It’s been a long time coming but Amazon’s new Echo Show 10 will finally arrive in homes from next month. This radical smart speaker was announced back in September 2020 but since the grand unveiling, the US retailer has stayed tight-lipped about an official launch. That’s now changed with the Show 10 shipping to customers from February 25 – so there’s not long left to wait if you fancy one in your popped on your kitchen worktop.
Although the Show 10 certainly has some big and pretty radical upgrades we’re not sure everyone will be so keen on it.
The biggest change coming to this all-screen device is that it now includes tracking technology which allows it to swivel as you move around the room.
The idea behind this concept is that it allows the 10-inch HD display to always stay in view making it ideal for watching movies, checking the latest news reports or chatting on video calls whilst getting on with the daily chores.
Not only that, but some of the speaker components inside the Echo Show 10 also move around when the display turns to face you. This means you’ll always get the best audio experience when the touchscreen is aimed towards you.
If all that sounds a bit creepy then Amazon is keen to point out that all of the tracking smarts, which allows the Echo Show 10 to judge where you are in the room and angle its display towards you, is powered locally (i.e. on the device itself) so there shouldn’t be any privacy concerns.
The firm also says there’s no facial recognition either so the camera only knows a person is in a room and not the actual identity of a user.
That said, we can still understand why some Echo fans may find it a little weird when their new smart speaker starts following them around the room.
If that doesn’t bother you then other features include a 13-megapixel front-facing camera for improved video calls and selfies.
Built-in dual, front-firing tweeters for crisp, clear vocals, coupled with a powerful woofer that provides premium, directional sound and automatically adapts to your space.
There’s also a Zigbee hub built-in, so you won’t need to plug any extra hubs into your router as you buy Philips Hue smart bulbs, or any number of other connected home gadgets.
You can also securely access and remotely move the Echo Show 10 built-in camera to monitor your home at any time with the Alexa app or other Echo Show Devices.
Echo Show 10 starts from £239.99 and will be available in Charcoal and Glacier White.
