Key takeaways
- The Echo Show 16 costs $499.99, or $569.99 with a Nanomatte finish that Amazon says cuts glare by more than 90%, and preorder buyers get $100 off.
- Its 13 megapixel camera can recognize people from up to 17 feet away, up from 8 feet, and adds night vision for the first time on an Echo Show.
- Interactive Alexa+ visuals need Alexa+, which Digital Trends says is included with Prime or costs $20 a month on its own.
In this story 5 sections
At $499.99, the new Echo Show 16 is the most expensive smart display Amazon has put on a kitchen counter or living room wall. Amazon announced it on October 28 alongside four other Alexa devices, and it is the only one of the five that buyers cannot take home yet. According to Techaeris, the Echo Show 16 is preorder only and ships later this year, while the other four products are available now.
The pitch is simple. Amazon wants one screen that works as a family calendar, a smart home control panel, a photo frame and a TV. Whether that is worth $200 more than the Echo Show 15 is the question most early reviews are asking.
$499.99 for the standard screen, $569.99 for Nanomatte
Thurrott, Digital Trends and Techaeris all report the same pricing. The base Echo Show 16 costs $499.99. A version with Amazon's Nanomatte glare reducing finish costs $569.99. Digital Trends and Techaeris both say preorder buyers get $100 off.
Stands are extra. Digital Trends lists an Echo Show Stand at $69.99 and a swivel and tilt model at $124.99. By its math, the Nanomatte model plus a stand comes close to $695 before the preorder discount. Thurrott notes that a wall mount and an Alexa remote come in the box, so wall mounting costs nothing extra.
For comparison, Techaeris puts the Echo Show 15 at $299.99. That gap is why both Digital Trends and Techaeris call the Echo Show 16 the hardest sell of Amazon's new lineup.
A 16 inch panel in a frame nearly 40% thinner
Digital Trends describes a 16 inch display with roughly 10% more viewing area than the Echo Show 15. All three outlets say the anodized aluminum frame is nearly 40% thinner than the older model.
The Nanomatte option is the bigger hardware story. Thurrott and Digital Trends say it cuts glare by more than 90%. Techaeris adds that it reduces sparkle by 50% and uses an etched texture aligned to the pixels. If you plan to hang the screen across from a window, that finish is the upgrade that matters, much like the matte screen choices we covered in Apple's M6 MacBook Pro and iMac preorders.
Other specs reported by Techaeris:
- Eight custom micro woofers and two tweeters, with Advanced Room Adaptation tuning the sound to the room
- Processing power up 20% over the previous generation
- Fire TV built in, with a remote in the box
The 13 megapixel camera now sees twice as far
Thurrott and Techaeris say the Echo Show 16 has a 13 megapixel wide angle camera. The range for recognizing who is standing in front of it grows from 8 feet to 17 feet, according to both outlets. Techaeris says the camera also gets auto framing and night vision, and Digital Trends confirms night vision is a first for an Echo Show.
A camera that sees across a whole room raises fair privacy questions. Digital Trends reports a physical switch that cuts the microphones and camera. Thurrott adds that a visual indicator shows when Alexa is in use. Anyone weighing how much personal data their devices collect may also want to read how Google Personal Intelligence now uses Gmail and Photos data.
Screen Styles and Alexa+ visuals do the heavy lifting
Thurrott says the device ships with three Screen Styles: Smart Home, Family Organizer and Photos. Techaeris describes the Family Organizer view as color coded calendars and meal plans for a whole household.
The smarter features sit behind Alexa+. Digital Trends reports that Alexa+ can now answer with interactive visuals, such as comparison charts, instead of a plain transcript of what it said. Those visuals require Alexa+, which Digital Trends says is included with Prime or costs $20 a month on its own. Techaeris also notes that some features need Alexa+. If you do not pay for Prime, the real price of the Echo Show 16 climbs well past the sticker.
Four cheaper Alexa devices arrived the same day
The Echo Show 16 headlined a five device launch. Here is what else Amazon announced, based on Thurrott and Techaeris:
- Echo Dot (6th gen) at $99.99, with a built in smart home hub, an eero Wi-Fi extender, a fourth microphone and 50% more bass
- Echo Studio with Home Camera at $249.99, while the standard Echo Studio stays at $219.99
- Echo Time, a $199.99 bedside clock with a 3.2 inch round touchscreen and opt in sleep sensing that needs no wearable
- Alexa Photo Frame, a 10 inch touchscreen at $199.99 in black or $229 in birch or walnut
The Echo Dot's built in Wi-Fi extender is a quiet change worth noting for anyone already shopping for home networking gear, a category in flux since TP-Link moved router assembly to Mississippi. And the Echo Studio price bump continues a busy season for home audio after Bose agreed to buy Skullcandy.
None of the three outlets gives an exact ship date for the Echo Show 16 beyond "later this year." Thurrott also points out that Apple's $299 HomeView is about to enter the same market, which could make holiday shoppers wait before spending close to $500 on a screen. For more device launches as they happen, see our gadgets coverage.
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