Amazon's Echo Show 21 Smart Display Is So Big It Could Double As A Small Fire TV

Amazon has big ambitions for its Echo Show lineup, and by big, we mean it just unveiled its largest smart display to date. As you might have guessed from the model name, Amazon's new Echo Show 21 sports a 21-inch display (Full HD 1080p), which is 40% bigger than the Echo Show 15's display (we did the math). Incidentally, Amazon also upgraded its Echo Show 15, for those who don't need anything bigger. Both arrive just ahead of Amazon's upcoming Black Friday/Cyber Monday sale.

According to Amazon, the response to its original Echo Show 15 was "great" with a 4.5-star rating (out of 5), though customers indicated they wanted better audio and an even larger display. It responded with the Echo Show 21 featuring "nearly double the viewing area" (which is in line with our math above -- we're pretty smart, eh? Don't answer that...).

Amazon says both the Echo Show 21 and upgraded Echo Show 15 feature improved audio quality (compared to the original Echo Show 15), with twice as much bass and room adaptation technology added to the mix.

"We also upgraded the auto-framing camera for improved video calls. It has more than double the field of view and 65% more zoom than the first-generation Echo Show 15, so you’re always in frame during video calls even while moving around your kitchen. Plus, we’ve added noise reduction technology, so calls with loved ones are even clearer, no matter what’s happening in the background," Amazon says.

These are smart displays, so both have a built-in smart home hub. They're also both compatible with Matter-connected devices and can connect directly with Wi-Fi (these are the first Echo devices with Wi-Fi 6E support), Thread, and Zigbee gear.

The addition of a 21-inch model is certainly interesting and opens up additional use cases. You could, for example, have it serve as Fire TV for the guest bedroom, dorm room, kitchen counter, or wherever else. To that end, it comes with an Alexa voice remote (as does the Echo Show 15).