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Amazon announced the Echo Show 16, a $499.99 smart display available to preorder ahead of a release later this year. A hands-on report describes customizable Screen Styles and redesigned household features, but the device’s high price and some untested functions leave questions about its value and performance.
Amazon has announced the Echo Show 16, a 16-inch-class Alexa smart display priced at $499.99, with preorders open ahead of a release later this year. A hands-on report from a New York media event found that its customizable home screens and household features could make it a more useful family hub, though the price is twice that of Amazon’s Echo Show 11.
The Show 16’s main new feature is Screen Styles, a set of customizable home screens built around different uses: a family organizer, smart home dashboard, Alexa widgets, or digital photo frame. Users can keep a selected screen visible or have it appear when they approach the device. The layouts are intended to put information such as calendars, meal plans, and frequently used smart home controls within easy view.
The device has a Full HD display, slim bezels and a built-in speaker system with eight woofers and two tweeters, according to the report. A hands-on test found the screen bright and responsive, with clear sound that was loud but lacked some depth. Amazon also offers an anti-glare Nanomatte version for $569.99. The report says a $100 preorder discount is available, though its terms and eligibility were not detailed in the supplied information.
The Show 16 also runs the Fire TV interface and includes a redesigned Alexa remote. Its software is intended to bring family calendars, meal planning, photos, smart home controls, and video doorbell viewing together. The report describes a redesigned cooking library that can use Alexa’s recipes, recipes emailed to Alexa, or uploaded recipe photos. The device has four microphones, but the hands-on reviewer did not test whether their placement improves Alexa’s ability to hear commands.
A Larger Screen for Household Routines
The Show 16 signals Amazon’s effort to make its smart displays more than voice assistants with screens. A persistent dashboard for schedules, meals and device controls could make the display useful to people passing through shared spaces, rather than only when they ask Alexa a question. Its digital photo frame option also gives the screen a role when household information is not needed.
That broader pitch comes at a steep price. At $499.99, the Show 16 costs twice as much as the $250 Echo Show 11, and the report says it is $200 more than Apple’s new HomeView smart display. Amazon is asking buyers to pay for the larger screen and the revised software experience; whether those changes justify the premium will depend on how well the features work in everyday use.
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From Voice Assistant to Family Hub
Echo Show devices have gradually gained more visual and household features, but smart displays have generally remained voice-first products, with the screen adding information around Alexa interactions. The Show 16’s home screens make the display itself more central by keeping selected tools visible or bringing them up when someone approaches.
The report compares the Show 16’s slim design and shared components with Amazon’s new Alexa Tablet Pro 12. Amazon head of devices and services Panos Panay told The Verge, “A lot of the same work went into this as the tablet.” The Show 16 uses a MediaTek processor rather than Amazon’s AZ3 chip, according to the report. It is thinner than the Echo Show 15 and Show 21, while its size may make it awkward on some kitchen counters.
“The Alexa Recommendations screen “will continue to offer the broad variety of content, just as it does now.””
— Aidan Marcuss, incoming vice president of Alexa and Echo, speaking to The Verge
Price, Ads and Testing Still Matter
The hands-on report was based on time with the device at a media event, not a full review. The reviewer did not test the four-microphone setup, so its effect on voice pickup remains unknown. Longer-term performance, battery or power details, and how reliably the new household tools work were not established in the supplied material.
Amazon says ads will appear on the Alexa Recommendations ambient screen, including full-screen ads, but not on other home screens; users can turn Recommendations off. The company did not demonstrate that option at the event. The supplied report also does not specify the release date, the preorder discount’s full terms, or whether all Screen Styles and features will be available in every region.
Preorders Lead to Later Release
Amazon is taking preorders now and says the Echo Show 16 will be released later this year. Buyers can compare the standard model’s $499.99 price with the $569.99 Nanomatte option, while checking Amazon’s current terms for the reported preorder discount.
A full review after release should clarify how the screen, microphones, household dashboards and Fire TV features perform outside a controlled demonstration, and whether the device’s price makes sense for homes already using Alexa displays.
Key Questions
How much does the Amazon Echo Show 16 cost?
The standard model costs $499.99, with a wall mount included. The Nanomatte display option costs $569.99. The source report also mentions a $100 preorder discount but does not provide its full terms.
What are Screen Styles on the Echo Show 16?
Screen Styles are customizable home screens for a family organizer, smart home dashboard, Alexa widgets or digital photo frame. Users can keep a chosen screen visible or set it to appear when they approach the device.
When will the Echo Show 16 be released?
Amazon says it is planned for release later this year. The supplied report does not give a specific release date.
Does the Echo Show 16 display ads?
According to incoming Alexa and Echo vice president Aidan Marcuss, ads, including full-screen ads, can appear on the Alexa Recommendations ambient screen. He said they will not appear on other home screens and that users can turn Recommendations off.
Source: theverge.com
