Echo Show 8 (2nd Gen, 2021 release) | HD smart display with Alexa and 13 MP camera | Charcoal
[{'review_meta': 'Reviewed in the United States on June 9, 2021', 'review_star': 'a-icon a-icon-star a-star-5 review-rating', 'review_body': 'Before ordering this one I already an echo show 8”, first gen. I was about to buy another one when I got an add saying that I could pre-order a second gen. I could not find a good comparison anywhere so I asked myself, should I pay 20$ more for an unknown. I did and spoiler alert, it is worth it, kinda.\n\nPositives:\n\n- The new camera features are great. The camera can track you and center you for video calls, real time, and it does it accurately.\n- Speaking of the camera, the camera upgrade is insane. Went from 1MP to 13MP.\n- The processor is supposed to be much more powerful. Looking at the new camera features, understanding where you are in a group of people and tracking you accordingly, it is noticeable. However, given that a lot of the actions on the device are web based, there is not a huge difference on other apps. The responsiveness of the touchscreen is perhaps a bit better but it was good to begin with.\n- The unit will go to low power mode when idle, helping you save a penny here and there…\n- Several privacy features. The stop listening button we have grown used to. The camera can be manually closed shut for privacy. When remote viewing through the show, there is a warning message, etc...\n\nNegatives:\n\n- Amazon did not learn from their mistakes. Just like with the Show 10”, the power cord is white for every unit, whether the unit is black or white. The camera shutter, is white too.\n- The 3.5 jack is gone.\n\nOther thoughts:\n\nThe sound quality___\n\nOne of the items on my wish list for this one was an improved audio quality. The sound quality improved over the previous gen, I think, but I would say its marginal if that, not enough to even be sure it did.\n\nThe white cord___\n\nWhat I hate the most about my Echo Show 10 is the white cord on a black unit. Since I fell for it with the Show 10 and white would go well with my decor, I preemptively went for a white unit, to eliminate the eyesore, in case Amazon did not learn from their mistakes. To a certain extent, I was secretly hoping the cord would be black so I could swap it with my Show 10” and fix two problems with one move. Nope, its white.\n\nEven with a warning from me that it could happen, a friend went for the charcoal one and he is still fuming. So, if you are like me that the white cord on a black unit would drive you crazy, and you are going for it, order the white one.\n\nThe environment___\n\nIf you are still on the fence about this one, be aware that 2nd gen uses recycled materials on its manufacturing. To me this is a selling point.\n_____________________________\nTLDR,\n1) If you use it a lot for video calls, the improved camera and improved camera features, makes it a worthy upgrade. If this is not your cup of tea, waiting for a prime day sale on a previous gen might be better.\n2) If having a white cord on a black unit is something that would drive you crazy, get the white one or go for the previous gen.\n\nUpdated (JUNE2022): It appears that Amazon did learn from their mistakes. Another friend I warned about the cord, told me he didn’t really cared and went for the black one. Well, he got it with a black cord. Given that to me this was the worst negative, I just raised it one star.'}, {'review_meta': 'Reviewed in the United States on June 9, 2021', 'review_star': 'a-icon a-icon-star a-star-5 review-rating', 'review_body': "Key Upgrades from Show 8 (1st Gen, 2019) to Show 8 (2nd Gen, 2021):\n\n--NEW 13 MP CAMERA: Upgraded from 1MP in 1st Gen. MUCH better picture for video calls.\n--CAMERA AUTO FRAME: Camera follows you and centers you in the frame during video calls. The Show 8 itself does not move like the new Show 10 does, but the camera can still follow you and zoom in, in about a 120 degree arc in front of the Show 8.\n--NEW PROCESSOR: MediaTek MT 8183 octo-core processor, upgraded from MT 8163 in 1st Gen. This results in a faster, more responsive touch screen. Slight difference, but noticeable.\n--ADAPTIVE COLOR: Adjusts the color and white balance of the screen to the lighting in the room. This results in clearer, brighter looking images, even though the screen hardware is the same.\n--MOTION SENSOR: Camera detects motion activity, and can now trigger Routines. ie turning lights on when sensor detects a person in the room.\n--REMOTE VIEWING: Use the Alexa app on your phone to remotely view the camera of the Show 8, so you can check on your home while you're away. There is a big notice displayed on the Show 8 screen that says it is being remotely viewed.\n\nDowngrades:\n-No 3.5 mil Audio Jack: Removed the ability to plug in external speakers through a 3.5 mil audio port, the port on the back of the Gen 1 (2019) version is no longer there in Gen 2 (2021)\n\n(Also note – Same white power cord still ships with all versions, no matter what color Show you order)\n\nThere are also a few new software features that will be available on this Show 8 (2021) AND the older Show 8 (2019), such as friends and family being able to upload images to your home screen, and in-call animations and AR effects. I have not tested these features yet, but they should work on both Show 8 versions.\n\nMy opinions:\n\n-Should you upgrade from Show 8 (1st Gen, 2019)? : The new camera is a pretty huge difference in quality. If you make quite a few video calls, then this new Show 8 is probably worth the upgrade. The other useful improvement for me has been the motion detection launching Routines. This allows me to have my smart lights turn on when I enter the room. I'm sure there are plenty of other useful Routines that can be triggered by motion detection, and I will be trying out a few others. If you don't care about video calls, remote viewing, or motion sensors, then you should probably stick with the old Show 8 (1st Gen, 2019), because everything else is just about the same. Sure the processor is slightly faster, but it is not a big deal at all, and not worth buying a new Show 8 just for that.\n\n-Which size Show to Choose? : I have all three sizes, and I prefer this Show 8 over the Show 5 and Show 10. The Show 5 screen is just too small for video calls, and more suited for something like an alarm clock by your bed. The Show 10 is great, but the main advantages with the Show 10 are better speakers, and a physically rotating 10 inch screen. The camera is now the same in the 8 and 10, and so is the screen resolution. The Show 10 costs over $100 more than the Show 8 right now, and I think for many people that might not be worth the price difference."}, {'review_meta': 'Reviewed in the United States on June 9, 2021', 'review_star': 'a-icon a-icon-star a-star-5 review-rating', 'review_body': "I have been wanting an Echo Show for some time now, and finally decided to treat myself. I went to order one and saw this newer version would be released soon so I pre-ordered it. I decided to go with this device over the discounted first gen because of the upgraded camera. My primary reasons for wanting it were to be able to watch my favorite shows and YouTube videos while cooking and cleaning and for my kids to be able to video call their grandma whenever they want, pretty simple stuff. I just received it today so I obviously can only speak about my intial thoughts and as far as what I intend to use it for, it's perfect! Great picture, sound it nice, response time is quick and video call quality is great. The size is perfect, not too big (I don't have a very large kitchen or a ton of counter space) and not too small, definitely better than my phone for watching videos while moving around the kitchen."}, {'review_meta': 'Reviewed in the United States on August 25, 2021', 'review_star': 'a-icon a-icon-star a-star-5 review-rating', 'review_body': 'My senior dad recently lost his lost his girlfriend. He now lives by himself rather remotely. I wanted to get him something that hopefully would help keep him company in a way, but was worried that the technology might be too much for him. (He only recently got a smart phone but only uses for phone calls. No texting or online surfing for him). We took it over and set it up for him. We were there for the weekend so we were able to coach him through it. (I was mainly looking to provide music for him to fill the empty airspace). We wrote the name "Alexa" on a post it, as well as a couple of phrases such as "Alexa, play \' \' , or "alexa skip \' \', etc. and put it on the counter next to it. I also provided him with a sheet of paper that listed out about a hundred different music artists that I thought he would like that he could choose from. I looked online and printed out a list of questions that he could ask Alexa if he wanted to. At first he was pronouncing Alexa wrong so she wasn\'t responding... but eventually he learned that he had to say it correctly for her to talk back.\n\nHE ABSOLUTELY LOVES IT. I have talked to him numerous times on the phone and he can\'t stop talking about Alexa. In fact... he said... "she has provided me with so such much company....." at which point he broke down and started crying for a minute. He said he carries it just outside on the patio (we set up a wi-fi extender before we left so we knew he could get signal out there)... taking his little sheets of paper with him to choose music from :) I am now hoping that someone comes out with a little carrying case so it doesn\'t get damaged. This version is so new that there is nothing so far. He talked with someone that told him that it could talk to his security somehow... now he wants me to investigate that, lol. Aggghh... I don\'t know how to do that! lol. What have I created? :)\n\nThis has done exactly what I had hoped. It is giving him something to "talk" to. It\'s helping fill the empti-ness. He said that he turns it on first thing in the morning and has it on all day. Thank god for Alexa :)'}, {'review_meta': 'Reviewed in the United States on June 9, 2021', 'review_star': 'a-icon a-icon-star a-star-5 review-rating', 'review_body': " Gah! I love how big this screen is!!!! I've been suffering downstairs without an Alexa in my new house and decided decided to Gift myself a housewarming and so glad I did! My son is also loving watching cartoons during breakfast 😏. This speaker is SUPER oud. Definitely all you would need to throw a house party AND have the neighbors knocking 😂. It's chic and pretty!"}, {'review_meta': 'Reviewed in the United States on June 10, 2021', 'review_star': 'a-icon a-icon-star a-star-3 review-rating', 'review_body': "The display is great and I'm sure the rest of it is fine for video calling and other uses, but I didn't get to the point of trying out other features. As I set up my new Echo Show 8 I discovered that the clock time display size cannot be adjusted. Seriously, my Echo Show 5 allows me to increase the size of the time display, I assumed the Echo Show 8 would as well. I primarily use my Show as a clock that also answers questions, answers to voice commands, does video calling, etc... I wanted the larger screen for a larger clock, major fail to exclude this feature. I gave 3 stars because it looks nice and was easy to set up, but I can't use it because you removed an existing feature from the Echo Show product line. Major UI FAIL."}, {'review_meta': 'Reviewed in the United States on June 11, 2021', 'review_star': 'a-icon a-icon-star a-star-3 review-rating', 'review_body': 'I sort of purchased this on a whim to see if I could fit it into my life somehow. I found the idea of a smart display intriguing as I already have 2 Fire Cubes and absolutely love them. However a Fire cube this is not. It\'s difficult to express but this thing is cumbersome to use and it\'s slow. For example. I was eating dinner and watching a video I purchased on Prime video. I had to pause it to get up and do something so I said "echo pause" Wich it did. When I returned the screen had defaulted back to the time home screen. No big deal right? So I said "echo play" and instead of resuming my show, it resumed a song I had paused earlier that day. I asked it to stop and then asked for it to play my show. It began to play a different episode and not where I left off. Getting it back to where I left off required more awkward voice control and touching the screen. Very annoying when I\'m trying to eat my meal. This device also has trouble understanding my queries. It\'s getting my words incorrect. One feature I was pleasently surprised by was the sound quality. It is very good. The low end is impressive. Almost as good as my Nest Audio. Maybe with some software updates this device Will be good. But for now I\'m still trying to understand it\'s intended flow.'}, {'review_meta': 'Reviewed in the United States on June 14, 2021', 'review_star': 'a-icon a-icon-star a-star-3 review-rating', 'review_body': "Amazon missed the boat with the new versions of the ECHO by not continuing a voice controlled remote option. All previous versions (before the SHOW) could be controlled with a whisper into the remote from anywhere. Things like: On/Off, Volume, change tracks on an album, ask for the weather, etc.. It didn't even matter if you were playing loud music or had other sounds around it. I confirmed this issue with an Amazon support technician. We both tried work-around's but nothing worked. Now I'm trying to decide to send it back and hope some future ECHO will support the Voice Remote."}, {'review_meta': 'Reviewed in the United States on June 26, 2021', 'review_star': 'a-icon a-icon-star a-star-1 review-rating', 'review_body': ' my echo dot was hacked into and after contacting amazon they still don’t have any clue how or an answer or anything. is it worth my life and my privacy and my safety for a few speakers and devices that tell me what time it is and a few other things. no it’s not. after my echo dot was hacked into and a man from somewhere talking to my echo after looking in my privacy settings it’s not worth it anymore. I’m waiting from a response of an investigation of the problem but as of right now i will not be using the devices and most likely be tossing them in the trash. after spending almost 300+ dollars of echo and amazon products.'}, {'review_meta': 'Reviewed in the United States on June 26, 2021', 'review_star': 'a-icon a-icon-star a-star-1 review-rating', 'review_body': 'The whole point of this for me is to be able to customize what appears on your screen. I mostly just want my pictures to show up. I\'d like to see stock quotes but there is no way to add them that works for me.\n\nThe main reason for one star is that there is an Amazon advertising screen called "Alexa for your day" that constantly shows up in the rotation and there is no way to switch it off.\n\nFrom all the complaints in Amazon forums I was hoping this was an oversight but it\'s been a while now and it has not been fixed.'}]