Amazon's Echo series of speakers have gained a fair bit of popularity in India over the years. The speakers produce good sound, have smart functionality with Alexa, and can be used to control other appliances. Moreover, Amazon has made these Echo speakers available in the country at relatively affordable prices, at least for entry-level models like the Echo Dot. While the Echo Dot is just a speaker, Amazon's Echo Show is a smart speaker with an in-built display that can be used to view content, make video calls, or control your music. Today, Amazon has launched a newer version of the Echo Show in India -- the Echo Show 8 (2nd Gen) with some improvements and new features.

Amazon Echo Show 8 Features

As the name may suggest, the Echo Show 8 has an 8-inch HD display with adaptive color. It can be used for multiple purposes, including displaying the time and date information, a news feed, controlling music, displaying song lyrics, controlling connected devices, and the main highlight -- watching your favorite shows and movies from popular streaming services and platforms like Amazon Prime Video, Netflix, and even YouTube.

You can also see music recommendations from Prime Music or Spotify, depending on what music service you've connected the Echo Show 8 with. The music will be played via stereo speaker setup for a surround sound experience. Another highlight of the Amazon Echo Show 8 is that it comes with a 13MP camera in-built that can be used to make video calls to other supported Echo devices and the Alexa app. The camera can also be used to monitor the surroundings if you're not at home. You can view the live video feed on your phone and keep an eye on your kids or pets if they're alone.

Being a smart speaker, the Echo Show 8 offers everything you would expect from a connected device. You can control supported lights, TVs, home appliances, and any IoT product with Alexa integration. You can also use the large 8-inch display as a digital photo frame by linking your Facebook account with the device. Speaking of Facebook, if you're concerned about privacy, the Echo Show 8 comes with a manual cover to close the camera when it's not in use.

Pricing and Availability

The Echo Show 8 (2nd Gen) is available in two color options -- Black and White -- on Amazon for a price of ₹11,499. Note that this is an introductory price for a limited period, after which the Echo Show 8 (2nd Gen) will retail for ₹13,999. There are some additional offers that you can club with your purchase, like a smart bulb for just ₹100 extra and a smart plug for your AC/geyser for ₹799.