I've had so many Echos over the years, beginning with the 1st Gen, can't live without them anymore since so much of our home is Alexa connected. I originally got a refurbished 1st Gen Echo Show 15", not knowing the 2nd gen was coming out. So glad I returned it for the new 21" Echo Show, it's absolutely phenomenal!
Streaming video: Easy to set up streaming (which I've done on our 5", 8", and 10" Echos). The best part of the Echo Show is that Fire TV is included. I easily logged into Hulu, Netflix, Amazon, Max, Peacock, Paramount, Disney+, and Apple TV (other Echo shows only allowed me Hulu, Netflix, and Amazon, I believe). The setup and remote is the same as FireTV.
Streaming audio: Easy to connect with your Audible account, and Apple Music or Spotify. I can also stream NPR and podcasts. If you are having a problem with Echo playing the right song, try this: "Echo, play Blinding Lights by the Weeknd on Apple Music" instead just saying "Echo, play Blinding Lights." Same "Echo, play Christmas Jazz on Apple Music" instead of "Echo, play Christmas Music." The more specific you are, the better results.
Calendar: I tried the Skylight and it is useless. The Echo Show will connect to your Apple Calendars. Our family does shared calendars, and everything shares over to our Echo Show, including announcing events and times to leave.
Drop in: It's amazing! The camera will zoom and adjust automatically. Our Echo Show 10 does this, but it's on a swivel and always runs into things. This one is much smarter! You can drop in from another Alexa device, or simple the Alexa app on a smart phone.
Photos: We have all of our Echo Shows displaying photos that I have uploaded to Amazon photos and then select which photos to show using the Alexa app. Screen is so clear and large, better than any smart frame I've ever seen. And friends/family can share photos to it.
Announcements: Announcements will show on the screen and announce (I also have push notifications to my watch/phone). Echo hears them perfectly and announces them correctly (our Echo 8 has stopped properly listening and announcing). You can also announce from the Alexa app if you are not home, very convenient for parents :)
Widgets: Widgets are easy to add and adjust, just be patient and go through the process.
Ads: To remove (most) ads, go into settings on the screen and turn everything to off! I barely get any. If you are still getting those annoying "Wicked" ads, it's because you have on the "Theme" setting. Once I turned that off, no more "Wicked" (or other future sponsored theme movies), even though we do like the theme setting (Mario is my favorite!).
Pricing: Look for a sale. I got the 21" for $350 on the Black Friday Sale. Would have cost me more than that for a TV, sound bar, and Apple TV for our kitchen (which was our old setup).
I LOVE all of our Echo devices. Our Gen 1 is still working amazingly, and glad to add the Echo 21" to our home.
Carbon emissions from the lifecycle of this product were reduced compared to similar products or previous models.
As certified by
