The Biggest Show Around

Getting smart is a complicated business.

By now many of us have quite a collection of smart devices in our homes; lights, cameras, TVs, action!

Controlling them all from a central point is useful but often that means your phone - not as useful for any other people in your house - especially if you (and your phone) aren't home.

So time for something even smarter. Is a smart speaker all you need? Or do you want the added functionality (and touch screen abilities) of a smart display as well?

If it is a screen you're after... in fact, if a smart display is the main thing you're after, Amazon has been coming up with a few different options for a while. However, the latest is a little bit different again - and not just because of its size.

The Amazon Echo Show 15 isn't just striking because of its 15-inch screen. In fact, the display is technically even bigger - 15.6-inches to be exact - which certainly sets it apart from other smart screens. Along with that big jump in size (the previous largest Echo was the Echo Show 10) Amazon has also introduced a whole new form-factor.

The Echo Show 15 looks much more like the digital photo frames of the past - perhaps you still own one? These devices seemed like a great idea pre-smartphone, when we were taking heaps of pictures with digital cameras but didn't really have a convenient way to look at them. The idea was you loaded your favourite pics onto the frame's internal storage, or perhaps a USB stick or memory card you could insert somewhere. Then the digital photo frame would scroll through your pics until you got sick of them and decided to load some more.

I call this a device of the past but that's not really fair given you can still purchase digital photo frames today - although I'm not sure who buys them. These days of course, many are Wi-Fi connected and can even be updated remotely - so yes, I suppose in a way, the Echo Show 15 intersects with that product category.

Echo Shows have always had the ability to play a selection of your photos, direct from the cloud. The difference with the 15-inch model is it no longer looks like a speaker with a screen attached - it's now literally just another picture frame - one you can mount on the wall with the included bracket or stand on a bench, table or shelf with the help of an optional accessory.

In fact, there's no question the designers were focussed on wall-mounting this device - even the way the power cord plugs into its concealed cavity ensures it fits flush with the wall, either in a portrait or landscape orientation - which is something the other Shows definitely can't do.

Just because the Show 15 is now all-display, doesn't actually mean it isn't a speaker as well. However, the speaker side of the equation has now been completely hidden away, with the grilles hardly noticeable on each side. That said, if sound quality is your primary concern, this is not the Echo device for you. Compared to options like the Echo Studio or Echo Show 10, many tracks sound rather tinny and thin on the Show 15. This is simply due to smaller, less powerful drivers and not as many of them; compromises obviously had to be made to keep the device to a certain shape and size.

Always bear in mind Echo smart speakers can be grouped together - if you want to boost your soundscape there's nothing stopping you filling your house with sound-only Echoes to be controlled by the Show 15 - especially given they're some of the best-value-for-money speakers out there.

The Show 15's unique shape and size has obvious advantages of course - and not just the ability to display your photo library with stunning clarity, colour and brightness. There's more than enough space to add Amazon's new widgets. Similar to those you might find on a phone or tablet's home screen, there's now a choice of functional tabs you can arrange to your preference; shopping list, weather, access to connected smart devices - even sticky notes to name a few. Right now the selection is pretty limited but I imagine it will grow exponentially in time.

One of my favourite "useful" things to do with a smart display like this is monitor my video doorbell - when someone rings it their image immediately appears on screen and I can tell them I'm on my way down to let them in. Again, a bigger screen means this kind o functionality is more functional than ever.

Below the few physical control buttons, there's also a small camera in the top left corner of the frame (in landscape) for video calling, although oddly it's a worse quality camera than those on the Shows 8 and 10. When I quizzed an Amazon representative about this he explained video-calling was unlikely to be the primary use-case for this device - especially if it's fixed permanently to a wall somewhere which is a fair point. Alternatively, the Echo Show 10 actually rotates to face its display towards you at all times, wherever you are in the room. Again, if video calling is your most important thing, choose that one instead. 

And I guess that's the whole point of the exercise here; Amazon isn't necessarily trying to be all things to all people with the Echo Show 15. Instead, this is a photo frame you can control your entire smart home with - perhaps a digital focal point for the whole family. As such, you can create individual profiles for each member of the household - the Show 15 will recognise either your face or voice and customise its onscreen content accordingly. Everyone can create their own widget layout, access their own photos and curate their own music suggestions.

You know those fridges with the screens in the doors? Or those TVs that look like paintings when they're switched off? This is the Alexa version of that. Or to put it another way (to quote the Domestic Manager), "It's a speaker that doesn't look like a speaker. I like this one."

Click here for more information and pricing on the Amazon Echo Show 15.