- Amazon’s new Echo Show 16 starts at $499.99 and boasts a fresh design
- Alexa+ gets a redesigned interface with interactive Cards
- You can even get the 16-inch smart display with a NanoMatte finish
Amazon’s new Echo Show 16 looks like a big step forward for its smart displays. With a slimmer design, upgraded audio, and a redesigned Alexa+ interface, it feels like Amazon’s hardware and software are finally working in tandem.
It has a thinner, more modern look, almost mimicking that of an iMac, with a brighter, more vibrant display that can be treated with the special anti-glare NanoMatte coating. It also boasts a redesigned interface that feels tailor-made for the larger screen.
At $499.99 with a standard display and $579.99 with NanoMatte, the new Echo Show 16 is very much a premium smart display. It’s also only available in the United States for now and is up for preorder ahead of a mid-December launch. You can also save by preordering, with $100 off either finish.
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Like the refreshed Echo Show 8 and Echo Show 11, this Echo Show 16 feels like Amazon’s device design team, led by Panos Panay, has hit its stride. I only spent a handful of minutes with it, but I can already see that the design and software are working in tandem, and this could be the template for future Echo Show smart displays.
Amazon has redesigned the entire build, including the internals, from the ground up, packing everything into an anodized aluminum frame that’s 40% slimmer than that of the Echo Show 15 or 21. The audio team has also built out eight custom micro-woofers on the sides and two tweeters for robust audio. In the demo space, it got pretty loud with no noticeable muddiness. It can also adjust playback in real time using the onboard microphones, sensors, and custom algorithms to ensure sound stays clear.
There are four microphones as well, so Alexa can clearly hear you when you make queries, but they also help if you’re on a video call, letting whoever you’re speaking to hear you without extra background noise. Two forward-facing microphones sit next to the wide-angle 13MP camera, and two are on the rear.
The 16-inch display is Full HD, and I’m especially loving the NanoMatte finish, particularly for a device that might be wall-mounted or used with the separately sold swivel stand. Either way, it could be exposed to varying degrees of natural sunlight, and glare can be an issue with smart displays.
Of course, Alexa — specifically Alexa+ — is central to this, and the Show 16’s new Cards, which organize your conversations with the assistant, offer a new way to interact with and revisit those conversations. Panos described the interface as a combination of user interface and AI, and explained how the two work together.
When you open a Card from a previous Alexa conversation, you’re presented with the original prompt, condensed, alongside jumping-off points on the right and more detailed information next to it. You can easily tap on those suggestions or pull up the original conversation. Alexa’s new conversation design is also reminiscent of how conversations are organized in the Siri app. The new look is also rolling out to the Alexa mobile app.
The whole interface feels a bit cleaner, and you can finally choose between different Screen Styles for the Echo Show 16. These include a Family Organizer for calendars and family plans, a Smart Home view for controlling connected devices — think the Echo Hub on steroids — and a Photos option that turns the display into a digital picture frame.
A more focused Echo Show
After spending a little time with the Echo Show 16, I came away most impressed by the cohesive feel of the hardware and software. The slimmer frame, more capable audio setup, NanoMatte display option, and redesigned Alexa+ experience all serve the same goal: making a large smart display more useful in the home.
The new Cards could be particularly interesting as Alexa+ becomes more capable, giving conversations a life beyond the moment you ask a question. And with Screen Styles that cater to different household needs, the Echo Show 16 feels less like a screen that simply sits on a counter or wall and more like a hub for organizing your home.
I’ll need to spend more time with it to see how well those features work in everyday use, but my first impression is that Amazon has made a more considered, cohesive smart display. If the new Alexa+ experience delivers on its promise, the Echo Show 16 could be one of the more compelling examples of where Amazon wants its smart home devices to go next.
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jacob.krol@futurenet.com (Jacob Krol)
