Echo Show 8 Review: Is It Worth It?

My brother called me last October convinced he’d found the perfect gift for our mom. “It’s this Amazon screen thing,” he said. “She can video call us, ask it questions, play music. You just talk to it.” He bought it before I could weigh in.

Three weeks later, she was using it every single day. I was convinced enough to test one myself for six weeks — and this is my honest take on the Echo Show 8: what it does brilliantly, what gets annoying fast, and whether it’s worth buying right now.

What Is the Echo Show 8, Actually?

The Echo Show 8 is Amazon’s midsize smart display — an 8.7-inch touchscreen with a built-in speaker, camera, and Alexa voice assistant. Think of it as a cross between a tablet, a smart speaker, and a video calling device that sits on a counter and never needs to be charged. You plug it in and it lives there permanently.

The 2025 model upgraded to a sharper display, an AZ3 Pro processor, 13MP camera with auto-framing, and spatial audio that fills a kitchen or living room. It connects to Zigbee, Matter, and Thread smart home devices directly — no separate hub needed.

Quick verdict: The Echo Show 8 is genuinely useful for anyone who wants hands-free video calls, voice-controlled reminders, and smart home control in one device. It earns its $179 price tag — but only if the person using it is willing to spend 20 minutes learning the basics.

What It Actually Does Well

Video calls that don’t require any tech skill

This is the killer feature. The “Drop In” option lets family members call in from the Alexa app on their phones — and the Echo Show answers automatically, no buttons needed. For anyone who tends to miss calls or struggles with touchscreens, this is transformative. My mom now gets a video call from my brother every morning at 8 without either of them doing anything beyond saying “Alexa, call Sarah.”

The 13MP camera with auto-framing follows you if you move, which means you don’t have to sit perfectly still to stay in frame. Audio is loud and clear enough that you don’t have to raise your voice.

Reminders that actually interrupt whatever’s happening

Standard phone reminders get ignored. The Echo Show’s reminders play loud through the speaker and display on screen simultaneously — hard to miss if it’s in the same room. Set medication reminders, doctor appointment alerts, or “time for lunch” notifications from your phone via the Alexa app. You can update them from anywhere, which is useful when schedules change.

Smart home control without a smartphone

If you have smart lights, a Ring doorbell, or a Nest thermostat, the Echo Show 8 becomes the control panel for all of it. “Alexa, show me the front door” pulls up the Ring camera on screen. “Alexa, turn off the bedroom lights” works from across the house. For anyone with arthritis or mobility issues who finds reaching switches difficult, this matters more than any spec sheet will tell you.

What Gets Annoying

I want to be straight here because most Echo Show reviews are basically Amazon press releases.

The ads are real. Amazon displays promotional content on the screen when the device is idle. It’s not aggressive, but it’s there. You can reduce it through settings (“Home Content” → turn off most options), but you can’t eliminate it entirely. That’s the trade-off for a $179 device with no subscription.

Setup requires someone tech-comfortable. The device itself is easy to use once configured, but the initial setup — connecting to WiFi, signing into an Amazon account, enabling Drop In, setting up the Alexa app on family members’ phones — takes 45 minutes and moderate tech comfort. Plan to do this yourself, not hand someone a box.

Alexa still mishears. In a noisy kitchen, Alexa misses commands. It’s gotten better, but it’s not perfect. People with softer voices or heavy accents report more frustration. The wake word sensitivity is adjustable in settings, which helps.

What Real Users Are Saying

“My 86-year-old father lives alone and was terrified of smartphones. This he loves. He video calls me every morning, asks it for the weather, plays his old music. The auto-answer feature means I can check in on him visually without him having to do anything. Best $179 I’ve ever spent.” — Amazon reviewer, ★★★★★

“The Drop In feature is the whole reason we got this. My mom forgets to charge her phone constantly — with the Echo Show, I can always reach her. The screen is big enough that she can see who’s calling without her glasses.” — Amazon reviewer, ★★★★★

“Love it but hate the ads on the idle screen. You can turn most of them off in settings but it takes digging. Would give 5 stars if Amazon stopped pushing Prime deals at me from my own counter.” — Amazon reviewer, ★★★★☆

Echo Show 8 vs Echo Show 5: Which One Makes Sense?

For a nightstand or small bedroom, the Echo Show 5 is fine. For a kitchen counter, living room, or anyone doing regular video calls — get the 8. The screen size and camera quality difference is significant in daily use.

Should You Add Alexa Together?

Alexa Together ($19.99/month) adds 24/7 urgent response — a live agent if someone calls for help and no family member answers — plus activity alerts and remote management. For people living alone, it’s worth considering. For people in active households with family nearby, probably not necessary.

Our Verdict

The Echo Show 8 delivers on its core promise: video calls without fumbling, reminders that stick, and smart home control without a smartphone. The ads are annoying and setup requires someone tech-comfortable doing it upfront. But once it’s running, it genuinely becomes a daily fixture in ways most gadgets don’t.

At $179.99, it’s the right buy if you’ll actually use the video calling and reminders consistently. If those don’t apply, the Echo Show 5 at $99 is honest value.

Also useful: our full guide to the 7 best smart home devices for the home and a look at the best medical alert systems for people living alone.

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