Amazon Echo Show 8 review: Alexa is getting even better
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- Опубликовано: 26 авг 2024
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Echo Show 8: bit.ly/3mfdRUT
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The latest Alexa-powered smart display offers features like video calling and music streaming for a wallet-friendly $130. It's a solid device, but other recent smart displays do all the same tricks, so we ended up feeling a little... torn.
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Maybe I’m deaf but it sounded like the Echo Show 8 had the best sound.
Dallas Cowboys Highlights you’re not deaf, it was much better
I thought it had the best sound also and made me wonder if it had to do with it being in the center and the mic on the recording device picked it up better being directly in front as opposed to being slightly off to the side? Just a thought....
I agree!
You cant tell, it depends of a number of things like the quality of your headset, the mic they used to record. its a stupid test
Omg I got my echo show 8 this afternoon and the sound is phenomenal it’s very good and ALEXA is very smart and helpful around the house
0:32 "Eight inches sounds small. " Way to destroy my self confidence.
I'm glad he wasn't reviewing the 10 inch one and say that. Would have destroyed my self confidence.
@@Vgp-rp4iu your trying to hard bro
Massive chonga this lad
@@tangerinetech5300 it's a joke. Also it's "you're"
@@Vgp-rp4iu oh I didn't know I was gonna be tested
To clarify to anyone watching this now or in the future, this is the Echo Show 8 (Gen 1) that he is reviewing. The Echo Show 8 (Gen 2 (2021 Edition)) has a 13 megapixel display, an upgraded 8 core soc cpu (for picture, video, and over all responsiveness and quality of the device).
Hi, so first of all you don't measure screen resolution in megapixels. and if you did this display of 1,280 by 800 pixels would equal 1.24 megapixels.
13Mpixel is the camera resolution.
I just purchased the Echo show 8, I just wished it had a large clock option. I wrote to Amazon and got the standard "we will send your request/comments to our software department"... There are a lot of people that would really like that option, mostly people like me with poor vision.
I would like clock bigger I to have a problem with my vision
You can just Ask Alexa what time is it... its the whole point of having her... Or just get a huge 20inch wall clock! Geez!!!
@@LegoAventuras1718 We are so blessed to have you in our lives with your infinite wisdom. Maybe I do not want to wake up my wife at night ? and why purchase a clock when I already purchased that device? But thanks again for your input. Have a blessed day.
“8 inches doesn’t sound that big but it actually is” -That’s what she said
...she said
"she"👏
cribbed that line straight from the Hub
Can you turn off automated Amazon ordering on the echo so my wife doesn't bankrupt me?
Yes you can also set a pin
i have a pin on mine...
disable voice purchasing from the alexa app
@@detaqwer thank you
My echo show 8 has amazing sound. I really like the compromised screen size. 5 was too small and 10 way too big for my night stand beside my bed. Great review.
😂😂😂😂😂 I wasn’t expecting twins caught me off guard 😂😂😂😂
He's hilarious and creative! Loved it! lol
I think the addition of the 13MP camera is a big deal since this is primarily a video chatting device. The mediatek chipset also helps a lot with the processing power.
Really nice job making it look like you’re making eye contact with yourself. Everyone else fails at that... miserably
the echo show 8 isn't reiteration for the sake of it Cnet! it's a bigger screen! i'd rather the 8 than the tiny 5.5 inch screen and im not paying the crazy price for the 10 inch, so the 8 inch is perfect for me...in fact I was hoping they'd do a mid range screen size before the 8 got announced. amazon got it right in my opinion...
Yeah but return a 2nd gen echo dot....you get 5 bucks off and 25% off any new echo show...its 149.99 echo 2.0 as of November 28 2019 and you are left the 149.99 -25% -5 dollars + fees ...its not that bad
Just got one myself in the 8, and got it on a black Friday deal so I paid a fraction of the initial price. WORTH IT
@@flank_your_six1973 I'm getting a 5 for myself for the nightstand and a 8 for my mom
Got huge deals on both even after the black Friday prices
This was a super helpful video I just purchased the Echo 8 for my grandma. The editing and quality done in this video really helped me with my decision. You did a really good job!
I wonder who else came to this video during Black Friday this year 😅
Me 😂
Everyone
Black Friday 2020, I got echo show 8 for 64 dollars.
Me
me
I received my Echo Show 8 yesterday, the first Alexa device, I live in the Apple Ecosystem. I am disappointed in the Alexa device for several reasons. I thought when it's sitting on my desk, the screens that I see that tell you things that are trending, etc would be customizable or maybe could show some tweets with certain hashtags, or what your Facebook friends are posting. Nope. Pretty much everything seems to have the skill to function, and at that point, you can ask it one or two different things and that service will respond. I listen to about 10 or 15 podcasts, I thought like on my phone I can open pocket cast (turns out they all lack an interface) and see all the icons of the different shows I am subscribed to, and click one, and then see the recent shows and click again and it would start playing. Nope. You have to summon the podcast by name only, that sometimes takes several tries, no way to jump in time into the podcast... Then all the skills that ready you information like your Twitter reader if you scroll it stops reading, but it doesn't scroll like the music lyrics. This is on every skill I have installed, news, etc... It's almost like developers are limited from what they can do. Or it's just underpowered and can't do this. I learned it gets Reuters and USA today for its news stuff it flashes you can't even choose topics you care about. Do love the photos on the background with the clock. There was even a video on how to set the style of the time digits and where they appear. That appears to have been removed from the Echo Show 8. I don't have those settings, music sounds great, works as an alarm clock its worth what I paid... I'm keeping it, I'm still looking for that consumption device that will keep me in the look by glancing to see what is important in my life that I'd like to know about but as of now you're tied to their Accuweather, USA Today, Reuters. But its clearly hindered by something..... I do not know yet... I just want a device that if someone sends me a Facebook message or someone direct messages me on Twitter that the device would say "Hey Ron, you have a minute, I have some new Twitter activity directed at you. Would you like to hear?" I think that is what I'm getting at, you have to install every skill before you can ask it a question, whereas something like Siri you can give her a tracking number, she will know if its UPS, USPS. This you have to download the UPS skill, I did not find one for USPS. Hope there is much further development in the automating just keeping you informed of things.. I have yet been able to make it connect to my iCloud Calendar I obtained the third party app password it says linking then it ask me to enter the information again..... so I have to calendar. and it is also creepy I can ask this device to video call and give it the name of someone and if they have an Alexa device, your in and rining their device... These are people who never gave me even their phone number.... lol
bigger as in 5 megapixels is not necessarily better than 1 megapixel
this is video conferencing not taking high resolution photographs
Excellent review!! (plus the entertainment was fun). Loved the way you explained clearly and with all the diff models showing. I'm certainly getting lost in what's available
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I bought one on Prime Day and got it fast. Never had an Echo of any kind before, but this just looked too handy to pass up. The sound quality is very amazing for the size it is. Now the only problem is that I want another one for upstairs and they sold so many of them that they are out of stock for a week. Guess I'll just have to fork over the full price and wait. The 5 would be pretty good, but I want both for listening to music and the sound quality of the small one just isn't in the same realm. Nice review. Thanks for posting it.
Black Friday is coming, wait a little. Mime echo show 8 is taking two weeks to arrive. I also bought it during Prime day.
No doubt it is much better than the past. Echo devices have really lived up to the expectations of the people with the kind of Mediatek chipsets they have.
Hope this product line Doesn't get discontinued after I buy it!
Why is it always about the speaker quality? What about function and abilities?
Because that's what differentiates between the products.
Great video….I got mine today but paid $60 for on Amazon Prime day…I had the echo spot and it was getting harder to see it at night (lm getting old lol) Im pleased with the size.
I just ordered this and honestly I'm probably never going to use the video chat feature. Especially since I never use Skype and don't really know anybody who does. I'm getting this mostly to update my current echo Dot in the bedroom. Have a regular echo in the living room/dining room area. Basically I was going to get the 5" version, but I saw them in person and realized the 5 is way to small. My phone is actually bigger than the 5" and not having RUclips isn't an issue either when I have a fire stick and a PlayStation hooked up in my room.
Skype used to be the thing, now everybody uses WhatsApp instead
does it need to be contantly plugged in to the power outlet, or does it charge and can be moved around the house?
I think the number of microphones and their sensitivity is the most important item that no one tests or mentions. The Amazon echo has 7 mics and the Echo Show 5 only has 1, and sometimes I have to yell to hear me.
How many microphones does the Echo Show 8 have and are they better and more sensitive than the Echo Show 5 ??
It's software. My Nest Hub, for instance, went from great sensitivity with really good ability to discern voices with lots of background noise to extremely insensitive and deaf, all because of a software update.
Anyone notice how at 4:00 he observes that the 5 megapixel camera suffers from worse pixelation than the 1 megapixel camera and then for some inexplicable reason concludes, at the end of the video, that the Show 10's 5 megapixel camera means the Show 10 is a better choice in that department. Huh?
More megapixels is not automatically better no matter how hard the marketing folks try to spin it that way.
Okay, that bit at the end was pretty damn good. 😂😂
my biggest complaint with the 5 is the terrible viewing angles. you didn't mention that, id love to know if the 8 is just as bad or not. for the price, i'm expecting a nice ips screen.. but is it here?
Mine will be here today!! Yay!! Cant wait! Plus, you didn't add that you can watch your Ring cameras from it. That's what I'm using it for as well in the bedroom at night.
Echo show 8 has great audio and I am really impressed that it's powered by Mediatek
I just bought the Show 8. Right now, it's $65! I really like it.
To me it has value for people who aren't into technology but want to easily voice chat with family. For example, an elderly person that doesn't have a smart phone or tablet could use the echo dot + the eco show combo with skype. This is the reason why I got the echo show 8'' for my mom and grand-mother. Because of COVID we can't visit them and this is easy to use. This makes much more sense than trying to spend hours on the phone getting them to connect a webcam.
Part of the reason it has remained in a box for me for almost a year is because I’m not into technology. I don’t see a use for it at all. I have my iPhone. Why would I use this? I live in a technology free household and I don’t want some thing telling me the time or weather when I sleep next to my phone and can check it. That’s all I need. Alexa has always freaked me out. It doesn’t help that it was my mother’s husband who gave it to me but I wouldn’t be using it anyway. What can it do that your phone can’t? I get that maybe it would be useful for elderly people but I would still think a phone might be better so they could have it on them all the time. Especially since he said you can’t talk to it. People freak out when I say I don’t have a TV and my Xbox and projector have been under my bed for years. I only rarely used them for movies but mostly it was for my art. The only reason I bought a computer was to hook it up to my projector for just that reason. I’m an oddball though and will always be this way.
Finally someone speaks English and talk about the 8
Can I google cast or airplay to it?
Great video and extremely informative - have bought 4 of them - Black Friday madness
What I want is a bedside radio and video device. I want to command it to give me any audio or video that I want (that is available). Is this what it does?
Does it work independently with just wi-fi?
Don't forget to TURN OFF Adaptive Lighting. Say "Alexa, turn off adaptive lighting". This will keep the screen from darkening and lighting randomly while you are trying to view the screen content like other artist suggestions when playing an artist from Amazon music.
3:19 hey Alexa, what time is it.
Alexa: time to light a joint and pass to the left.
6:22 and nobody is watching me. The other guy, well nobody wants to watch you anyway. Me dying 😂😂😂😂
Hello I am new to the Echo eight is there a way you can set the date and have it shown on the screen if so could you do a little video on that thank you for your time
3:00 I was just waiting for the clock to hit 4:20 on all of em 😂
Why does no one mention the jbl link view? It costs $100, has an 8 inch screen, beats all others in terms of speakers, has full Google Assistant interface and voice assistant, and a five megapixel camera. (With a camera shudder)
Because google is awful
@@jordangraegin4817 they mentioned in this video the benifits of Google over this, and vice versa... Neither has a huge advantage over the other at the moment...
what i find is that when listening to music its loud and perfect but when video chatting the microphone its way to quite even when its on the loudest setting
3:18 u know what i was doing at that moment ✌🏻
Vincent Jones what?
@Landon Time is 4:20, which means weed
@@GNVS300 Not all heroes wear capes.
Brilliant Review.
And this 6:16 was LOL funny.
Great job.
Just a killer, KILLER review. Everything I needed to know about the device and such a good intro. Was totally hooked from the top
I've owned the 5 and just bought the 8. I like the screen for audible and for music playlists, being able to see the options without knowing the name. I can call up security cameras with Alexa. It works on the Fire TV version, but it stutters on the Show 5. All this stuff is evolving. It doesn't help that I can't use Google Play Music or You Tube. I guess Google is committed to mucking up GPM to move it to You Tube Music. You Tube seems less interesting, like the mega channels are what matters. It's a moving target, what you do with these devices. Buy them when they are deeply discounted.
Half price black Friday deal make it a no brainer !
😂
I bought the show 5 and 8 in Black Friday sale but the 8 won’t be delivered until the 17th December which is annoying!
Trying to decide between the 5 and 8... Show 5 is £50 while Show 8 is £60
@@ninooooo2128 getting mine on the 8th! Might be a location thing though, bought it Thursday on Black Friday deal
UK Rap G get the 8 it’s worth an extra £10 for the bigger screen size
Came here for some info on the Show 8, ended up subscribing just for the last bit where the discussion got interesting. Nicely done :)
I love when tech reviewers do volume tests over RUclips videos as if we are in the same room with them. It’s like they never realize we are all listening to these videos through a phone speaker, headphones, or computer speaker... and they all end up sounding the same.
That test actually works for comparisons. Although you cant hear the full quality, you can hear difference in quality.
Use headphones it helps
If you can't hear any difference, you better get your ears checked
All I care is: if someone rings the door bell will it show instantly a feed from the door bell or do I still have to say “Alexa show me who is at the front door”?
I got the echo show 5 and I dont have a problem with saying show me the front door and I am sure the other will work the same, just saying
tremarri morris I have relatives who don’t understand that they have to talk to see the feed. The Nest and Google Hub require no step. The feed from the door bell just shows up.
Thanks for the advice, I will have to make the switch to Google or nest then, I had no idea that they work like that,
tremarri morris . I didn’t know either. I had a ring doorbell for 2 years with an iPad locked on the app and screen always on. The app crashed and my mom didn’t know how to bring it back or a kid would unplug the iPad to charge his phone and the iPad would die. It was annoying!!! Plus we all have accents and Alexa doesn’t always understand LOL.
Does anyone no how to disconnect one phone and connect with another phone with ALEXA
Great review!! Love the humor!! I was wanting to listen to my audiobooks I've purchased from Amazon. From what I can tell, it will only play audio books from audible. Seriously???? I hope I'm wrong on this. Is it because it doesn't have memory needed to hold the audiobooks and can only do streaming? That's what I'm guessing. If so, Amazon should put in a slot for a memory card. Thanks again for a great review!
Darlene Shipe I want to know also.
I bring up RUclips on the echo show 8. I also watch recipes.
Glad I scored a deal yesterday, 1/28/20... Bought two show 8's from Best Buy for $99.99 total and two more from Amazon for $99.99. A total of four show 8's for under $200 pre-tax.
So I got the echo show 5 early in November and I like it fir the most part, but the biggest issue is it’s to small. The echo 8 wasn’t out yet. It is now and I sent back the 5 for the 8.
Audio wise is sounds pretty good, but I hope a couple HomePods that sound much better. So I got it really for a bedside alarm clock.
My biggest issue is I can’t get rid of the Amazon, things you can ask questions that are always on the bottom of the screen. The clock is also small. Up on the top left of the screen. Why isn’t the clock much larger on the screen?
As for the camera, I have it turned off and will never use it. So the camera shutter will never be opened.
Not having RUclips on it or say Plex, kind of a issue, but I’d never use it for either of those. I have a big screen tv and a large iPad for those type of things. Getting this larger 8, I at least expected a larger clock display, that is disappointing.
If you don't use the camera or are not part of the Amazon ecosystem get the Google Nest Hub instead. It's a more capable smart speaker, and if you wait for a Black Friday or Boxing Day sale you can get the 7" version for a really good price ($89 CAD for Black Friday 2019).
I got mine for $70! They had a sale of buy 2 Echo Show 8 for $140. Bestie went for the deal and gave me the other one.
That was WONDERFUL. Fresh, enjoyable, informative!!!!! Thanks. Love the argument.
Doesn't the 10inch one have a built-in Zigbee smart home hub and not just an upgraded camera?
Yes it does.
Which is better as an alarm clock..the Echo Show 5 or the Echo Show 8? Thanks
Good review, the sound (show 8) is better than Echo 3rd?
I also want to know this please
A timely confirmation on the quality of this device, as it is currently on sale for $99.99 on Amazon. Update: having received the device yesterday (January 2, 2020), the most notable feature is that it provides a good way to stimulate the brain of senior citizens. Those that are experiencing a decline in their hearing ability will also benefit from this type of device, as it combines audio with visual. It stimulates my mom to think, and to come up with creative questions for Alexa. I cannot over emphasize this particular benefit. To help her out, I came up with a quick sheet of questions to get her started. (Example: "Alexa, who is the one that can call himself Savior?", and, "Alexa, play some soothing instrumental music."
a Winter's Tale would you consider sharing your questions. I am a activity director and just bought a echo show.
@@heatherhuberty3753 Hi Heather. I found the list, but most of it applies to things related locally here, like the weather, temperature. Having had the device for awhile, I can still say it is very beneficial for my mom. I might recommend that you use Alexa to keep those under your care up to date on the basics, and then go from there. If those you are caring for are helped to remember the day, date, year, weather, and season, that would be a good start towards keeping them informed and occupied, which in turn might improve the self-esteem. If certain things need to be stressed and committed to memory, you can ask Alexa to help in that as well, by having her remind so and so with a broadcast message at certain intervals. It can also be a broadcast message giving a general word of encouragement to all. Once your cared-for get the hang of it, they might start asking questions on their own, which is a good way to exercise the brain.
Heather, if you get a Ring security camera, you can link it to your Amazon Echo. This will also work with cameras from Wyze and Meshare (and others). Lets say you have a security camera pointing out towards the front garden. You can say, "Alexa, show me the front garden." Alexa will then bring up a live feed from the camera to the Echo box, for your cared-for to see. I guarantee that this would be a delight to them. They can view pedestrian traffic, see the weather, etc. You can have a number of cameras, all having their own name, and be brought up by the same command, "Alexa, show me the...."
As an activity director, it means you are caring and creative, Heather. I am confident you can do it.
One thing that wasn't mentioned was headphone output which is what I'd be using...assuming it will run Tidal
I bought my show 8 for 59.99 in the uk, bargain , nice video sir, thankyou
Currently watching on echo show 5
Awesome review, I love the conversation with yourself!!!!
How did you get a black cord they said it doesn't come with a black cord
$80 on Amazon right now.
The echo show 8 with the amazing display and the mediatek processor is a such a great idea for a gift
Do need to be plugged in always or can it be used wireless?
Surely there was a problem with cam playback on the show 8 that was been sent from show 10 as it shouldn't have been like that
Since the microphone is behind the screen, this echo show 8 doesn't respond to voice commands as well as the echo dot. Also, it takes awhile for the camera to focus when doing video chat. This device is like a Fire 8" HD tablet with Alexa and a big speaker.
The 10 also has a built in smarthub that speaks zigbee, a higher resolution that the 8, and more drivers for the speaker. Thats the reason for the uptick. Just saying.
$79 at Best Buy for Black Friday. $79 at amazon with trade in of a smart device.
25 % off on top of trade ins
Question: Do you need the speaker for the Echo Show 8? (sorry if this is a dumb question)
I’m just looking for a device that my mom can use for her landline. She is visually impaired and cannot see the incoming numbers/name and also the numbers on her phone are too small for her to dial out. Any thoughts?
Yeah we’ll come to England cos the Alexa show 8 is on offer for £59.99 and £69.99 including the two Phillips hue bulbs.
It would be nice for these to have a HDMI out so you can use any size monitor that you want.
Right. I was hoping you would be able to connect or cast to a TV so if you are video chatting, more than 1-2 people could see.
@@thesticks00 Good point. I was thinking more for having say a 21 inch monitor on the wall in the kitchen so you could read a recipe better or watch a cooking show video etc.
I have that same Kurt Vonnegut coffee mug
@CNET do I need a Alexa speaker to use the smart display or does the smart display have the same features as the speaker and just has the screen as an extra feature?
How is the sensitivity of this device microphone, versus the speakers?
I was super impressed with the Dot 2nd generation - but 'upgrading' to the 3rd generation gave me better sound quality, but less sensitivity. I'm now worried they're saving cash by adding fewer microphones and the sensitivity on this is going to be even worse ...
Can you hook another speaker thoughts I I seen a port for one?
I am watching this while awaiting the review of the Show 10. Does it have a mediatek or different processor?
I run mine through my 5.1 home surround system its great.
btw the camera quality is only bad on the echo show 8's end, the other side is way less pixelated and now they have had many software updates that have made it look better
You didn’t explain what it’s for?
Brilliant debate leading toward the outro! Too funny! Well, I have the Show 8 arriving tomorrow.. Listening to it at full volume is not a major concern to me as my home theater system is where I'd listen to more serious music anyway:) Thanks for the review. I watched a few other reviews before coming here and was almost beginning to feel a bit of premature buyers remorse as I've learned it's not as customizable as the Show 5. Not sure if I can stream Sirus radio through it but either way, it should be good enough to control my smart bulbs with the benefit of the screen and audio, hopefully it will fit the bill. I look at it like the screen will be of similar size to the 8 inch infotainment screen in my vehicle:). At the price of 64.99 from our recent Prime Day, the price was right:)
answered my question in the first 4 seconds, good insight
I also think the Echo Show 8 sounded better!
I bought one of these for an alarm but it emits to much light and have to turn it off at night not very good at all
Any issues using it internationally when you travel......I wonder if it would work in my hotel room as I travel the world etc?
Hey, something that might interest you. A couple of days ago my Amazon account was closed with no warning for after hours of wasted time they're telling me it's for excessive returns which I think is an error but that's beside the point. When they closed my Amazon account all my Amazon devices that I own for years primarily all my Echo devices stopped working. I lost access to the Amazon Photos and Prime Video which I pay for. So apparently the devices you already own are subject to be disabled by Amazon on your perceived shopping habits! I assume the same applies to all other Amazon devices and services like fire OS tablets, Ring cameras, and probably AWS as well. Just wanted to make other people aware of this because they definitely don't tell you this when you buy your hardware and services.
Is this gen 1 or gen 2? Thanks
Which do u prefer. Echo or google?
I think Google is better
One of the features that is a superb addition to the device is the adjustable stand makes the Echo Show 8 all the more practical and easy to use. MediaTek chipset as the support platform ensures steady performance at all times while the addition of features to help with different abled users are super practical.
i got the eco 8 with free eco dot for $80 today. So no brainer for me
Where?
@@stylnu6 on amazon lol.
Jesse Estall me too!
Can you watch RUclips on this?
How can I get it to change to mph instead of km/h of wind speed on the weather forecast?
I'm planing to purchase two or three Echo Show devices for my home. How many Echo Show device (s) can you set up?
why does he keep mentioning 1 and 5 mp cameras. doesnt the 5 have a 2mp camera and the 8 is 13mp. or is that something that was released after this video was uploaded?
This was very helpful and entertaining . Thanks
is it better than the echo show first gen?