For the past month, I’ve had the Echo Show 15 up and running, both in a family setting and in my home office. It’s been a tool I use for quickly checking my daily agenda and for checking on camera feeds from time to time. While I’ve found it useful, there are still some areas that need some work.
A small TV or a very big smart display?
Included in the box with the Echo Show 15 are the required parts and pieces to mount the screen on a wall, or you can opt for acountertop stand for $30. Above the camera is where you’ll find a few buttons to control volume levels and turn off the always-on microphone. The camera leaves a lot to be desired in terms of photo or video quality, but it’s good enough for casual calls with friends and family members. I can’t decide if it’s better to view the Echo Show 15 as just the right size of a modern take on a small TV for the kitchen, or if it’s just a really big smart display.
A hub for your family… or not
For the first couple of weeks, I had the Echo Show 15 on my kitchen counter in an attempt to use it as a central hub for my family. I connected my iCloud calendar to my Alexa account, so the Show 15 could surface appointments and events in our shared family calendar. It quickly became apparent that I was the only person in my family actually using the Echo Show 15 – outside of a few random Alexa queries from my kids. Eventually, I moved the Echo Show 15 into my office where I could glance at the calendar widget to see the next item on my agenda. I’d love to see more widgets from third-party developers, like an Apple Music or Spotify widget, or even a Ring widget with snapshots from my outdoor cameras. Once a face is registered with Visual ID and the Echo Show 15 recognizes you as you walk up to or past the screen, it will automatically change the information that’s on the screen, tailoring it to whoever is near the display. For example, as I walk up to the Echo Show 15, my personal calendar is displayed, as well as news suggestions based on my past interactions with the device. Visual ID is also available on the Echo Show 10 and Show 8, and, for me at least, it’s become a must-use feature on the Echo Show 15. Knowing that whenever I’m interacting with the Echo Show 15 the information that’s presented is specific to me and my interests solves a problem I’ve long had with smart displays. That is, seeing random suggestions and content that is of no interest to me, or whoever is using the Echo Show at that time.
Performance can be hit or miss
My biggest complaint about the Echo Show 15 is the sporadic performance slowdowns. There are times when swiping down from the top of the screen to reveal the shortcuts menu takes a second or two, while other times it’s instantaneous. The same goes for tapping or swiping through different menus. I waited at least 30 seconds today for the list of available widgets to show up when trying to navigate to the gallery. As soon as I went back to the home screen and returned to the gallery, it took no time at all for it to load. There’s also often a delay when using the new picture-in-picture feature that lets you view any compatible security cameras (Ring and Blink are both supported).
Bottom line
I definitely see the need and value of a large smart display like the Echo Show 15 for organizing a family, keeping tabs on your smart home gadgets, and even watching live video feeds of your cameras. With the addition of Visual ID, impromptu interactions are more personal and more efficient.
