For years, the smart display market has felt a bit like Goldilocks searching for the right porridge. The Echo Show 5 was too small for serious media consumption; the Echo Show 8 was “just right” for bedside tables but lacked the cinematic punch for a kitchen hub; the Echo Show 10 was innovative but its rotating screen was divisive; and the Echo Show 15 was essentially a wall-mounted TV.
Enter the Amazon Echo Show 11.
Released in late 2025 and hitting global markets in early 2026, this new entrant sits in a sweet spot that we didn’t know we needed. With an 11-inch Full HD screen, the new AZ3 Pro silicon, and the debut of “Omnisense” ambient intelligence, the Echo Show 11 isn’t just a bigger version of the Show 8—it’s a reimagining of what a central home hub should look like.
After two weeks of living with the Echo Show 11 in my kitchen, living room, and home office, here is my deep dive into Amazon’s latest bid for smart home dominance.
Design and Build: Premium Aesthetics
When you unbox the Echo Show 11, the first thing you notice is the refinement. Amazon has finally moved away from the bulky, plastic-heavy aesthetics of earlier generations.
The “Floating” Display
The design language borrows heavily from the 4th Gen Echo Show 8 but scales it up beautifully. The device features an edge-to-edge glass front that feels seamless. Unlike the chunky bezels of the Show 10, the Show 11 sports a sleek, modern look where the screen appears to “float” just slightly above the speaker base.
The rear is wrapped in Amazon’s now-signature 3D-knit fabric, available in Graphite and Glacier White. It’s a texture that blends well with home decor, looking less like a gadget and more like a piece of furniture. However, the footprint is substantial. At 11 inches diagonally, this device demands counter space. It’s not something you can tuck into a crowded bookshelf.
Portability and Placement
One minor gripe: it’s heavy. Weighing in at over 1.3 kg, this is a stationary device. You won’t be moving it from room to room like a tablet. It is designed to be the anchor of a room.
Display and Visuals: A Cinematic Upgrade
The 11-inch touchscreen offers a 1920 x 1200 resolution, which is a significant step up from the standard HD panels of its predecessors.
Sharpness and Color
The difference in pixel density is immediately noticeable. Text on recipes is crisp, album art looks vibrant, and video content finally feels native rather than compressed. I watched several episodes of The Rings of Power on Prime Video while cooking, and the colors were punchy with deep contrasts. It’s not OLED—blacks are still dark grays—but for an LCD panel in a smart display, it is impressive.
Adaptive Brightness and Ambient Light
The ambient light sensor works overtime here. The screen adjusts its color temperature to match the room’s lighting, similar to Apple’s True Tone. In a dim evening setting, the display warms up, making it less jarring to look at.
However, the glossy finish is a double-edged sword. While it makes colors pop, it is highly reflective. If you place this directly opposite a kitchen window, you will spend half your time staring at your own reflection.
Audio Performance: Room-Filling Sound
Amazon claims the Echo Show 11 features a “redesigned audio architecture,” and for once, the marketing hype aligns with reality.
Spatial Audio and Bass
The device houses front-firing stereo speakers and a dedicated custom woofer. The inclusion of Spatial Audio processing adds a surprising amount of width to the soundstage. Listening to “Bohemian Rhapsody,” the separation between the left and right channels was distinct, and the bass kicked in with a thump that I usually associate with dedicated Bluetooth speakers, not smart displays.
It gets loud—uncomfortably loud at 100% volume—without significant distortion. For a dinner party or background jazz while working, it is more than capable. It won’t replace a Sonos Era 100 or a high-end Hi-Fi system, but it easily outperforms the Echo Show 8 and Google Nest Hub Max.
The Brains: AZ3 Pro and Omnisense
This is where the review gets technical, because the real magic of the Echo Show 11 isn’t the screen or the speaker—it’s the silicon.
The AZ3 Pro Chip
The Show 11 runs on Amazon’s AZ3 Pro processor with a dedicated AI accelerator. In practical terms, this means speed. The lag that plagued older Echo devices is gone. Tap a widget, and it opens instantly. Ask Alexa to turn on the lights, and it happens before you finish the sentence. The on-device processing means many voice commands don’t need to go to the cloud and back, making the interaction feel conversational rather than transactional.
Omnisense: The “Spooky” Good Feature
The standout feature is Omnisense. This is Amazon’s ambient intelligence platform that uses the camera, microphones, and even Wi-Fi signals to understand the context of the room.
- Presence Detection: The screen turns off when no one is around to save energy. As soon as I walk into the kitchen—even from an angle—it wakes up.
- Visual ID: The camera recognizes who is looking at it. If I look at the screen, it shows my calendar and Spotify playlists. If my partner looks at it, it switches to her reminders and news feed. It feels futuristic, though privacy advocates might find it unnerving (more on that later).
- Gesture Control: You can dismiss alarms or scroll through recipes with hand waves. It’s handy when your hands are covered in dough, though it still feels a bit gimmicky and hit-or-miss.
Smart Home Hub: Zigbee, Matter, and Thread
If you are building a smart home, the Echo Show 11 is a Trojan horse. It essentially eliminates the need for third-party hubs.
It supports Zigbee, Matter, and acts as a Thread Border Router. I connected a Nanoleaf bulb (Matter over Thread) and a Philips Hue motion sensor (Zigbee) directly to the Echo Show 11 without needing their respective bridges. The setup was seamless.
The “Smart Home Dashboard” on the large screen is excellent. You can view multiple camera feeds (e.g., Ring doorbell and backyard cam) simultaneously in a grid view, which is a feature I didn’t know I needed until I had it.
Software: Alexa+ and The “Chatty” AI
The Echo Show 11 is built to showcase Alexa+, Amazon’s generative AI upgrade (powered by Large Language Models).
The Good
Alexa is finally conversational. You can ask follow-up questions without saying the wake word again. You can say, “Alexa, I have chicken, spinach, and heavy cream, what can I cook?” and it will generate a recipe rather than just searching the web. The ability to create complex routines via voice (“Alexa, every morning at 7 AM, open the blinds and play jazz”) is a game-changer.
The Bad
The interface can still feel cluttered. Amazon loves to push “Sponsored” content, recipes you didn’t ask for, and “Things to Try.” While widgets allow you to customize the home screen, the carousel of unsolicited suggestions is a persistent annoyance. You can turn most of them off in the settings, but it requires a deep dive into menus that the average user might not find.
Camera and Video Calling
The 13MP camera is located in the top bezel (thankfully centered, unlike the weird side-placement on some tablets). It features auto-framing, which digitally pans and zooms to keep you in the center of the shot.
On a call with my parents, I moved around the kitchen to grab coffee, and the camera tracked me smoothly. The video quality is sharp, handling low light better than most laptop webcams.
The Privacy Question
Here is where Amazon made a controversial choice. There is no physical camera shutter. Previous models had a slider that physically covered the lens. The Echo Show 11 relies on a button that electronically cuts power to the camera and microphone.
While Amazon assures us this is secure, there is a psychological comfort in seeing a physical cover that is missing here. For a device meant to live in intimate spaces like homes, this feels like a step backward in trust-building.
Pros and Cons Breakdown
Pros:
- Stunning 11-inch Display: The extra screen real estate makes a massive difference for multitasking and media.
- Audio Quality: Deep bass and clear vocals; easily the best-sounding Echo Show to date.
- AZ3 Pro Speed: The UI is buttery smooth, and voice responses are near-instant.
- Smart Home Compatibility: Built-in Zigbee, Matter, and Thread support makes it a powerhouse hub.
- Omnisense: Contextual awareness features like Visual ID are genuinely useful.
Cons:
- Price: At ~$219 (₹26,999), it is a premium investment.
- No Physical Privacy Shutter: A regression in privacy design.
- Reflective Screen: Can be difficult to see in bright, direct sunlight.
- Ads & Clutter: The home screen still tries to sell you things or suggest content you didn’t ask for.
The Verdict: Should You Buy It?
The Amazon Echo Show 11 is the “Goldilocks” device we have been waiting for. It bridges the gap between the casual bedside assistant and the dedicated wall terminal.
Buy it if:
- You want a central command center for your smart home.
- You use Alexa for cooking, music, and video calls daily.
- You have been frustrated by the slow performance of older Echo devices.
Skip it if:
- You are on a tight budget (the Echo Show 8 Gen 3 is still great).
- You are strictly privacy-conscious and demand a physical camera cover.
- You are deep in the Google or Apple ecosystem.
Final Score: 4.5/5
Amazon has polished the hardware to near-perfection. If they can just dial back the on-screen clutter via a software update, the Echo Show 11 would be flawless. As it stands, it is the best smart display you can buy in 2026.
Disclaimer: This review is based on the graphite model. Prices and availability may vary by region. All opinions are my own.
