Wondering whether the Echo Show 15 or the Echo Show 10 are right for you? Here’s how they compare.
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Amazon has multiple Echo speakers within its portfolio. From the Amazon Echo Studio and classic Echo, to the smaller Echo Dot and Echo Pop, these make up the company’s smart speaker line up; while the Echo Show models represent its smart display range.
Like the Echo speakers, the Echo Show options are plentiful, making choosing the right one a little trickier than simply popping one in your basket. All incorporate Alexa and everything Alexa offers, but there are a few more differences between the Echo Show options worth considering before you make your choice.
If you’re considering the Echo Show 15 and the Echo Show 10, both of which launched in 2021, we have you covered below. It’s also worth noting that Amazon did introduce the Echo Hub in 2023, which might be worth taking a look at if you are predominantly after a smart home control hub.
Echo Show 15 vs Echo Show 10: Price
The Amazon Echo Show 15 and the Echo Show 10 are a similar price range, with the Echo Show 15 being fractionally more expensive. In the US, the Amazon Echo Show 15 costs $280, while the Echo Show 10 costs $250.
In the UK, the Amazon Echo Show 15 costs £280 with the Alexa Remote included, while the Echo Show 10 costs £260.
Echo Show 15 vs Echo Show 10: Design and build
The most striking difference between the Echo Show 10 and Echo Show 15 lies in their designs. The Show 10 boasts a tablet-like aesthetic, with its 10.1-inch display sitting on top of a round speaker base. It will swivel around to follow you during video calls or simply adjust to your viewing angle.
Like many of the Echo devices, the Echo Show opts for a combination of plastic and fabric for its construction, allowing it to blend nicely into many interiors.
In contrast, the Echo Show 15 embraces a picture frame-like design, meant to adorn your wall. It is reasonably thick at 35mm, but this allows for built-in speakers and its slightly raised frame is designed to ensure decent sound quality when you ask Alexa to play your favorite tune or tell you a joke.
Despite contrasting design approaches, the Echo Show 15 and Echo Show 10 serve the same core purpose: integrating a large screen and Alexa’s power into your home.
The Show 15 reigns supreme in size, offering both horizontal and vertical mounting options for a potentially seamless wall installation. The Show 10 meanwhile, requires counter or shelf space. A stand is available separately for the Echo Show 15, also transforming it into a desktop option if desired.
Echo Show 15 vs Echo Show 10: Displays
While the Echo Show 15 has a larger 15.6-inch display compared to the Echo Show 10’s slightly smaller 10.1-inch screen, their core characteristics are almost identical. The Show 15 boasts a higher resolution, as you would expect, but both displays share roughly the same pixel density, resulting in visually comparable performance.
These screens aren’t meant for close-up viewing like an iPhone is, instead primarily displaying basic UI elements, so high resolution isn’t crucial. Both also have touchscreens and utilize LCD technology, making size the key differentiator between these two Echo Show models.
The Show 15’s bigger screen shines for casual video watching, but its true strength lies in its information hub and family noticeboard potential – something that we really enjoy about it.
Echo Show 15 vs Echo Show 10: Features
Both Echo Show devices share the core functionality of Alexa voice control, smart home integration, and they both display similar information. The Show 15 introduces a slightly different interface emphasizing personalization through widgets and offering portrait or landscape orientation.
The ability to add sticky notes on the Show 15 is a neat feature and one we really like, but it’s the built-in Fire TV, allowing direct streaming without needing a separate device, that makes the Echo Show 15 more exciting. It’s worth keeping in mind that an Alexa Remote enhances the experience so that’s worth adding to your basket if you choose the Echo Show 15, or pick the bundle with it included.
The unique advantage of the Show 10 meanwhile, lies in its rotating display. This feature keeps the screen in view as you move around, whether you’re on a video call or following a recipe in the kitchen. With the Show 15’s wall-mounted design, this mobility is obviously not possible so if you want to use it to follow a recipe or make video calls, you’ll need to consider where you place it on your wall and in which room. You can of course add that stand we talked about previously, but then you’ll need to factor that space into your worktop.
Echo Show 15 vs Echo Show 10: Performance
What’s under the hood of the Echo Show 15 and Echo Show 10 doesn’t matter too much as both are designed for specific tasks that don’t need huge amounts of power. That said, processing power can make a difference in terms of speed and when you’re asking Alexa to do something, you want it to be done quickly.
With that in mind, the Echo Show 15 packs a faster AZ2 chip compared to the Echo Show 10’s AZ1 chip. This enables local AI and features like facial recognition for personalized profiles. Its current usefulness compared to voice-based identification already offered by the Echo Show 10 is debatable, but the Visual ID feature unlocked by that faster chip is there if you wish to use it.
When it comes to sound, the Echo Show 10 shines. Its 2.1 speaker setup (tweeters + woofer) delivers richer audio, boosted further by directional tweeters that follow you around the room.
The Show 15’s audio quality meanwhile, unfortunately falls a little short. Its design hinders sound output, and wall-mounting stops the sound being able to get out. In this aspect, the Echo Show 10 clearly takes the lead.
Echo Show 15 vs Echo Show 10: Which should you buy?
The decision between the Echo Show 15 and the Echo Show 10 will very much come down to what you are looking for from your Alexa-powered smart display.
The Echo Show 15 offers a larger display, is wall-mountable and it is a natural smart home hub and information screen. It does offer weaker audio than the Echo Show 10 however, and its wall-mounting design means it is more of a permanent device rather than having the flexibility of moving it around. Even if you choose the desktop stand, it is still less portable than the Echo Show 10.
The Echo Show 10 strengths lie within its unique rotating display for better viewing angles, alongside a stronger audio offering. It is a smaller screen than the Echo Show 15 however, and it requires some surface space somewhere in your home, whether that’s on a desk or your worktop, but it is more moveable than the Echo Show 15.
If you want your Echo Show predominately for playing music, we’d pick the Echo Show 10. If you want a smart home hub with great planning features and the ability to stream content quickly, the Echo Show 15 is the one we would recommend.
