As an all-in-one device, the Echo Show 10 offers a unique experience that combines the Alexa smart assistant, rich audio and video, with a practical screen that can follow you and allow you to continue viewing what you're watching or reading as you move around. This comes at a premium price and at the trade-off of audio quality, but as the main entertainment/info hub or first Alexa device you get, it's hard to beat.

Key Features
  • 10.1" HD Screen on a motorized base that can follow you
  • Entertainment hub. Plays music, shows, podcasts and more
  • Alexa assistant built-in
  • Can be used for handsfree content or video calls
Specifications
  • Brand: Amazon
  • Display: 10.1-inch color touchscreen
  • Dimensions: 6.7-inch diameter (base); 9.9 x 9-inch (screen)
  • Weight: 5.64lbs (2.56kg)
  • Clock: Yes
  • Integrations: Alexa
  • Woofer Size: 3-inch
Pros
  • Screen does a good job at following you if enabled
  • Excellent screen & speaker combo
  • Perfect choice as your main Alexa hub
  • Syncs well with other Amazon services
  • Has better built-in apps for streaming and media than Google Home
Cons
  • Potential privacy concerns
  • Alexa eco-system isn't perfect and doesn't feel as refined as Google Home
  • Expensive, but potentially worth it for many
  • Screen has thick bezels which look a bit dated
Buy This Product
Amazon Echo Show 10

The Echo Show 10 gives you the power of Alexa's assistant in a punchy speaker/display combo that has a motorized base—giving it the ability to follow you as you move around the room.

While the Echo Show 10 isn't Amazon's most powerful speaker or even the flashiest display, it is Amazon's best all-in-one assistant. It's tied with the Echo Show 15 as the priciest option, but for those who can afford it and feel that they will benefit from a screen that can follow you around so you can always see it, there's really nothing else like it.

If you're either just starting your smart home journey with Alexa or are already in the ecosystem and want a solid upgrade or addition, the Echo Show 10 is one of the best premium choices, perfect for use as a main entertainment or information hub.

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In this review, I'll share my experience using the Echo Show 10 in my combined kitchen and living room area, which is the ideal location to get the most out of this device. It's been great for listening to music, following recipes, answering calls, making a quick to-do list, asking the assistant questions, and more. For the past five years, my smart home has evolved; but at its core has been a series of Google Home devices. There are a few key areas where my experience with the Echo Show 10 has shown me how much of a better smart hub it is, and has me seriously considering if I should make the switch to an all-Alexa setup. That said, coming from Google Home, there are some quirks and limitations which we'll weigh into this consideration.

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Why You Need a Screen

If you're familiar with the Alexa assistant experience, it will be the same here, but the screen has several advantages. You see or interact with prompts, answers or integrations, change individual smart home settings quickly, and of course watch videos.

Unlike Google Home, the Echo Show 10 lacks native casting, meaning you won't be able to play a video directly via one of your phone's apps. Instead, you get a more tablet-like experience with its own app that allows you to browse, search and play videos directly from the Echo Show. The app experience for Hulu, Amazon Prime Video and Netflix feels very similar to its iOS versions. If you want to watch YouTube, you'll need to use Amazon's Silk browser to open the web version.

Hardware

The Echo Show 10 has a bright and vibrant screen that's sharp and easy to see or read even on the sunniest days. It features a 10.1-inch, 1280 x 800 touchscreen, just like its previous model. This doesn't sound impressive on paper, but if I wasn't aware of its specs I would have guessed it was at least Full HD.

The screen itself isn't the sleekest looking, especially with its thick black bezels which house the camera and its sensors. It looks like a floating budget tablet with an Echo speaker behind it. Its design doesn't necessarily feel outdated, but I'd be willing to bet if a thinner bezel model came out and was placed next to it, it would.

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Touch inputs are accurate and responsive. Clicking swiping and typing feel comparable to a similarly sized tablet. Album art for your songs looks gorgeous, watching your favorite shows and movies is really enjoyable when you're sitting in front of it, and following along with recipes makes cooking more fun.

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Similar to other Echo devices, the Show 10 has a few physical buttons for quick controls. On the top of the screen, you'll find volume up, down, a physical camera privacy shutter, and a mute button.

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When not showing you anything specific, the Show 10 defaults to a rotation of customizable home content which you can customize. The range of options is impressive: everything from recently played media, stocks, Amazon deliveries, scores or upcoming games from teams you follow, facts, jokes, your schedule, reminders, and more.

Camera Tracking

The Echo Show 10 stands out from the competition with its motorized base, which gives the device 350° rotation. Using its front 13MP camera, it intelligently detects your presence, then follows you around like an eager puppy. It's a little creepy at first and takes some getting used to. I still get surprised when I walk into the kitchen and then notice the Show 10 start to follow me.

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The camera is also used for hands-free video calls, so you can continue whatever task you were doing, or show something off while you're moving around. Similar to other video calling apps, Alexa includes a handful of fun video effects that include turning you into a hot dog, shooting lasers out of your eyes, or placing you in a nice beach setting.

Another potentially useful feature of the camera and rotation combo is that the Echo Show 10 can double as a security camera that you can check in on remotely. If you're already using or planning on adding security cameras to your home, this could be a huge added value for you. It can also be great for checking in with vulnerable family members.

​​I found the tracking feature to be most useful when my hands were messy and I wanted to still be able to see what was on screen. This was especially true when I was cooking. More commonly, though, I wanted to be able to keep watching my show or movie as I moved around different sides of my kitchen.

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There is an unintended quirk of this tracking feature though: when using the touchscreen, your hands can obscure the tracking, causing it to spin around because it thinks it hit an obstacle. You can disable motion from the quick settings, however, it would have been more logical to momentarily disable the motion tracking when it detects touch inputs.

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In addition to its camera and motorized base, the Show 10 uses AI to help keep you in frame. Similar to the Facebook Portal, the Show 10 can use digital zooming and re-framing to better focus on you as you move around. Unlike the Portal, though, the screen is stuck in its landscape orientation. I could see certain applications like following a recipe being better suited in a vertical mode.

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Compared to Alexa voice interactions which are sent to Amazon's server, video processing supposedly all happens locally. There is also a physical camera privacy cover that you can slide closed, but you will be losing out on one of the biggest selling features of the Show 10. If you're especially concerned about privacy or don't really trust Amazon, this isn't the smart speaker for you.

Speaker Quality

The Show 10 has a decent speaker setup with a 3-inch woofer and a pair of 1-inch tweeters. It's loud enough to fill my kitchen, dining room, and living room when placed at the center of the three. Compared to the significantly cheaper Echo (4th Gen), sound quality is a slight step up, but for the more casual listener, probably not too noticeable.

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The bass can feel a little underwhelming. It's not completely absent, but it's not as powerful as I would have liked. You can make slight EQ adjustments in the Alexa app to boost it a bit. The concern, however, is that the bass can get distorted at higher volumes or just more bass-heavy tracks. At this price point, you can easily get better-sounding speakers, if audio quality is a primary concern.

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The Echo Studio, for instance, is $50 cheaper and has a larger 5.3-inch woofer, three 2-inch midrange drivers, and a 1-inch tweeter. This isn't to say that the Echo Show 10 is a bad speaker, or not worth it for the raft of other features that a touchscreen display brings to the table, but rather that it is more targeted at users who want an all-in-one smart media device than those who are focused on the best audio performance.

Security Concerns

Similar to its other Echo devices, if you purchase the Show 10 from your Amazon account, it will arrive semi-connected out of the box. When powered on for the first time, my email was already associated with the device. After scanning and connecting to my Wi-Fi, I only had to type in my account password and the device was logged in.

Before setup completes, Amazon has you accept a few terms and conditions. Some relate to how it uses and collects your data including audio and video, but another is for Amazon Sidewalk. I immediately opted out of this default option, but I imagine those quickly hitting next or accept might miss it.

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For those unfamiliar, Sidewalk is a service that works to extend Wi-Fi range to other compatible devices that might be out of range of their own dedicated network in order to help keep them online. For larger homes with lots of dead spots, this can be advantageous as it helps ensure your devices run well without any additional cost to you. You've basically created a little mesh network without the need for installing repeaters or routers.

What's not immediately clear, though, is that this extended network is also shared with every other compatible device nearby, including ones not owned by you. Aside from the potential bandwidth strain, which is apparently capped at 500MB per month, there are security concerns. Some experts believe hackers may use Sidewalk vulnerabilities to breach your home network. You should make sure you fully understand the potential pros and cons of Amazon Sidewalk before enabling it.

Echo Show vs Google Home

One of Alexa's biggest strengths is how natural its assistant can sound both in tone and with its actual responses. Overall, the Echo Show 10 feels responsive both when asking it questions with its "Alexa" keyword, or when using its touch screen. For basic tasks like checking the weather, playing a song, converting measurements, or factual queries, I find that Alexa performed on par with Google Assistant. Using Alexa's "Skills" opens up an even larger selection of tools, integrations, games, entertainment, and gimmicks that either matched or outperformed Google's offering.

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I was quickly able to pair my Roku TVs, GE Cync lights, Ford SUV, Xiaomi Robot vacuums, Honeywell Thermostats, and more. You can access most of these smart devices via the Smart Home tab, however, some integrations like Ford and certain vacuums still require voice commands to interact with.

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While Google Home doesn't offer as many integrations/skills, the on-screen and smartphone controls are more logical. There are a few integrations that Google offers which are missing from Alexa, including MyQ for my Chamberlin garage opener, as well as my Yeedi vacuum. For certain devices like MyQ there are workarounds via IFTT, however, native integration is always better.

The Best All-in-One Smart Speaker and Display?

The Echo Show 10 is one of the many smart display assistants available today, and one of three offered by Amazon. Despite this, there isn't anything else quite like it. As an all-in-one device, Amazon offers a unique device that gives you the Alexa smart assistant, rich audio and video experience, with a practical screen that can follow you and allow you to continue viewing what you're watching or reading as you move around. This comes at a premium price and at the trade-off of audio quality, but as the main entertainment/info hub or first Alexa device you get, it's hard to beat.