More than 12 months have approved since the publication of
the Amazon Echo Show 8 review on these pages. In that case, reference was made
to the first generation of the intelligent display with Alexa. However, Jeff
Bezos' company usually makes upgrades to its devices: in 2021, therefore, the
second generation of Echo Show 8 arrived on the market, which is why it is good
to go back to analyzing the product. Since what is stated in the review
released in 2020 is still valid, we will carry out a quick analysis, focusing
more on the innovations introduced by the new model than on the rest (on the
other hand, by now everyone knows what are the main features offered by a smart
display).
In any case, despite the improvements made, the recommended
price has not changed:129.99 euros ( during the Amazon Prime Day 2021, the
price is discounted to 84.99 euros and by adding 5 euros it is possible to take
home a TP-Link smart socket).
Design and novelty
At first glance, the 2021 model may seem identical to the
first generation one released in 2019 in aesthetic terms. However, in reality
the differences are not lacking. In fact, just take a look at the upper right
part, or the insert used to "cover" the camera, to notice that Amazon
has made some changes. In fact, in the past the insert was circular, while now
it is rectangular. Surely this is a minor design change, but you can use this
"trick" to distinguish the first generation device from the second
generation one. For the rest, another difference can be seen on the back of the
product, since the audio jack disappears.
The standard microUSB port remains, however, but is only
used for maintenance. In any case, in addition to these aspects, the second
generation almost fully resumes what has been seen in the past in aesthetic
terms. The materials therefore remain mainly plastic and anthracite fabric
(there is also a white variant on the market) .
Even dimensions and weight are totally identical: 200.4 x
135.9 x 99.1 mm, for 1037 grams. The classic buttons at the top are also still
present, from the button to activate / deactivate the microphone to the volume
buttons, passing through the slider to "cover" the camera. The usual
four microphones are inevitable, useful for making the Amazon Alexa voice
assistant understand the commands correctly. In short, the second generation of
Echo Show 8 focuses a lot on continuity , maintaining a certain familiarity:
those who usually use the previous model will therefore find themselves at
home.
This also applies to all available features, from the
ability to use services such as YouTube (via browser) and Prime Video, as well
as Alexa skills.. Do you want to manage the smart iOT devices, such as light
bulbs, in your home? Of course you can do this, among other things quickly and
particularly easily. In case you are wondering, yes: the display is always an
8-inch with a resolution of 1280 x 800 pixels. The latter adapts according to
the brightness of the room.
But why then buy the 2021 model? In addition to the fact
that this is the most up-to-date device of this type, there are also various
improvements that make the Echo Show 8 even more interesting than in the past.
In fact, there are not a few who use this intelligent display for video calls:
in this field Amazon has made the most consistent "leap forward",
implementing a 13MP front camera (a not insignificant change compared to the
previous 1MP sensor ). The steps forward in terms of quality are noticeable and
finally it is possible to use the device for this purpose without making too
many compromises.
In this regard, the Echo Show 8 is enriched with this
iteration of some interesting features for video calls, from the zoom to the
automatic framing of the subject. The camera can also be used for security
reasons: for example, through the Alexa app for smartphones it can be accessed
remotely (the "Home monitoring" option must be activated from the
Echo Show and there will be an indication of the fact that the feed is
accessible from other devices). Among other things, you can also set a video
delay or make the device emit an acoustic signal whenever someone accesses the
camera in this way.
There is also some integration with Amazon Photos, which can
be used to customize the main screen ("transforming" the product into
a sort of digital frame). Included in the Prime subscription, the latter
service could prove interesting, especially now that Google Photos no longer
has the free unlimited space . Also interesting is the energy saving mode,
which is activated automatically when the device is not in operation. For the
rest, the quality of the stereo sound sector is good, even if it remains a bit
too calibrated on the bass (but the Echo Show 8 is not a product for
audiophiles).
Finally, note a change "behind the scenes", since
the processor is a MediaTek MT8183operating at the maximum frequency of 2 GHz
(and no longer an MT8163 operating at 1.3 GHz). This "modification"
does not change much compared to the past, since the performance was already
more than sufficient for the purpose of this device. However, surely this is a
detail that may interest those who are particularly attentive to the technical
data sheet.
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