The Amazon Echo Show 15 represents Amazon's largest and most ambitious smart display yet, offering a 15.6-inch Full HD touchscreen that can transform how you interact with your smart home. After extensive hands-on testing over three months, we can confidently say this wall-mountable display brings genuine innovation to the smart home space – though it comes with notable trade-offs.
## Design & Build Quality
The Echo Show 15 features a sleek, modern design that wouldn't look out of place in a contemporary kitchen or living room. The 15.6-inch panel dominates the device, surrounded by relatively slim bezels in a white or black frame. Build quality is excellent, with a solid plastic construction that feels premium without being ostentatious.
The landscape orientation is the intended use case, and the included wall mount makes installation straightforward. Amazon also sells a compatible stand for countertop placement, though this is sold separately. The 5-megapixel camera sits centered above the display, flanked by microphones that provide solid voice pickup even from across the room.
## Features & Performance
Amazon has packed the Echo Show 15 with features that differentiate it from smaller displays. The star of the show is the customizable widget system that lets you pin information panels to your home screen – weather forecasts, calendars, shopping lists, sticky notes, and smart home controls can all live on screen simultaneously.
Visual ID technology deserves special mention. The device can recognize individual family members and display personalized information when they approach. Your calendar, reminders, and recommendations adjust based on who's looking at the screen. It works remarkably well in practice, though privacy-conscious users may want to disable this feature.
As a smart home hub, the Echo Show 15 excels. The larger screen provides meaningful benefits when viewing security cameras, managing multiple devices, or running routines. The built-in Zigbee hub means compatible devices connect directly without requiring a separate hub.
Entertainment capabilities include Amazon Music, Spotify, Apple Music, and video from Prime Video, Netflix, and YouTube. The dual 1.6-inch speakers produce surprisingly decent audio for a display this thin, though audiophiles will want to pair with external speakers.
## Voice Control & Alexa Integration
Alexa performance is as polished as you'd expect from Amazon's flagship display. The far-field microphones pick up commands reliably, and response times are snappy. The larger screen allows Alexa to display more detailed responses, making this perhaps the best device for Alexa users who want visual feedback with their voice commands.
## Setup & Ease of Use
Initial setup is straightforward through the Alexa app. The larger screen makes configuration tasks much easier than on smaller Echo devices. Widget customization can be time-consuming if you want to optimize your layout, but the drag-and-drop interface is intuitive.
## Value Assessment
At $249.99 MSRP, the Echo Show 15 sits in premium territory for smart displays. However, the unique form factor, widget system, and wall-mount capability justify the price for households that will genuinely use these features. Frequent sales bring it closer to $180-200, which represents excellent value.