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Amazon Echo Present 8 (third Gen, 2023)
$105 $150 Save $45
The newest Amazon Echo Present 8 (third Gen, 2023) has a recent new design, improved sound, a quicker processor, and it may be used as a Zigbee good house hub too.
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Amazon Echo Present 8 (2nd Gen)
$55 $130 Save $75
The Amazon Echo Present 8 (2nd Gen, 2021) is a bit more reasonably priced than the third Gen. You’ll have to make some sacrifices as a result of it is not as superior when it comes to efficiency, and you will not have the ability to use it as a Zigbee good house hub.
Consider it or not, Amazon’s Alexa units have been round for nearly 10 years. Since then, the voice assistant has come on leaps and bounds since then and Amazon has made a number of the best smart speakers on the planet.
Investing in a sensible show is without doubt one of the most feature-packed methods to get Alexa in your house, and being a mid-sized, mid-priced choice, the Amazon Echo Present 8 is a best choice. In September 2023, alongside the Amazon Echo Hub, Echo Frames, and Carrera Good Glasses, Amazon launched a brand new 3rd generation model of the 8-inch good show, however how is it totally different from the 2nd generation of the gadget, launched again in 2021? You’ve come to the best place to seek out out, hold studying to seek out out about how the 2 examine.
Value, specs & availability
The Amazon Echo Present 8 (third Gen, 2023) began delivery in the direction of the top of October 2023 for $150 / £150 – that may be a little bit costlier than its predecessor which value $129.99 / £119.99 at launch. Nonetheless, each fashions then received reductions for Black Friday, pulling the costs right down to $105 and $55 respectively.
A second ‘Photographs Version’ of the brand new Amazon Echo Present 8 can be obtainable for about $160 and gives you the additional benefit of a 6-month PhotosPlus subscription, after that, it’ll value $1.99 monthly to keep up the subscription.
You’ll be able to see a side-by-side comparability of the Amazon Echo Present 8 specs under, however to sum issues up, you are a brand new design, new Zigbee good house hub performance, improved sound, and a quicker processor.
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Amazon Echo Present 8 (third Gen, 2023) Amazon Echo Present 8 (2nd Gen) Chipset Octa-Core SoC with Amazon AZ2 Neural Community Engine MediaTek MT 8183 Show 8in 1280 x 800 8in, 1280 x 800 Sound 2 x 2in driver with passive bass radiator 2 x 2.0in driver with passive bass radiator Connectivity Bluetooth, Zigbee, Matter, BLE Mesh, Sidewalk Bluetooth, Matter, BLE Mesh Dimensions 200 x 139 x 106mm, 1034g 200.4 x 135.9 x 99.1mm, 1037g Digicam 13MP with privateness shutter 13MP with privateness shutter Integrations Amazon Alexa Amazon Alexa
Design and show
First issues first, the design of the Amazon Echo Present 8 has had a revamp for the third era. The glass now stretches from edge-to-edge on the entrance of the gadget, and it’s a little curvier than earlier than too. The newest mannequin has a extra fashionable look serving to it to mix in wherever you plan to put it. You continue to get the identical selection in colors, that being black or white. The show itself stays the identical, whichever era you purchase, you’ll get an 8-inch display with 1280 x 800 decision.
One other substantial change is the digicam placement, beforehand the 13-megapixel digicam was tucked into the right-hand facet of the highest bezel. Amazon has moved it to a extra central place this time round which makes much more sense for video calling since you’ll appear to be you are talking straight to at least one one other. It is value noting that each cameras will comply with you across the room once you’re on calls, so it is super-smart and splendid for Alexa Calling.
Audio
Each the second and third era of the Amazon Echo Present 8 are loaded with 2.0-inch stereo audio system, with a passive radiator to spice up the bass. However Amazon has improved the sound high quality within the newest mannequin and added some spectacular new options.
Amazon now boasts that the brand new mannequin helps spatial audio, whereas it would additionally analyse and adapt to the room that you’ve got positioned it in, in order that music will sound all of the sweeter. The efficiency is nice from the brand new Echo Present, as it would ship first rate bass efficiency and room-filling audio, even at increased volumes.
The older mannequin was fairly good too so there’s not an enormous distinction right here, however these fashions are considerably higher than the smaller Echo Show 5 and the biggest Echo Present 15, with solely the Echo Show 10 providing superior audio efficiency.
{Hardware} and options
Beneath all of it, the Echo Present 8 (third Gen, 2023) is quicker than the 2nd era too. The brand new processor permits for snappier show responses, in addition to 40 per cent quicker request responses, significantly in the case of extra widespread requests like “Alexa, activate the sunshine”. That is as a result of Amazon has moved a few of Alexa’s expertise to native processing – so they might additionally work if the Echo Present is offline for some purpose.
Not like the earlier era, the 2023 mannequin additionally doubles up as a sensible house hub permitting you to manage and handle all types of wi-fi good house tech without having one other hub plugged in elsewhere. It is appropriate with Zigbee, Bluetooth, Sidewalk, Thread, and Matter, increasing the performance supplied over the older mannequin.
A intelligent characteristic being added to the combination is Adaptive Content material, and this will probably be obtainable throughout each the second and third generations of the Echo Present 8. What it would do is modify the view relying on the place you might be within the room. For instance, once you’re additional away from the display, you will see a bigger, shortened headline of the information story, with extra element showing as you get nearer. Adaptive content material will work throughout your entire personalised information and recipes in case you’ve received that switched on. New shortcut icons will even permit you to entry your most used widgets with a fast faucet.
Which is best for you?
The newest Amazon Echo Present 8 (third Gen) has had sufficient of a refresh to warrant the additional value compared to the Echo Present 8 (2nd Gen). The brand new design makes it look lots nicer, the spatial audio will make a world of distinction to the sound, the quicker processor will pace up the response time, and the Zigbee good house hub performance gives you entry to extra good house units with no separate hub. When you’re shopping for the 8-inch Alexa good show for the primary time then that is undoubtedly the best choice to go for.
Amazon Echo Present 8 (third Gen, 2023)
$105 $150 Save $45
Nonetheless, if you wish to hold the price as little as doable, the older mannequin remains to be a really worthy piece of package. For many who already personal an 8-inch Echo Present (2nd Gen, 2021) and are questioning whether or not to improve then it is probably not value it this time, as the newest model nonetheless does a lot of the identical just a bit bit higher.
Amazon Echo Present 8 (2nd Gen)
$55 $130 Save $75
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