🔺 Echo Show 15 - geni.us/LsvlkDk
I have been using the Echo Show 15 for the past 2 years. Here is my long term review and why I would not recommend buying the Echo Show 15. It lacks smart home features, it is big, you cant customize the screen, its slow and more. I also cover what I think it does well.
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Chapters:
00:00 Introduction
01:06 Too Expensive
01:27 Bad Design
03:13 The Interface
05:06 Performance
05:41 Smart Home Control
06:04 Echo Hub
06:52 Sound & Screen
07:47 Too Many Ads
09:07 The Good
10:42 Recommendations
#EchoShow15 #EchoShow #craigstechtalk
🍿 Should YOU Buy the NEW Echo Show 8 3rd Gen? (2023) - kzhead.info/sun/ldecobavramPoY0/bejne.html
Instead of putting it in the closet ship it to me 😊
Agreed. Why put it in a closet when you can give it to a viewer?
Agreed il glady take one
Me too.😂
Ikr, youtubers smh. Saying they don't like it but still keep it for their family memeber
😂😂😂😆😆😆
I have it on my bathroom wall and love it there. Feels like a luxury to have playing music, news, or Hulu Live TV while getting ready in the morning/evening.
I live by myself (widowed and retired). I love the A15 w/Fire TV. I cut cable service and signed up for KZhead TV and KZhead Premium (no commercials). I have either KZhead or KZhead TV on most of the day, as the A15 is sitting on my kitchen table and my kitchen is my second office. 😊. I love KZhead as it shows me how to take care of my yard, and Instructions on all the power tools I inherited from my husband. I can also keep up-to-the-minute with the news. My husband & I started using Echo devices since they first came out. We kept updating them and now have echo 8s in most of the rooms. I also have echo 10 on the kitchen island. Love them all. 👵🏻
I was wondering if it wasn't better buy a smart tv instead? It does nearly everything you wrote plus more options and it also can save you money or better value if you buy a bigger screen
I only ask it questions I don't use the toch sceen anymore I did at first but now I don't
I bought the Echo Show 15 for a single purpose, and that was to use it with the Ring skill combined with my Ring Doorbell Pro 2. I mounted it on the wall in my living room, and set it so that if someone approaches my front porch, it will announce that someone was detected, and it'll pop up the video feed from my ring doorbell. This is 99% what I use it for. The other 1% of the time, i occasionally glance at it and see a local news story, and see a short list of events coming up on my calendar. For my own use, it's great. But I can see how someone would be disappointed if they were trying to turn it into a major home hub or media hub.
This is kind of what I was debating on getting it for lol does it show the ring camera pretty quickly?
@@EDCExplained It makes a voice announcement first while the video feed is loading. I'd say it takes around 3-4 seconds before the video feed pops up.
@@ASFx2600does it automatically go to full screen live view when someone rings the doorbell or motion is detected? I heard some people say it just opens picture and picture mode
@@arcticape445 Yup, the video pops right up automatically as soon as motion is detected! It's really nice. So far the only problem i've had with it is that it seems like maybe once every 2-3 months, the video feed stops popping up when it detects motion (even though alexa still verbally announces motion detected). Then i'll have to reset the echo show, and the video feed continues to work just fine again.
X2
So interesting you would make this video. I just bought one. I waited until this year to buy one. I too did not want to put it on the wall. I paid much less than you did. Got it around Black Friday/Cyber Monday. I bought it and guess what I mounted it on my Kitchen wall. I had my Uncle do it. Now he wants one. I am able to watch Spectrum TV in my Kitchen using the Silk Browser. My only gripe is I cannot use Zoom. You would not have changed my mind even if I had seen this video beforehand.
All the ads are driving me away from the Amazon Echo environment. I'm currently down to two devices. I've also seen a significant drop off in the quality of their software. This could be related to the reduction of staff in this division
i got one for my wife when it came out and she still has it in the kitchen and still likes it. i still think its better than the smaller ones for being able to read it etc.
should i go for the echo show 5 3rd gen or the nest hub 2nd gen? Just sold off an echo dot 4th gen with clock, had multiple issues where it was slow to response to me, couldn't hear me properly and multiple times it says its not connected to the internet although in the alexa app it shows its connected :(
Can you download tv shows for offline viewing in any of the streaming apps? I think this might me a good bedside tv for my camper. There is often no wifi.
Are you not able to remove all ads in the settings?
I suspect that Amazon is going to drop the 15. The Firestick 4k Max provides many of the same options on a more useful device for much less money. Alexa has obviously been dumbed down a lot recently, with most of the team being let go. It will be interesting to see what will happen when the new AI kicks in. Unfortunately it looks like they will charge extra for those features. The ads never bothered me, as I rarely even notice them. I agree with the Echo 8. I have two of them and they’re great! I have been tempted to get a Show 15, but haven’t due to many of the issues you brought up. Great vid, as usual.
With 4 kids in sports and clubs, we bought the 15 hoping it would be a family calendar hub. Sadly, the update to show us a month or even two week look ahead calendar never materialized. Now we use it as a giant echo mounted on the wall of our kitchen. It will most likely be replaced with an older iPad Pro 10.5” if I can find a decent price on a nice looking wall mount.
Dang! I have 7 kiddos and wanted to use it at my command station. 😊
I've been thinking about buying the Echo Show 15 to mount in front of a treadmill. I can watch videos, listen to music, maybe bet some news.... It seems to be a match for what I'm looking for, but is there something else you'd recommend?
I appreciate this video review. I was thinking about giving this a test drive despite not really enjoying any of the previous Echo Shows I've owned. You bring up how slow the device is and how circuitous it is to access things which has been my primary critique of the platform. I was hoping it would be more responsive given the hike in price. I guess I'll keep using my iPad in the kitchen to watch videos while I cook. The quality of the video and sound is great on the ipad and your review clearly indicates I'd be downgrading for $200+ with the Echo Show 15.
I really like mine! I have it on the kitchen wall next to my sink so that when I have to do a lot of washing up I can listen to and watch the bbc news through the silk web browser or music. Love the larger display! It's also useful as now the widgets include a larger version of the smart home favourites widget. I use this often to turn lights on and off around the house quickly without having to speak. It is actually my favourite of all my echos!
I agree. The small ones, I can't see what is on the screen. Mine is in the kitchen as well where I listen to music as I cook. Different ones in the family add to a shopping list which we can all see when we come into the kitchen so we know what to pick up from the store. And it is my favorite as well. By the way I got a good deal on it during Black Friday so didn't pay the high price. Also, I use it with my security camera to see who's at the front door etc.
@@orkidochcies8785 excelllent! i fell in love with it immediately so bought mine as soon as it was available in the UK, so paid the full price
Good to know. I was thinking of asking for this for the firevtv for my bedroom but I decided not too. Good choice
I remember Amazon coming out and saying they were disappointed that folks were not using these to make purchases on Amazon. I bought mine to primarily use as a smart home hub. I was able to mount with a hidden outlet behind it and it looks very sleek.
That has been a huge problem for Amazon. I find I barely use mine. My smart home is all about automation, so not as much reason to talk to Alexa.
We mounted ours on the side of the fridge and it's nice to look at on your way to do other things. Easy to glance and see what orders you have and if packages are getting close. The weather widget on smart home widgets are great. We still have an OG Echo Show by the sink (it doesn't face the same direction). I don't ever use it for Fire TV.
What did you use I want to mount it on the side of my Fridge for the same reasons. I don’t need a new fridge with a “ smart controller” I want to add this to my current one.
@@smilesformiles0408i just used double sided tape.
Very cool. I like that you did that and it is working well for you. I was thinking about using the 3m Velcro command strips for pictures to do mount it. Thanks for sharing and watching.
I am with you not wanting to by a fridge with a smart home controller. They are always so limited too.
We bought one on an offer purely to work as a photo frame, and it works ok for that, although that's limited to only 2 hours and then it drops back to the normal screen, but is generally a good option. If you can get it cheap, hang it and accept you'll get some ads its ok, but if you actually want a proper hub this isn't it sadly
Got this as a gift a few years ago and just started using it last month. I have to say it is quite awesome overall and I end up using it all the time. I love the feature "Alexia, tell me a joke " Also, streaming youtube TV and other selectively sifted web pages.
I got one as a present and for the last few years it's been sitting beside my bed with do not disturb turned on and cam covered. It's basically a 15" clock. It's not even an alarm clock since I'm an Apple person and would rather use one of those products.
Do you think the echo show 15 is worth $180 U.S brand new ?
Love my echo 15 can't wait till the Gen 2 if it comes out
I absolutely love my echo 15!😍
Got three of them and Love the size and having it hang on the wall makes it look elegant.
Glad to hear they’re working well for you. Thanks for watching.
I totally agree! Not that many features. Not as responsive as my other echo devices. Bugs me at night.
craig was giving it fantastic reviews 2 years ago - so why has it taken him so long to realise its garbage
I enjoy my Echo 15 hanging on a mount under my kitchen cabinet (off the counter). It’s not in the way in my kitchen. I use it as a Fire TV for DirecTV Stream & I like using it for musical lyrics... It’s paired with the Echo Studio for better sound quality. I enjoy the picture frame. I use it to check my driveway & yard via Blink cameras. The upcoming events & weather widgets are useful. I agree that the price is too high. Should be $150 for the 15. The biggest negative is the ads in between pictures in the regular mode. So annoying.
Thank you for sharing your experience. It is great that you’re able to take advantage of the strengths of the 15. I like that you have the studio hooked up. That definitely helps. It’s also good for others to hear your experience. Glad it’s working out for you. Thanks for watching. Happy holidays.
I have had the 15 on my kitchen wall now for two years now and it is never been used as I had hoped at the start. It is just a kitchen Radio hung on the wall to avoid loosing counter space. My biggest regret with Amazon is they dont upgrade the Software much. Ok they added Fire TV but I am not going to sit in the kitchen watching a small screen when in the next room I have a huge 4k Screen. With the lack of Software upgrades Amazon want us to purchase a new device every year. This is not good for the environment. I expect for a couple of years software updates to keep up. Just like I still get the latest Android on my Phone four years later. Once Aqara brings out a device for their smart system which allows me to activate stuff via my voice then I will drop all of my Echos like a ton of bricks.
I stopped using the Echo Show 15 a few months ago, I wish I could trade it in but they won't accept it as a trade in device.
Mine is fine but I agree with most the criticisms. Amazon do seem to throw a lot of mud at the wall and see what sticks... perhaps the 15 hasnt stuck and its going to be dropped. The pop is definitely not long for this world.... But, mine is good for a glanceable perpetual calendar which is synced up to my Apple account. Thats its main function. I get very annoyed when they keep adding new content categories as an excuse to serve up more cards on the home screen and often find myself going into settings to switch off yet another new one. You are right that widgets haven't changed much - I do wish the calendar widget allowed you to not show 'no events' days and just show upcoming events instead. Ive long since ditched Alexa as my home automation solution but keep a couple of Alexas around whilst things like my Ring cameras and alarm, and Nest thermostat need them for routines - but hopefully their days are numbered.
I let out a good lol to "The pop is definitely not long for this world". I just got one and already looking to upgrade. T's ok though, as, without the promo price, I'd've kept resisting. Guess it was my gateway drug. 😁
Hard to argue with most things you said. Although I have mine mounted on TV wall brackets. I found that with the Fire TV "downgrade" that most of the touch screen capabilities were removed. It is now like trying to control a tablet with a remote control. Not good. Totally agree that if I was looking now I would not buy the Show 15 nor the show 10 3rd gen. I had this latter echo and it behaved like a head possessed. It just moved in random directions and did not look at me or track me even close to acurately. I sent my echo show 10 3rd gen back, never to be replaced. I may well try the show 8 3rd gen, but I have been bitten too many times now to just jump and hope for the best. I don't feel as though Amazon really cares about it's customers. They just think they are the biggest and they have no real competition. So until there is some real competition i don't think we will see any real improvements. Lets hope I am wrong. Anyway great video as always, keep up the good work.
Craig was gave it a fantastic review when he first received it - I knew it was rubbish day 1 I received it so why has it taken craig 2 years to realise
@@speedbird737 to be honest it was better when it first came out. You used to be able to use the full touchscreen on everything and you could use your voice to control everything. Features are being removed and customers have paid money for something that Amazon are making worse when we all expected it to get better. Mine is now simply and echo dot that can show photos. But Craig was and still is impressed with the Fire TV aspect, which I think is terrible.
I love mine, simply for the Fire TV aspect. Compact enough for the counter but large enough to see well. I usually use an external speaker with it.
i love my echo show 15, I use it in my craft room to watch you tube movies or card making tutorials and it is the perfect size to see the directions clearly I only wish it could download skype or chat programs but other than that its perfect for me.
Thanks for the review
I am rethinking my entire smart home at the moment. Amazon is going the wrong direction. I never did get the 15 for all the reasons stated but i do have speakers, Show 8 and Show 10. It might not be as easy to setup on Apple using HomeBridge but I will be able to get the same routines and skills commercial free and fully supported - for now. Great video, thank you for sharing
How much do you want for it?
My wife wants to keep it for the Fire TV. I want it gone.
I only have 2 echo shows left in my house. I have mostly replaced them with Apple Home pods and my smart home is SO much better. I have Apple TVs and a HomeKit doorbell which rings my home pods and shows on my tv. MUCH better than the ad filled echo shows.
Sold both of my show 15s. Sound was dire! Replaced with 2 new show 10s 3rd gen.
That sounds like a great choice. The show 10s sound so much better. Plus the speakers turn towards you wherever you are in the room.
The show 8 is the best option currently, the 15 is good for displaying only photos & weather. You really need to turn everything off (go to settings, click home content) it’s not bad for firetv but yeah the widgets suck and it’s not responsive enough
It will still throw garbage ads at you. I’ve turned everything off and I still get “sponsored ads”. I personally do not think it’s acceptable as I detest ads. I actually just want it to rotate my family photos forever until I ask a question or interact with it, but no, Geff Bezos knows best. I’ll happily pay the apple tax for a similar device.
@@MarcusGarveysGhost I noticed they added more choices beyond what I had already disabled and of course they were defaulted to on. As Paul Hibbert would say… “not enough yachts!”
And the constant adding advertisements on all the echo devices is driving me away. Moving from Kasa switches and echo show/dots to Caseta switches and HomePods. Sadly, Siri just isn’t a very good assistant for anything harder than asking for lights or a calculation or two.
Amazons Home Hub is coming soon. Hopefully to fix these issues and provide some new usefulness to the Alexa Smarthome
I hope so. Thanks for watching.
i hope before X-mas
I thought the wyze cam was great when it was introduced, now years later I still think the original version was the best. Using the enclosure, it was usable outside. Now with version 3, the lens turns grey in the sun in about a year after contacting them, I was told they do no support. As with the echo. Amazon doesn't seem to think they need r&d teams. 5 and 8 are OK and i would never buy the 15.. We mostly just watch KZhead anyway only because you can ask to open it and search without touching the screen, but it still takes 40 seconds. Outrageous! It's about worthless when the doorbell rings because it takes 45 seconds to load a camera. It should be automatic on every one of the devices to load on about 5 seconds. The only good buys with the echo devices is when they are on woot or sale. New or not, never pay retail and never keep buying the same devices with only 1 upgrade. My 2 cents anyway. Thanks for the video and wisdom
I just purchased my second show 3rd gen 10 and the 3rd gen 8, I also have the 2nd gen 8 along with the 2nd and 3rd gen show 5 which are in the closet. I will not purchase the show 15 because I do not like it. I also have the pixel tablet and the google nest mini hub.
Great review. I agree with everything you said. Wish I didn't buy mine. The widgets are worthless. The weather widget doesn't even work anymore for me.
I’m waiting for an iPad smart home from Apple
So echo 8 3rd generation basically does the same as echo 15 ? I was tempted to go for 15 but went for the 8 3rd for £99 on offer
I think that is a great call. The 8 is the best value. Especially with the sound updates and the built in hubs.
WOW! HYou throwing the 15 away and Brian from Automate Your Life dropping Smartthings in one day
I have the echo show 10 but I open until Christmas I never buy the echo show 15 because to much money and
Classic! Thanks, made me laugh, very entertaining and also informative.
I needed this review. I was on the fence. Thank you
Thanks for sharing Craig. 🎄👍🏻
I think I’ll hunt for a white show 8 for my computer setup
I would go for the 8 over the 15. Thanks for watching.
How to make your own Echo Show with crap you no doubtedly have kicking around the house. Fire Tab 10 2019 with official cover. It has a really strong magnet. Flip the front cover back behind it, bam, stuck to the fridge. Old Anker speaker with little battery life and tablet plugged into a USB hub then plugged into the wall. . You can even put it in Show Mode if you like. And it doesn't take up an inch of counter space. It's networked into my media server and I can watch or listen to whatever I want, including OTA TV. The tuner cards are plugged into my media server.
I'll take it have one and love it
I heard they just added Fire TV to the Echo show. I might be wrong. I think the premise could be good but it's poorly executed.
Yes they added and I love it
I am getting rid of all my Amazon devices. Sick of the ads and junk on these. Going with the google ecosystem.
I dont understand Amazon. They complain Alexa is loosing money and yet, instead of updating what already exists (Show 15) they feel the need to produce new stuff (Echo Hub). I would fire the head of Alexa and ask the remaining guys to make what exists work better. For example, why do we still not have the Echo Show 8 Gen 3 in Canada, but we have the Echo hub ? Its totally ridiculous.
You are right on about this. When losing money, just added another product. Apple stuff barely changes each year, but they keep trying to refine the software. It feels wasteful of resources to keep making new devices.
I hate the shows. They seemed great a few years ago when I first bought them. Now they are just little billboards for Amazon ads all over my house. I do have a old echo spot. I really like it. the round screen is very cool, and it never displays ads. Since the spot is no longer made, I'll replace the shows with the newer dots that have a clock.
I am with you on the Echo show over the past few years. It has only got worse. That is nice that the echo spot isn't getting ads. That is one Echo I never bought. I liked it, I just talked myself out of it. The Dot with Clock is your least annoying option.
SANTA COUNTDOWN!!!!
I love my echo 15
I have this on the wall. It’s easy to hide the wires.
I am glad that you were able to hide the wires. It is a much better look. Thanks for watching.
Lol. I’m annoyed with my Echo Show 15 as well.
That’s funny. Sorry to hear yours is annoying too.
I'm sorry Craig I realised the same as soon as I received it day 1 after release 2 years ago - its been in my cupboard ever since - so I'm disappointed you were giving it glowing reviews and loving it when you first received it - I will be more cautious over your future reviews. Why has it taken you 2 years to realise its garbage
Be a cautious as you like listening to me. But there were no glowing reviews. I checked my videos. Right after release I did an initial thoughts. Then a 10 things you should know a couple weeks later. Shortly after that I did a comparison between the show 10. 1 year later I say it is much better because of the fire TV update, which is it. This is the only other video. I stay open to devices when I get them. That would be the first few videos. Other than that, you have no idea how I use it and I stand by this video, along with any other on the show 15. I recommend never listening to me. Have a good day.
No literally I am strongly thinking about switching to google because of how hard core echo advertises me things even on the dot. Like I can't even listen to music anymore without being advertised about amazon music unlimited. I have never and will never pay to listen to music I can do it free on you tube and there's no way to get it to stop asking me if I want to subscribe.
I can understand making the switch. Amazon feels desperate to try and squeeze out money from these Echos. Its annoying
THIS IS THE REVIEW IVE BEEN WAITING FOR…. so many reviews were Ho Hum about this thing but I like the frame esthetic so I wasn’t completely dissuaded… but now I got a brutal honest review and can save my money
I mean just look at it and remember what year we are in. Even in 2021 this thing looked like a mistake.
The adds doesn’t bother me🤷🏽♀️
They don’t bother me. Because I don’t look at the screen continuously.
I mounted mine on my old Facebook portal +
I totally disagree with everything you're saying obviously this is just not for you
That's great it is working for you.
Basically they put out a half built product and pretty much forgot about it. Never improved it or even maintained it.
I think that is a great way to describe. It is like they have abandoned it since beginning of 2023
Sell it to me, do a raffles
It’s only 200 bucks what do you expect for this kind of money? It’s a fantastic kitchen toy and runs KZhead so much better than the echo sho 8 I used previously.
I expect to have a screen performance and app response time that their $99.99 Fire HD 8 tablet. Thanks for watching.
@@CraigsTechTalk ok so I wrote that right when I bought the unit. After sometime with it - I tend to agree that the 8 does have some superior features. The only real plus for me is the form factor and the you tube experience.
@xeero24 sorry for the late replay. Thanks for sharing your experience.
Boy he really did not like the echo show 15 !!!
Biggest reason to not buy an echo show, ANY size, is they just don't work. Terribly unreliable. More of a gateway for A! to constantly barrage your home with unsolicited ads and unwanted detritus than doing anything useful, following routines, running apps, viewing security cams, etc. Strictly an advertising novelty.
The echo shows have become so bad with ads and don't offer a huge amount of value. It is easy for the echo shows in my house to do nothing but being used as clocks.
good video
Those echoes have a very big problem with their software. They have never worked correctly. I will have to replace with an ipad. Sorry!
The software has always been limited. It was one thing in the beginning, but not much has changed.
great review!!!!!
Spot on
Fire T.V. is why I want it.
It is good for that. The only thing you really need for that is the remote. The on screen remote is a pain.