Amazon Echo Show 15 vs Echo Show 21: which wall-mountable smart display should you buy?

When it comes to the best smart displays, nobody does it quite like Amazon. While Google pivoted away from more traditional ones with its Pixel Tablet last year, Amazon has released new and updated models with different screen sizes, mounting options and features.

Several years ago, the ecommerce giant tried something that no one else has with a smart display when it released the original Echo Show 15. This smart display could be used with an optional stand but its main draw was the fact that it was wall-mountable. With the Echo Show 15 mounted on your wall, it serves not only as a smart home hub but also as one to keep your family’s calendars, to-do lists, grocery lists and everything in between organized and right there at a glance.

Now though, Amazon has released an even bigger wall-mountable smart display with its new Echo Show 21. Equipped with a larger screen, improved speakers and faster Wi-Fi, it also ships with a remote in the box so that you can make full use of its built-in Fire TV functionality. Alongside its largest smart display yet, Amazon has also given the Echo Show 15 a similar revamp after many people (including ourselves) thought that the original had been discontinued earlier this year.

If the Echo Show 8 or the Echo Show 10 just aren’t big enough for your needs, or maybe like me, you’re completely captivated by the idea of a smart display you can mount on your wall instead of using on your kitchen counter or at your desk, here’s everything you need to know about the brand new Echo Show 21 and the all new Echo Show 15.

Echo Show 15 vs Echo Show 21: Pricing

The original Echo Show 15 launched at $279, but you had to buy an Alexa Voice Remote or an Alexa Voice Remote Pro separately. Now, though, both the all-new Echo Show 15 and the Echo Show 21 ship with one in the box.

The all-new Echo Show 15 costs $299 (£299.99, $399 AUD), while the Echo Show 21 is $100 more at $399 (£399.99, $599 AUD). Both models ship with a wall mount in addition to an Alexa Voice Remote. However, Amazon also sells a Premium Adjustable Stand ($99, Amazon) for both the all-new Echo Show 15 and the Echo Show 21. Although they feature an identical design, the Echo Show 15 is 11.32 inches tall when mounted on its stand, while the Echo Show 21 is 14.4 inches tall when mounted on its respective stand.

Echo Show 15 vs Echo Show 21: Specs

Echo Show 15 vs Echo Show 21: Design

The all new Echo Show 15 and the Echo Show 21 feature a nearly identical design. It’s worth noting though, that in the pictures throughout this article, I’m using the original Echo Show 15 to compare it to the Echo Show 21.

Design-wise, the original and the all-new Echo Show 15 are almost indistinguishable except for the fact that Amazon has moved its camera from the upper left corner to the center and its cutout is now square instead of circular. Likewise, from here on out, I’ll just be referring to this new model as the Echo Show 15 since the original is no longer available to purchase.

The Echo Show 15 has a 15.6-inch 1080p display, while the Echo Show 21 has a 21.5-inch display. The Echo Show 15 is 16.1 inches wide, 10.1 inches tall and 1.4 inches thick, and the Echo Show 21 is 21.4 inches wide, 13.2 inches tall and 1.5 inches thick. The biggest and most noticeable difference between the two, besides their respective screen sizes, is their weight. The Echo Show 15 weighs 4.96 pounds, while the Echo Show 21 weighs just over twice as much at 10.7 pounds.

Both smart displays can be used in landscape or portrait mode and they have a built-in accelerometer to instantly swap between orientations when rotated. If you’re just using the Echo Show 15 or the Echo Show 21 as a family organization hub, then you can have it in either landscape or portrait mode. However, if you want to use their Fire TV functionality, then you will want to mount either smart display horizontally since this feature only works in landscape mode.

As for buttons and switches, they can all be found at the top of both devices when mounted in landscape mode. There’s a mute switch, volume up and down buttons and a physical camera shutter you can slide over to cover the camera when you’re not using it. If you have friends and family who use the Echo Show’s Drop-In feature to check in on you and your household, you may want to use either device’s camera shutter for some extra privacy.

There are also two microphones on the top of the Echo Show 15 and the Echo Show 21, and both devices have two 2-inch woofers and two 0.6-inch tweeters on the left and right sides. Just like with the Echo Show 8 and Echo Show 10, the Echo Show 15 and Echo Show 21 use the same 18V, 1.67A DC power supply and both devices have a recessed power port on the back. There’s also a Micro USB port next to it, which is designed specifically to be used with a Micro-USB-to-Ethernet adapter ($15, Amazon) which can come in handy if your smart display isn’t within range of one of the best Wi-Fi routers or one of the best mesh Wi-Fi systems and you want to use a hard-wired network connection instead.

Echo Show 15 vs Echo Show 21: Installation

There's a square cutout for the included wall mount on the back of the Echo Show 15 and the Echo Show 21. The mount itself needs to be attached to your wall using the included hardware. While you get screws and drywall anchors in the box, the Echo Show 15 and Echo Show 21 can be mounted to drywall, solid wood, brick or concrete.

In addition to the slots for the included wall mount, both devices also have 75x75 VESA mounting holes at the back, which means you can use them with a monitor stand or even a monitor arm if you don’t want to use Amazon’s wall mount or purchase its Premium Adjustable Stand.

If you do go with the optional first-party stand, it does — as its name suggests — have a premium look and feel. Made from anodized aluminum with a sleek finish, Amazon’s Premium Adjustable Stand can swivel 360 degrees as well as tilt upwards and downwards for a better viewing experience.

The Echo Show 15 or the Echo Show 21 attach to the stand using four Allen head screws, and there’s a cutout in its neck or stem to run the power cable through so that it isn’t visible. The base of the stand is also weighted, so your smart display can’t be easily knocked over.

Echo Show 15 vs Echo Show 21: Features

Both devices have an identical feature set and to see all of their available features, check out our Echo Show 15 review and our Echo Show 21 review. Here, I’ll be highlighting a few of my favorites.

For starters, there are several widgets you can use to customize the home screen of either device. These include ones for your calendar, the weather, controls for your favorite smart home devices, a commute widget with a map and more. For the most part, Amazon’s first-party widgets offer the best experience, but there are also some third-party widgets.

You can have one extra large widget on both smart displays and several smaller ones. In the picture above and throughout this article, I’m using the extra large Calendar widget on the Echo Show 15 and the Echo Show 21. In total, you can add up to eight widgets to the home screen on either device.

The Echo Show 15 and the Echo Show 21 both come with built-in Fire TV functionality with support for all the best streaming services. You can use your finger to navigate these menus and pick a TV show or movie to watch, but the Alexa Voice Remote included undoubtedly makes things easier. It has shortcuts to four streaming services and volume control buttons, so you don’t have to get up and change the volume on the Echo Show 15 or the Echo Show 21.

Both smart displays allow you to control the rest of the best smart home devices throughout your house. You can control them using your voice with Alexa or add the Smart Home Favorites widget to your home screen if you’d rather interact with them using touch. Likewise, the Echo Show 15 and the Echo Show 21 both have built-in Zigbee and Matter support and a Thread Border Router, so they can serve as a smart home hub.

One of the biggest upgrades under the hood with both of these new devices is that they now ship with Wi-Fi 6E instead of Wi-Fi 5, as the original Echo Show 15 did. This means they can utilize the new, faster 6Ghz band in addition to the 2.4 and 5 GHz ones. You will need one of the best Wi-Fi 6E routers or one of the best Wi-Fi 7 routers to use the Echo Show 15 fully and Echo Show 21’s faster Wi-Fi, though. From my testing, the addition of Wi-Fi 6E helped the Echo Show 21 feel snappier overall since TV shows and movies loaded faster, and Alexa was able to respond quicker.

Finally, you can actually play games on both the Echo Show 15 and the Echo Show 21. While you can download indie and retro games from the Amazon Appstore, you can also play more demanding games over the cloud using Amazon Luna. For this though, you’ll need a Luna controller ($69, Amazon). It’s as expensive as a PS5 controller but Amazon’s Luna Controller frequently goes on sale during Prime Day and other big sales events.

Echo Show 15 vs Echo Show 21: Which is right for you?

Deciding on whether the Echo Show 15 or the Echo Show 21 is right for you really depends on how you intend to use either device. If you have the space, the more expensive Echo Show 21 offers a better experience overall thanks to its larger screen. However, the Echo Show 15 is $100 cheaper and comes with the same features and functionality as its larger sibling.

During my time with both devices, the Echo Show 21 felt a bit too large when mounted to Amazon’s Premium Adjustable Stand and placed on a countertop in my smaller kitchen. If you have a big kitchen with lots of counter space though, it might work better this way. I found the Echo Show 21 to work best when mounted to the wall since I could have it at eye level when watching TV shows and movies through Fire TV.

Meanwhile, the Echo Show 15 does a great job as a wall-mounted smart display too, especially if you’re sitting or standing closer to it. Its smaller size does make it more ideal to be used with a stand on your kitchen countertop though.

You really can’t go wrong with either wall-mountable smart display since they give you access to Alexa, a customizable home screen with loads of useful info at a glance and built-in Fire TV functionality. Which one you ultimately pick up will depend on your budget and how you intend to use it.

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