Aside from the larger screen, the Echo Show 11 has the same exact features and specifications as the Echo Show 8. Both launch with Alexa+, an AI-powered upgrade of Amazon’s famous digital assistant. Amazon’s two new smart speakers, the Echo Dot Max ($99.99) and the second-gen Echo Studio, also come with Alexa+ equipped out of the box. Alexa+ is still in early access, but available on older devices, including the Echo Show 10, by signing up for the trial on Amazon’s website. Once it launches in full, Alexa+ will cost $19.99 per month, but it’s included as part of Amazon Prime, which starts at $14.99 per month.
Alexa+ can answer questions and control smart home devices as prompted by your voice commands, similar to its predecessor. Generative AI allows it to be more conversational in its responses and to accurately respond to natural language commands, so you don’t have to memorize an exact phrase to turn off a compatible smart bulb or plug. It can also remember and build off of past conversations.
Alexa can make suggestions if you don’t know what to ask (Credit: Andrew Gebhart)
Beyond the basics, you can use Alexa+ to search the web, manage your calendar, set reminders, find a personalized recipe, summarize smart home notifications, and more. The Echo Show 8 and the Echo Show 11 use a new AZ3 Pro Chip to facilitate speedy responses. The custom silicon processor enables Alexa+ to simultaneously run voice, video, and image searches, allowing it to seamlessly switch between different formats when providing an answer. I detail my interactions with Alexa+ more below.
For entertainment, the Echo Show 11 can natively play videos from Fire TV Channels and Amazon Prime Video on the display. You can also command Alexa+ to play content on your Fire TV media streamer if you want to watch on a larger screen. Other video streaming services can be accessed via the Echo Show’s built-in web browser, and you can still use your voice to search those services if you ask for them by name. Options include YouTube, YouTube TV, TikTok, Peacock, and HBO Max.
In addition to pictures and videos, the touch screen can display transcriptions of your conversations and useful information, such as your calendar and weather forecasts. It allows you to control compatible smart home devices with a tap, instead of by voice, if you prefer. You can also use the touch screen to check on compatible home security cameras, and Alexa+ can provide a summary of notifications from your Ring cameras and video doorbells, as well as find specific footage you request, such as a delivery person dropping off a package.
You can play tunes on the Echo Show 11 through most popular music streaming services, including Amazon Music, Apple Music, Deezer, Pandora, Spotify, and Tidal. Any of these can be set as your default through a voice command or the settings menu in the Alexa app. It supports Bluetooth input and output, allowing you to send music from the Echo Show to a different speaker set or play music on the Echo Show.
The Show 11’s camera lets you check in on your place remotely from the Alexa app, and make video calls in which the lens can automatically pan and zoom to follow your movements.
Like other recent models, the Echo Show 8 and 11 can recognize your face and display customized information accordingly. It can also adjust the size and density of the displayed information based on your proximity to the screen. Both the Echo Show 11 and the Echo Show 8 have a new Omnisense sensor, which combines ultrasound and Wi-Fi radar for fine motion detection, in addition to ambient light and temperature sensors. You can set up smart home routines based on your presence, the light, or the temperature. For instance, you can have Alexa open your smart shades and turn up the thermostat when you first appear in the morning.
You can use the Echo Show 11 to display the video feed from a Ring camera (Credit: Andrew Gebhart)
Like other models, the Echo Show 11 even acts as a smart home hub. It features built-in Zigbee and Thread radios, enabling it to act as a border router for the Matter smart home standard and expand Alexa’s already broad range of interoperability with third-party connected devices. Otherwise, it connects to Wi-Fi and has a Wi-Fi 6e antenna, but cannot serve as a relay in an Eero Mesh Network.
For wider connectivity, the Echo Show works with Sidewalk, a wireless protocol that enables various Amazon devices, including Ring security cameras, to form a communication mesh network, extending their usable range and allowing for tracking of lost objects. We generally recommend opting out of it for privacy reasons, which you can do when setting up the Echo Show 11.
On the accessibility front are features like Tap to Alexa, which allows you to use an on-screen keyboard to give commands, and Adaptive Listening, which provides more time to complete your response before the assistant responds. Alexa can also show captions or magnify information.
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