Amazon Echo Show 8 (4th Gen, 2025) Review: Display Plus Hub

The Amazon Echo Show 8 (4th Gen, 2025) is a countertop smart display for people who already live with Alexa, or plan to. It combines a touchscreen, a speaker system, a camera and a smart home hub in one device. This review is based on Amazon's published specifications and what independent expert reviewers report. It is not hands-on testing. It looks at who the Echo Show 8 suits and where it falls short.

Amazon Echo Show 8 (4th Gen, 2025) review: what it is

The Echo Show 8 is a mid-range option among the products compared. It is a countertop smart display that also works as a smart home hub. It handles the usual smart display jobs: video calls, camera feeds, a digital photo frame and Alexa voice control. It also carries hardware aimed at smart home control, with Zigbee, Matter and Thread support built in.

The pitch is a fast-responding display with spatial audio that doubles as the hub for your connected devices. It is also built with Alexa+ in mind, an Alexa service that is limited to the US and Canada and still evolving. That matters for how you judge it, because part of the appeal depends on a service that is still evolving.

Expert reviewers rate it well. It averages 8.8/10 across 4 expert reviews. Tom's Guide, Trusted Reviews and The Ambient each score it 4.5/5, and TechRadar gives it 4/5.

Design and build

The screen is an 8.7-inch HD touchscreen with a resolution of 1340 x 800 and slimmer bezels. It measures 8.2 x 5 x 5.9 inches and weighs 2.3 pounds.

It comes in two colors, Graphite and Glacier White. Power comes from a 30W adapter, so it is a plugged-in device and not something you carry from room to room.

Features and what they mean day to day

Display, camera and photo frame

The 13 MP camera has auto-framing and 3.3x zoom for video calls. The same camera lets you check in on your home, and the display can show feeds from compatible cameras. When it is idle, it can act as a digital photo frame.

Audio

The audio setup is a 2.8-inch woofer plus two full-range drivers, tuned for spatial audio. The spatial audio setup offers deeper bass than the 2023 model.

Smart home hub

The Echo Show 8 has a built-in smart home hub covering Zigbee, Matter over Wi-Fi/Thread, and it works as a Thread border router.

Omnisense sensors

The Echo Show 8 has an Omnisense sensor suite: ultrasound, Wi-Fi radar, an accelerometer, ambient light and temperature sensing. Amazon says these can trigger routines from presence, temperature or visual ID. For example, a routine can respond to someone being in the room instead of relying only on a voice command or a schedule. How useful it is depends on how many routines you build.

Privacy controls

There is a mic/camera off button and on-device privacy settings. The button is electronic, though, and there is no physical camera shutter. We return to that below.

Performance and connectivity

The Echo Show 8 uses Amazon's AZ3 Pro chip with an AI accelerator. Amazon designed it to deliver fast Alexa responses and to run Alexa+. Reviewers consistently describe Alexa responses and touch performance as fast and snappy. On a device you interact with by voice and touch dozens of times a day, that responsiveness is the sort of thing you notice.

Five microphones handle voice pickup. Connectivity is modern, with Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3. It has 8GB of eMMC storage.

The hardware is clearly ready for Alexa+. However, Alexa+ is limited to the US and Canada and is still evolving. If you are outside those markets, or you want a finished product on day one, you should factor that in. The hardware is only part of the experience.

What experts like and what they criticise

Strengths

The main strengths are:

• The spatial audio, with deeper bass than the 2023 model.
• Fast, snappy Alexa responses and touch performance.
• The built-in hub, which covers Zigbee, Matter and the Thread border router.
• The Omnisense sensors, which can trigger routines from presence or temperature.
• The larger 8.7-inch display with slimmer bezels, built for Alexa+.

Common criticisms

Drawbacks include:

• There is no physical camera shutter, only an electronic mic/camera off button.
• It is priced higher than the previous generation.
• The interface can feel cluttered.
• Alexa+ is limited to the US and Canada and is still evolving.

The Alexa+ limitation is a significant one for some buyers, not a footnote. The hardware is built for Alexa+, which is limited to the US and Canada and still evolving.

Who should buy it, and who should skip it

Buy it if you already use Alexa, or want to, and like the idea of one device acting as both a screen and a smart home hub. It suits households that want strong audio from a display, fast responses and Matter, Thread and Zigbee support in one place. It is also a good fit if you want a camera for calls and home check-ins and a photo frame for downtime.

Skip it if you insist on a physical camera shutter, since the privacy control here is electronic. Skip it too if you dislike busy interfaces, if you are outside the US and Canada and want Alexa+, or if you are sensitive to the higher price compared with the previous generation. If you are not committed to Alexa, other ecosystems may suit you better.

How it fits in the smart display category

Smart displays differ mainly in the assistant they use, the quality of the speaker, and how much smart home control they offer. The Echo Show 8 leans into the last of these, with a built-in hub and presence-based routines, and it is tied closely to Alexa. For a wider look at how the main options compare, see our guide to the best smart displays.

Verdict

The Echo Show 8 (4th Gen, 2025) is a well-reviewed, capable smart display that is strongest as the hub of an Alexa-centred home. Its larger screen, spatial audio and responsive chip are backed by expert praise, and the 8.8/10 average across 4 expert reviews reflects that. The trade-offs are real: no physical camera shutter, a cluttered interface, a higher price than before, and an Alexa+ experience that is regionally limited and still maturing. If those do not bother you, it is an easy device to recommend for Alexa households.

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