Amazon Echo Show 10 review: it follows you with its eyes

The sound, the image and now the video and a screen that follows you with its gaze. Over the generations, connected assistants add bricks that allow them to interact a little more in everyday domestic life. On the home side Amazon, the Echo Show 10 is the third generation of this mix between a smart speaker and a Tablet tactile. On the aesthetic side, the new model tested for several weeks by Futura does not really embellish the interiors with the wide borders of the tablet and its generous dimensions. On the other hand, it is what this speaker / screen assembly encloses that transforms the device into a real Swiss Army knife.

What makes the great novelty of the Echo Show 10 is that the speaker / tablet assembly can be rotated 360 ° so that the screen can follow the user. It is therefore necessary to think of installing the device on a sufficiently deep and clear surface to avoid anything which could obstruct its rotation. When blocked, the tablet remains locked in its position and it is necessary to intervene manually. But before checking it, you have to turn on the device and configure it. The presence of the touch pad is advantageous, with it it is possible to establish the connection to the network and to connect, even to create an Amazon account easily without having to unsheath the smartphone and install theapplication Alexa. Once the account Alexa active, an adjustment phase is used to define the position in which the screen will be placed when the speaker is not activated.

Once the settings are made, the screen immediately rotates according to your movements so that it is always in front of you. It is not only thanks to theeye of the camera placed on the upper right corner of the screen that the assembly can identify and follow you. She can also perform these movements tracking by locating your voice. To achieve this result, Amazon had to implement a processor additional: a house chip Amazon AZ1 neural Edge. It’s’HE integrated into the latter, which allows user identification and monitoring with the rotary base to be managed. It also ensures an improvement of the functions of speech Recognition. On this last point, it is true that the speaker is more responsive. Likewise, she manages to identify her voice commands even when there is hubbub and the sound of the voice might be obscured by further chatter.

Under the gaze of the tablet

At first glance, a tablet that follows you with its gaze is disturbing. Adding a face would undoubtedly be even more disturbing and this system has something to put off at first. It is only with the use that one can realize the interest of this rotary base and in particular when embarking on a recipe of cuisine, for example. No need to touch the screen or move the whole thing, everything can be controlled by voice and the screen stays oriented in your direction so you don’t have to move. But this tracking system has much more interest when it comes to making a video call. The camera will then follow your movements and zoom in to perfect and stabilize the framing. So, even if you are on the move, the other person does not really see it. It is also very practical for making a well-framed video without having to move around. Finally, the process also shows its interest when you want to watch TV out of the corner of your eye. Molotov, or Netflix, while we do something else.

Another option that caught our attention is a mode to turn the Echo Show 10 into a surveillance camera. Now integrated through the app Alexa to all Echo Show devices, it allows you to trigger the camera remotely for viewing. By sliding your finger on the mobile screen, it is even possible to rotate the tablet to obtain a panoramic view of the room. Likewise, you can hear what’s going on and even talk. However, remote transmission of images must be authorized from the settings on the device.

In any case, it is still possible to prevent the Echo Show 10 from following you at all times, all the more annoying when nothing is asked of it. To do this, all you have to do is tell it to stop tracking, or to hide the camera with its integrated cover. It is also possible to block tracking by swiping down from the top of the screen and touching a icon. In any case, you can freely rotate the screen by hand, which is still very practical.

A very correct spatial sound

As a jukebox, the Echo has good spatialization that the screen does not seem to hide. This one is dressed in the elegant fabric that we find on the other models of the mark. The enclosure took some volume with a diameter of 17.2 centimeters. It has two speakers on the front for treble and a speaker (woofer) for bass placed high to disperse the sound towards the ceiling. Admittedly, this is not an audiophile reproduction of sound and the device is not at the level of connected speakers premium level, but it allows to deliver a precise and all-encompassing musical background.

Journey through the Echo Show interface

At the level of its touch surface, the Echo Show is easy to learn. By sliding your finger down from the top edge of the screen, you bring up a menu bar. It gives access to the reception, to the settings of the device whether it is the network Wi-Fi, of Bluetooth, or the choice of the wallpaper and the deactivation of the tracking function. This is also where you can manually adjust the brightness.

By performing the swiping gesture from the right edge to the center of the screen, the Echo Show 10 displays large function icons. They mainly give ideas for use related to the diffusion music, video, transforming the tablet into a photo frame digital, management of connected home or the automated implementation of routines. You can also use the built-in browser to search on Internet. The device then works like a real multifunction tablet, immediately accessible.

The device constantly provides additional usage ideas which are displayed on the screen. All of these functions can also be stated as voice commands. To watch TV, while cooking with the help of Marmiton, for example, this extra screen plays its role, but you should not expect a fineness of display to match the audio quality. The difference between the two is also disturbing in use.

In terms of home automation, the Echo Show 10 is not sufficient on its own. To add connected accessories, for example lamps or to associate other sound systems, it is necessary to go through the application for mobile. It is also preferable to use the latter when you want to add Skills, these small applications that allow you to add functions to the device. This is for example the case for streaming music services. For calls, if you have other Echo devices at home, you can use an option called Drop In. It allows these devices to be called to communicate.

Futura’s opinion

At first glance, being stalked by a massive tablet with wide borders is quite strange. But it is in use that the Echo Show 10 is revealed. Its swivel foot allows it to be reoriented and to carry out its activities while retaining the support of information necessary for cooking or for entertainment. Rather, it answers questions correctly and has a multitude of hidden faculties, such as the remote surveillance camera function that can be reoriented. via the smartphone. After its massive aesthetic, for 249.99 euros the Echo Show 10 will only convince if we take the time to take an interest in its strong potential as a Swiss Army knife of everyday life. She can, in any case, do much more than her competitor Nest Hub at Google which costs more than half as much.

The note of Futura

WE love

• The very big potential
• Audio quality
• Remote surveillance camera function

We don’t like

• The aesthetics of the tablet with its large borders
• The need to spend a lot of time to appreciate the possibilities of the Echo Show 10

Click here to buy the Echo Show 10 on Amazon