The original Echo Show 8 has been one of our favorite smart displays since it came out two years ago, thanks to a nearly perfect balance of strong audio performance for the size, a bright and colorful screen, and loads of useful Alexa voice control and smart home features for a reasonable price. It remains good enough that Amazon has changed very little in the second-generation model, which sells for the same $129.99 as the original. The second-gen Echo Show 8 looks and sounds identical to its predecessor, with only the camera for video chat and home monitoring receiving an upgrade. It isn't quite as impressive as the motorized tracking camera on the $249.99 Echo Show 10, but the Echo Show 8 costs nearly half the price, making it the best value in the smart display market and our Editors' Choice winner.Nearly Unchanged Inside and Out The second-generation Echo Show 8 is physically identical to the first one, measuring 5.4 by 7.9 by 3.9 inches (HWD), with a vaguely triangular side ...

Amazon's second-generation Echo Show 8 smart display offers just the right balance of price, performance, and size, with an updated camera for an even better video chat and home security experience.

Bright, colorful screen; Powerful audio for the size; Higher-resolution camera than previous model; Digital pan and zoom

Very few changes aside from camera

Great value; Powerful audio; Excellent price; Clever new camera;

Can only use camera view when it’s light;

The new Echo Show 8 might not be a huge step up over the original model, but its improved camera and slick, swift operation make it a worthwhile and timely update. If you’re a user of Amazon services or the small but significant selection of fully supported third-party services, the combination of Alexa, a decent screen, a sharp camera and powerful audio performance make this diminutive smart speaker a worthwhile addition to your home. If not, well, we suppose it makes a pretty nifty Bluetooth speaker-slash-paperweight…

Much-improved webcam; Big sound for its size; Supports a range of third-party apps and services;

YouTube only supported through browser; No Disney+ or Now support; Not much reason to upgrade if you have the original;

Very good product and easy to use, recommend to any potential buyer.

The best bang-for-buck Echo device with a screen now comes with a much-improved new camera, adding to the already excellent sound. It's an ideal Alexa option for a kitchen or family room. But there's still no native YouTube, which we find perplexing.

Much-improved camera; Pan and zoom works well; Decent sound;

No native YouTube support; Some Skills still not great with display;

Compact with an 8inch screen, the Amazon Echo Show 8 (2nd Gen, 2021) is one of the best smart displays for most people. Its camera, speakers and smart features are all impressive - it’s hard not to recommend!

Alexa is always improving, 13MP camera with privacy shutter, Good sized screen

No 3.5mm audio port, Not that different from the 1st generation, Only comes in black or white

The Amazon Echo Show 8 (2021) offers a superior camera for enhanced video calls and a faster processor, but not the best audio quality or screen resolution. Add to that the removal of the aux-out jack and lack of a Zigbee hub and you’ve got the recipe for an affordable – but admittedly one of the...

New 13MP camera for video calls, Cheaper than the Echo Show 10, Easy to group speakers together, Fun photo booth mode

Audio quality can still be improved, Only a 1280 x 800 resolution, No built-in Zigbee hub, No aux-out port

The pandemic has made clear that low-resolution webcams are only the tip of the video calling iceberg: in an ideal world we’d all have our own cameraperson to make sure the angles were perfect.

Camera auto-tracking is smooth and effective, Stereo speakers have punch to fill a room, Alexa keeps getting more abilities, Easily-controlled privacy

Auto-framing does have limits, A dedicated speaker sounds better for the price, Limited services that the clever camera works with

The $129 Amazon Echo Show 8 (2nd Gen) has a clever new auto-framing camera for video chats, making the best affordable Alexa display even better. Although the Echo Show 10 might be the best Alexa display we’ve ever tested, it costs $249.

Display feels more responsive, Auto-framing works well, Good sound for size, Comes with Amazon Sidewalk

Wish it offered more upgrades

The Amazon Echo Show 8 is an excellent compromise between the too-small Echo Show 5 , and the too-expensive Echo Show 10. It’s not a groundbreaking device, but it doesn’t need to be. If your smart home is in Amazon’s ecosystem, then the device is well-worth buying.