Amazon India has been populating its smart speaker lineup in India with multiple devices at varying price points. The newest family member is Echo Show 8.
The Amazon Echo Show series brings Alexa to a big display and a camera, adding more ways to consume content. As the name suggests, it has an 8-inch HD LCD screen, acting as a middle ground between the other size options. It was unveiled at Amazon’s fall event in September in global markets.
The Echo Show 8 can use Alexa to watch shows, movies, news briefs, sports highlights, listen to music, sing along with on-screen lyrics, make hands-free calls, and even entertain your child with nursery rhymes. The in-built 1MP camera can be used to make video calls over Skype, the Alexa app, or other Echo devices with a display.
It has numerous Indian and international content partners, including Amazon Prime Video, Voot, Hungama Music, JioSaavn, Gaana, Apple Music, etc. Amazon claims that the stereo speakers have also been improved. Smart home actions such as recipes, setting timers and alarms, creating lists, reminders, weather and traffic updates, sports scores, etc.
As always, Amazon is also trying to assure users that safety and privacy will be a core with the Echo Show 8. The mic and camera can be physically switched off, and there’s also a shutter to cover the camera when not needed. Voice recording data can also be deleted in a jiffy.
In India, the Amazon Echo Show 8 is priced at Rs 12,999 and is already open for pre-orders. Deliveries are slated to commence from February 26. For a limited time, the smart speaker hub can be purchased at Rs 8,999, pitting it against the Google Home Hub.
