONE FRM MY UNCLE FOR CHRISTMAS YAY

  59. Joseph Dubois 1

    December 20, 2021 at 8:10 am

    I like the sound comparison sequence. Great review! Thank you for your great work. Cheers!

  60. lily matt

    December 20, 2021 at 10:11 am

    Why not just pick holes in everything? …..oh, you did !! It’s a fantastic piece of kit.

  61. Andrew Johnson

    December 20, 2021 at 11:10 am

    This looks like a miniature TV and so good of Amazon to design its own chipset in association with Mediatek. Looks awesome.

  62. James Lee

    December 20, 2021 at 1:13 pm

    Excellent review. I purchased one to use as a small TV in my small living room where I don’t have room for a TV. I can keep it on my end table and move it to my coffee table when I want to stream Netflix, Amazon Prime. I can also view my webcams in the house. A bonus was that Amazon gave me 25% off by trading in my first generation Echo Dot. I also earn credit by using my Amazon credit card which further reduces the price.

  63. Moulik Shrivastava

    December 20, 2021 at 3:02 pm

    Useless

  64. GETOR G

    December 20, 2021 at 7:23 pm

    You can connect it to a Bluetooth speaker for sound if that’s what’s stoping you from getting one

  65. RCA Living Stereo 1958.

    December 20, 2021 at 8:29 pm

    It would be good to mount on wall but who wants the cord hanging down the wall??
    They should have came out with a rechargeable battery

  66. Rockovissi

    December 21, 2021 at 1:33 am

    I feel like you can stick an iPad on your wall and get a more responsive and sleek experience.

  67. dunkeyrumpus

    December 21, 2021 at 2:11 am

    So basically you didn’t want to do any setup so it sucks

  68. Peter Riario

    December 21, 2021 at 5:13 am

    Maybe I’m spoiled by my 65″ TV screen, but I feel like even at 15″ this Echo Show looks too small on the wall. Would love to see a bigger version of this, but I know this will no longer make it at a cost effective price point.

  69. Josef Holzer

    December 21, 2021 at 8:44 pm

    I rather have the fire TV. Or just use ipad with Siri.

  70. JUR O

    December 21, 2021 at 9:04 pm

    The first smart screen with a normal design….it als started with iPad or Samsung tabs on the wall….and this is the only way I could release 1…..because I never got the og designs even if the moving cam twist echo is pretty smooth….but yeah a 7 inch version of this seems the only logic 1 for in the kitchen….this version in youre hallway or house seems logic as smart home thing….the only now need to release a smart screen wall plug thing combo
    Still nice to see that 5? Years later they found it out
    Still a 7 or 8 inch version is more then enough for most I think….the price is pretty reasonable tho.
    I just think….that if you buy a “google” home or echo….the wall smart screen should be there since day 1
    Problem is more that it shows it flaws the bigger it gets….or the good points…
    Smart screens have no update and software problems since it’s made on the internet, however if you hang it before youre TV it probably misses that pc or TV thing? How’s Netflix and other app support etc etc. Maybe it’s to big and it misses just the 7 inch version for on the wall with 1 plug

  71. PCVMoldova2015

    December 21, 2021 at 11:35 pm

    I am purchasing this as a “Family Information Kiosk.” Some place where I can quickly check the weather (or the stock market) before going out the door. A prominent place to put the kids’ chore lists where they can no longer claim they didn’t see it. Apps for our favorite take-out places where placing a take-out order is easy. That kind of stuff.

  72. Nathan Goddard

    December 22, 2021 at 1:11 am

    Thank you for this review. I was looking at getting this but this review really proves why this is a hard pass.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Trending

Exit mobile version