Amazon has been busy announcing a slew of new hardware today, but it also had a surprise in store for owners of its existing Echo Show 15 smart display.
The company is bringing the Fire TV experience to the Echo Show 15, because it seems users just love watching videos on the wall-mountable smart display.
The Echo Show 15, released in 2021, lends itself to the TV viewing experience thanks to the larger, tablet like flat screen. It’s already ideal as a centrepiece to the kitchen, but now it becomes a genuine option for a secondary streaming TV in that room.
In a tweet during the hardware event, Amazon said: “Of customers that used their Echo Show 15 device last month, over 70% used it to watch videos. So, at no extra cost, we’re adding the Fire TV experience to new & existing Echo Show 15s. We think customers will love having access to the Fire TV content they know and love.”
Users have already been able to access Prime Video, Netflix and audio streaming services like Apple Music and Spotify, but this opens the floodgates to every app within the Fire TV appstore
It means you’ll be able to get the likes of BBC iPlayer, Now, and All 4 in the UK, just as you can on a Fire TV Cube or Fire TV Stick Max. There’ll be a dedicated Fire TV widget on the Home Screen and it’ll also be possible to pair the touchscreen device with an Alexa Voice remote.
Overall it’s a massive update for the Echo Show 15 that may require us to revisit our review of the device, which launched a year ago. We only gave it a 3.5 star review and weren’t fans of the audio or webcam. We liked the useful widgets and excellent, larger display and option to mount on a wall.
Our home technology editor David Ludlow wrote: “That new large display and the way the Amazon Echo Show 15 uses widgets are excellent, as are the options to wall- or stand-mount. As the centrepiece to a kitchen, acting as a family hub, this larger Echo Show could find a place in many homes. Yet, for all that it brings extra, sound quality isn’t as good as the older models, nor is the webcam. At this price, the smaller Echo Show 10 is a better and more versatile smart display for most people.”
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