Amazon Echo Show 10 review: Your lockdown buddy

I have used many Echo devices over the last few years but the one I am going to talk about in this review is slightly different. Amazon launched two new Echo devices for Indian consumers last week, these include the Echo Show 10 and the Echo Show 5. The one I am using since the last few days is the more premium Echo Show 10. It comes at a price of Rs 24,999. That is an expensive price tag, isn’t it? Well, I thought the same until I started using the device on a regular basis.

Well, yes, the Echo Show 10 is an expensive device but it also offers a lot more than your usual Echo device. The uniqueness of this Echo Show is the smart display that comes attached with the massive speaker box. The display not just shows beautiful wallpapers but also delivers news of the day, even lets you watch your favourite movie and TV shows, and much more. It also follows you anywhere and everywhere you move within the room, thanks to motion-sensing technology.

Display that follows you

The smart display always gets pretty bright in all situations and colours look oh-so vibrant in most instances. There’s absolutely no dull moment when the Echo Show 10 is a part of your daily routine. It offers several wallpaper themes for the home screen but if you do not like them, it also allows you to add your own photos or pictures with family or friends. This is a pretty nice feature, especially at this time when most of us are away from family and unable to meet friends. It can indeed be your best lockdown buddy if you have the budget.

The Echo Show 10 packs a 10.1-inch screen with pretty thick bezels around, I do wish that the screen space was slightly bigger. The Echo Show 10 overall offers a decent viewing experience and lets you watch almost anything and everything you want.

I don’t have a TV in my bedroom, so, until the Echo Show 10 arrived in for review, I had to sit in the living room to watch my favorite movies and TV shows. Echo Show 10 lets you watch YouTube videos, and favorite shows on Amazon Prime Video and Netflix, all you need to say is, Alexa, open Netflix! While this is a great feature, the picture quality is what I believe could have been better.

The Echo Show 10 also comes packed with several other video and music streaming platforms including Amazon Music, Apple Music, Spotify, JioSaavan, among others. Using these platforms on the Echo device is just so easy. All you need to do is, ask Alexa to log in and get started.

The Echo Show 10 offers a 13-megapixel camera that provides decent camera performance. Well, not that I can expect a phone-level picture quality from the device, but Amazon surely gets the work done.

Hey Alexa, call dad!

The Echo device lets you make video calls as well as normal calls but for that, your contact should have Amazon Alexa app installed. If not, the device will send a message with the link to download the app to the concerned person/contact.

I tried making a few calls with the Echo device and found the call clarity to be pretty good. The caller’s voice was clear and sharp. Similar is the case with video calls, the call quality seemed clear, but the video quality could have been better in my opinion. For me, Amazon Echo Show 10 was really helpful during video calls with extended family members, it also lets you turn off the camera whenever required during the call. There’s a camera close button right at the top of the Echo device.

Looks good, but heavy

As far as the design is concerned, the Echo Show 10 looks premium but it’s just too heavy. You are going to have a tough time shifting it from one table to another. The device needs to be placed on a tough, sturdy table as otherwise, the motion sensor of the screen doesn’t work properly.

The device includes a big cylindrical speaker and attached to a massive screen on the front. The attachment feels sturdy and no, the screen won’t come off, which is what my mom feared, unless you throw it at someone. PS: No, I am not giving you ideas, please do not do that.

Placing the Echo Show 10 is tricky. I really wish the device was slightly lightweight so that I could move it from my bedroom table to my work table but doing that every single day is a task. It’s that heavy.

Due to the motion-sensing technology, the Echo Show 10 needs to be placed at the centre of the table or a surface. This is mainly because the device needs enough space to rotate the screen from one edge to another. Just as you move, the screen follows. It can get really creepy at times. Especially, if you are smiling and talking to your boyfriend secretly and your mom catches you using the Echo Show 10’s moving screen. Scary! I feel you.

The motion-sensing screen has some great use case as well. Especially when you are in the kitchen and cooking Sunday lunch special chicken biryani with the help of online recipes. The best thing about the moving screen it adjusts to your view without you making any effort. The feature also helps when you are on a move during a video call. No matter where you are in the room, it follows you and keeps you in view. If the motion-sensing screen creeps you out, there’s an option to turn it off as well.

Setup, audio quality

Setting up the device is just so easy. All you need to do is, plug it, and let it boot. You will then need to log in with your Amazon ID and password, and if you don’t have that, it’s easy to create one. You will then need to add some of the other details such as address and more, and this is because the Echo Show 10 allows helps you shop from the Amazon website, you will just need to tell Alexa to update your shopping list.

Finally, coming to what Echo devices are known for, the sound quality. The Echo Show 10 doesn’t disappoint much in this department just as I expected. I placed the device on my work table and the sound it offered was fairly loud enough to cover my entire 4 bhk flat. However, as for that hefty price tag, I somewhere feel the Echo Show 10 audio performance could have been slightly improved. Maybe Amazon can do that via OTA updates in the future.

I do believe that Amazon could have priced it slightly on the lower side for it to make up for a much better deal. So, should you spend Rs 24,999 to buy the Echo Show 10? Well, if you are keen on getting a premium Echo device as your lockdown buddy, the Echo Show 10 makes for a good deal to consider. Overall, the Echo Show 10 makes for a fairly good deal if you have the money and space in your home to fit it.