Electronics & Gadgets Blog
Amazon Echo Show 10 (3rd Gen), A Comprehensive Guide to the Rotating Smart Display
by Samuel Kalenga on Aug 12, 2024
The Amazon Echo Show 10 (3rd Gen) ushers in a new era in interaction with technology. It’s not just a smart display (though it’s definitely that, too), it’s a product that puts the benefit of its swivelling, following screen as a defining feature, instead of just as a gimmick in an age of constant invention. The revolutionary third-gen Amazon Echo Show 10 (3rd Gen) released in 2021 has so much to offer, especially regarding a smart home set up, and especially regarding video chats, yet the feature that defines it, is also the one that some users – and perhaps inherently, as a concept in human-machine interaction – might consider a gimmick. What is The Echo Show 10 (3rd Gen)? In this Amazon Echo Show 10 review, we take a deep dive into the features, benefits, and drawbacks of this Amazon smart display to help you decide whether this aesthetic is a unique value in your smart home.
The Rotating Screen: A Game Changer
The most obvious feature on the Echo Show 10 (3rd Gen) is the rotating screen. If you think of it as something that just swivels around, you miss the point. Rather, the gadget has a locomotion system that moves in a precise way to follow your bodily movements, making sure that, when you’re on a video call, for instance, your face is always in the centre of the frame. (It’s like walking in a straight line from A to B and having the device move with you. If you have never used a device with a screen that can autoscroll in this way, you have no idea how strange and unnatural it feels at first to find your face at the centre of the camera’s gaze.) I tried out the Show 10 to call a friend. As I walked about the room, the screen also swiveled around, not breaking eye contact. Suddenly, the video call feels like an ambulant exchange and not a static one. But the moving screen can have a distinct advantage for video calls. If you summon Alexa – to get the forecast, for example, or to set a reminder, or to control your smart home devices – the screen turns to face you, always ready to answer with its face towards you, offering a kind of screen person that you can always talk to.Beyond the Rotation: What Else Makes it Special?
- Camera and Audio: Enhanced video call quality and wider field of view with the 13MP wide-angle camera on Echo Show 10 (3rd Gen). Video call settings such as auto-framing are also added, where you will always be centred within the frame even if you move around. Noise reduction is also another new feature for the front-facing camera with improved audio quality. Plus, the added audio enhancements take listening to music, podcasts and even video to another level. You get a richer and clearer sound with the 2 tweeters and woofer that enables a full and balanced sound profile for music and audiobooks, as well as podcasts. In essence, the Echo Show 10 (3rd Gen) 10.1 inch HD touchscreen is the perfect multimedia hub for the entire family. Whether it is watching movies, listening to music, surfing the internet or meeting up with your friends, the all-new Echo Show 10 makes it all possible with its front-facing motion capabilities and updated features. Smart Home Hub: As well as being a powerful multimedia device, the Echo Show 10 (3rd Gen) can also act as a hub for your smart home, and be controlled using your voice or the screen. You can adjust all your compatible lights, thermostats, locks and other devices with your voice through the Echo Show. Ask Alexa to dim the lights while you start putting on that rom-com or simply check the temperature before heading to work, with all your smart-home devices easily adjusted through one device. You can use it with your smart home ecosystem of your choice: Philips Hue, Nest or Samsung SmartThings, to name a few.
- Alexa Everything: The whole power of Alexa is baked into Echo Show 10 (3rd Gen). You can ask Alexa to play music, check the weather and the traffic, set a timer, add items to your shopping list, control your compatible smart home devices, and access a wealth of other stuff through apps like Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, Spotify, Amazon Music, ESPN+, and more. You can activate any of these things with your voice or the touchscreen. Broadly, Alexa is a powerful tiller to steer. A ton of information and entertainment content can be currently accessed through Alexa. For instance, streaming on Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime Video, music streaming on Spotify and Amazon Music, and news and weather updates on BBC, CNBC, etc. Sleek Design: The third-generation Echo Show 10 (pictured) has an elegant and modern design that won’t look out of place in your home, no matter what sort of decor you enjoy. The small footprint helps the device easily fit a counter or nightstand anywhere you want. The device is also available in different colours: Charcoal, Glacier White, and Sandstone.
Performance and User Experience
Inside is a powerful processor that outputs this all without skipping a beat, as you might expect from such a device. The motorised mechanism that turns the screen around you is quiet and smooth, but also responsive so that you can check in on what it’s doing if you’re concerned that you might have gotten burned. It feels integrated into the device rather than a distracting mechanism. The touchscreen is also responsive and works well for the intended applications. Basically, it works well as a touchscreen. Whether I’m watching a video, cruising Reddit while reading a news article or asking Alexa to set a timer, everything runs smoothly without buffering or weird behaviour.
Pros and Cons: A Balanced Perspective
Pros:
- Rotating screen revolutionizes video calls and Alexa interactions
- Improved camera and audio quality enhances multimedia experiences
- Powerful smart home hub functionality simplifies device control
- Seamless Alexa integration provides a wide range of voice-activated commands and app access
- Sleek and modern design blends well with various decor styles
Cons:
- Price: The Echo Show 10 (3rd Gen) is relatively expensive compared with other smart displays, which could put some tight-fisted buyers off. If you are considering some other smart displays in this category, the price for the Echo Show 10 (3rd Gen) is relatively expensive, but it is still reasonable overall considering all the excellent premium experience it offers if you have the money for it.
- Privacy issues: Yes, I want a continuously improving area of user experience, but I also care about my privacy. Can you foresee a time when (despite Amazon’s assurances to the contrary) a sensitive person might not want to be filmed and known so intimately?’ Image courtesy AmazonThe rotating camera, which allows you to watch any part of the room, does have privacy implications, and this is something that you should consider. First, know that what this camera does is effectively record the activity of your entire home – activity you probably wanted to remain private. Amazon does offer a setting to turn your camera and microphone off. It also offers a physical camera shutter that you can twist to cover the lens when you’re not using it, to block the view. Amazon’s Echo Show also lets you go to the Settings interface and disable the camera and microphone.
- Rotation: Though the rotating screen is pretty neat, many users find the rotating a little distracting. The rotating screen is audible, especially in a quiet environment. users are motion sensitive, the rotating screen is not ideal for them. Some users may find the rotating display to be distractive when they are reading or watching a video.
Who Should Consider the Echo Show 10 (3rd Gen)?
While its price can likely scare many buyers away, the Echo Show 10 (3rd Gen) is a great pick for people and families who like their smart display to be dynamic, interactive, and remote-controllable for use during their video calls devices, and when consum
Alternatives to Consider
If you don’t consider the Echo Show 10 (3rd Gen) to be exactly the smart display you’re looking for, or you just can’t afford to spend that much, there are other tempting options:- Amazon Echo Show 8 (2nd Gen) An excellent smart-display, this device offers most of the utilities provided by the bigger, pricier Echo Show 15, including Alexa and smart-home integration (although there is no rotating screen). Smaller and cheaper, it’s perfect for those who want an Alexa smart-display on a budget, or just a small device.
- Google Nest Hub Max: This smart display from Google has a sleek exterior, a large touchscreen, and is tied to Google Assistant. The Nest Hub Max would be a great choice for users who live in the Google ecosystem and want its suite of smart home and entertainment services. With its powerful camera, the Nest Hub Max puts a premium on video calls as well as features like facial recognition to give you a more personalised experience. Facebook Portal: This smart display has video calling front and centre, with a wide-angle camera and automatic framing. This is the device to get if video communication is your goal, and you want a dedicated device for keeping friends and family close. Facebook has also built Story Time into the portal as well as integration with the core Messenger app family features. Lenovo Smart DisplayLenovo has a line of smart displays with Google Assistant built in; available in multiple sizes and with a wealth of options, they’re an alternative for people who’d rather stick with Google Assistant.
