Amazon Echo Show 15

Widgets add useful extra features ; New, larger display is excellent ; Wall or optional desk mount

Audio is lacking ; Basic webcam

That new large display and the way the Amazon Echo Show 15 uses widgets are excellent, as are the options to wall- or stand-mount. As the centrepiece to a kitchen, acting as a family hub, this larger Echo Show could find a place in many homes. Yet, for...

Excellent organizational tool ; Access to Amazon Music + Prime Video ; Widgets add extra usability ; Incredibly easy to mount

Weak sound from the speakers ; Colors and brightness don't wow ; No way to resize widgets right now ; Tilt stand sold separately

15-inch display that can be used landscape or portrait ; Easy to digest Alexa widgets ; Doubles up as a digital photo frame

No tracking on the camera ; Audio won’t blow you away ; Missing some video apps

The Amazon Echo Show 15 is a smart display designed to be the central hub of your smart home. You can control your other smart devices, create shared calendars, stream videos and get recipe suggestions. The built-in speakers leave a lot to be desired...

Excellent organizational tool ; Access to Amazon Music + Prime Video ; Widgets add extra usability ; Incredibly easy to mount

Power cord mars the aesthetic ; Tilt stand sold separately ; Has issues when AWS is down

Widgets give display more flexibility ; Easy to mount on wall ; It looks great on the wall

Sound quality lacking ; Screen space not really utilised ; Software feels like a work in progress ; Lack of widgets and customisation ; On-screen smart home control experience is lacklustre

The biggest Echo Show to date makes it easy to get Alexa's functions onto the wall and off your worktop - but the sound quality is surprisingly weak, and while the big display gives more space to play, it's not very well utilised, widgets can't be...

Attractive design ; Good to have widgets ; Wall mounting is a nice change

Rigid widget placement ; Touch navigation can be limited ; Stand is sold separately

The

Huge 15.6-inch screen

Lacks customization and personalization options

“Its strong resemblance to a picture frame suggests the promise of the ideal smart home: a living space filled with normal, expected items that serve more than one purpose.”

Attractive design ; Large screen displays lots of info ; Good for video playback ; Fire TV integration

Pricey ; Underwhelming camera quality ; Middling audio performance

The Amazon Echo Show 15 can be easily mounted on your wall and works as a Fire TV, but other smart displays offer better audio and camera quality if you have space on a counter or table.

Solid hardware Fire TV interface makes for an excellent kitchen TV Native YouTube apps Big, bright screen Picture-in-picture function is useful

​​Poor camera quality (especially considering the price) Snappier than other Shows but still slow Fire TV interface relies on a remote control Limited customization options

If you’ve been wanting a wall-mounted smart display, this is really your only ready-to-use option and will be a great addition to your kitchen if you’re happy with the limited ecosystem. The Fire TV and improved photo frame modes make this the best...

15.5-inch display ; Alexa widgets are a great addition to the user interface ; Can be oriented in landscape or portrait mode

Relatively low-res display and camera ; No Zigbee smart home hub ; Must be wall mounted unless you pay extra for accessories ; Weak audio performance

The Alexa widgets made possible by the larger form factor are a terrific addition to the Echo experience, making the Echo Show 15 the perfect family hub. But the low-res panel and camera, anemic audio performance, and absence of a Zigbee hub are letdowns.