• echoshow15square
    Amazon Echo Show 15
    Pros
    • Wall mounting keeps surfaces clear
    • Largest screen for Alexa
    Cons
    • Sound quality is poor
  • echoshow10square
    Amazon Echo Show 10 (3rd Gen)

    The best sound quality from an Echo Show, combined with a great size of display.

    Pros
    • Great sound quality
    • Rotating display great for calls
    Cons
    • Takes up quite a bit of space

At the top end of Amazon's Echo Show family, sits the Echo Show 15 and the Echo Show 10. Both of these models were launched in 2021, both offer to give you a larger Alexa experience, but both are very different in character - and performance.

If you're thinking of investing in an Echo Show - perhaps during the Prime Day sales - then we're here to guide you through the differences so you know which is the best Echo Show for you.

Price and specs

The Echo Show 15 and the Echo Show 10 come in at the same price point. You can get the Echo Show 10 for $249.99 while the Echo Show 15 is also $249.99 - although Amazon often bundles with the Alexa Voice Remote which makes it more expensive. Both regularly see discounts, however. Both are widely available, so you should have no problem snapping on up from Amazon or other retailers.

Before we dive into the detailed Echo Show comparison, here are the specs for the two respective smart displays.


  • Amazon Echo Show 15Amazon Echo Show 10 (3rd Gen)
    ChipsetAmlogic Pop1 with AZ2 Neural EdgeMediaTek 8183 with AZ1 Neural Edge
    Display15.6in touchscreen10.1in rotating touchscreen
    Sound2x 1.6in speakers2x 2in tweeter, 1x 3in woofer
    ConnectivityWi-Fi, Bluetooth, MatterWi-Fi, Bluetooth, Zigbee, Matter
    Dimensions402 x 252 x 35mm, 2215g251 x 230 x 172mm, 2560g
    Camera5MP with physical shutter13MP
    IntegrationsAmazon AlexaAmazon Alexa

Design

he design of the Echo Show 15 and the Echo Show 10 is obviously the biggest difference. The Echo Show 10 is unique, with a round base containing the speaker, onto which the 10.1-inch tablet is mounted.

It's on a swivel mount, so the tablet part can move so you can rotate it to face you, or it can track you as you move around the room when on a video call for example. The design uses plastics and fabric coverings, like much of the rest of the Amazon Echo family.

The Echo Show 15 is designed more like a picture, so it will hang on your wall. It's pretty thick at 35mm, but that allows for the speakers that are built-in on the rear. The frame itself sits a little away from the wall so the two speakers don't get muffled.

Fundamentally, these are completely different design approaches to similar products. Both are designed to put that Alexa-powered device in your room and give you a pretty big screen.

Obviously, the Show 15 wins out on size, while also offering horizontal or vertical mounting. Putting it on the wall would potentially allow for a seamless installation, while the Show 10 will always need shelf or worktop space to accommodate it.

If you wanted to have your Show 15 on a worktop, there is actually a stand (sold separately) for it.

Amazon Echo Show 10 finally gets Zoom in the US - but still no word on UK support photo 1

Display

here's an obvious difference between the sizes of these displays, with Show 15 naturally having a 15.6-inch display that can be mounted either vertically or horizontally. What's more interesting is that they're not actually that different outside of the size. Although the Echo Show 15 has a higher resolution, the pixel density on these displays is essentially the same, so graphically, the performance should be pretty close.

What's important to remember about these devices is that they're not viewed from close up and the UI visuals are pretty basic. That means you don't need a huge amount of resolution.

Both are touchscreen and both are LCD, so the only real difference is size - and obviously, having a larger screen is going to be better for watching ad hoc video on the Show 15, but this is really designed more like an information window or family noticeboard.

Echo show 15 deal photo 1

Hardware and audio

The core hardware of the Echo Show models sort of doesn't matter, because it's designed for a specific set of tasks. However, speed always remains an important point and the Echo Show 15 is a little faster than the Echo Show 10. One key difference is that the Echo 15 uses a neural processing chip from Amazon called the AZ2. This is much more powerful than the chip - the AZ1 - found in the Echo Show 10. It's designed to open up AI tasks and boost machine learning, allowing the Show 15 to do more locally rather than in the cloud.

One of the features it unlocks is that it can learn to recognise your face and associate that with a profile. This will allow it to show your calendar when you look at the Show 15 rather than someone else's. This isn’t too far-fetched as Echo devices can already identify users based on voice - but in reality, the Visual ID feature isn't that useful.

Moving onto audio, and the Echo Show 10 has the advantage. It has a 2.1 arrangement of speakers with a pair of 1-inch tweeters and a 3-inch woofer, so it's like a boosted version of the Echo - able to produce decent audio. The tweeters are also directional to match the display, so the sound can follow you around the room too.

The Show 15 on the other hand has a pair of 1.6-inch drivers. Unfortunately, the sound quality from the Echo Show 15 isn't good. The design of the device just doesn't seem to let that audio out and when wall-mounted, it sounds rather thin. The Echo Show 10 easily sounds better.

Amazon Echo Show 10 review photo 3Functionality

The functionality of these two devices are similar. Both offer Alexa voice control as well as a physical touchpoint to access Alexa services, including smart home control. The information displayed is similar, although the Echo Show 15 has a slightly different interface, using widgets and focusing on being more personal - as well as offering a vertical or horizontal view. The ability to add stickies to the Echo Show 15 is great, but in reality, there aren't too many advantages for having a larger display. On great feature, however, is that the Echo Show 15 offers full Fire TV functionality, so can stream a range of shows and services - but you'll need an Alexa Remote to get the most out of it.

One thing the Echo Show 10 can do - and we've talked about previously - is follow you around the room. This will allow the display to move to give you the best view, so if you're working on a recipe and working in different areas of the kitchen, for example, the Show 10 can rotate so you can see it. This is unique to the design and obviously, with the Show 15 likely to be wall mounted, a different proposition to the Show 10.

Amazon Echo Show 15 review photo 22
Pocket-lint

Summing up

The difference between these two devices mostly comes down the format. They are distinctly different in design, but offer much the same in terms of functionality, for the same price. The Show 15 will have a distinct advantage offering a larger format and wall mounting, it's likely to be a natural smart home hub and information window, while staying off your surfaces.

echo show
Amazon Echo Show 10 (3rd Gen)

The Show 10 offers a little more oomph when it comes to music and that rotating display gives it a unique edge in positioning.

Having used both these devices, if you have any interest in music, then the Echo Show 10 is the model to choose - the 15 is just too weak in this area. The reason to buy the Echo Show 15 is because it's possible to wall mount it, which keeps it out of the way.