New Delhi: Amazon Echo Show 8 (2nd Generation) was launched in India on Wednesday, August 25. The new model is an upgraded version of the original Echo Show 8 that the US e-commerce giant brought to the Indian market last year. The Echo Show 8 (2nd generation) comes with a better camera as a major change over the previous version. Amazon has also provided an auto-framing feature on the new Echo Show 8 model that lets the device pan and zoom to adjust he frame during video calls, automatically.
Amazon Echo Show 8 (2nd gen) is priced at Rs 13,999 in India. But Amazon is currently selling the device at a discount of Rs 11,499 for a limited period of time. The echo show 8 (2nd generation) comes in Black and White colours, just like the original version.
The Amazon Echo Show 8 is available for purchase through Amazon.in and the device can be bundled with a smart bulb at an additional price of Rs. 100 or a smart plug for TVs and chargers at Rs 599.
The Echo show 8 was launched in the US at $ 130 and the first generation Echo show 8 was introduced in India at Rs 8,999.
The Amazon Echo Show 8 (2nd Gen) has the same 8-inch adaptive colour display with a 1,280×800 pixels resolution that came with the original Echo Show 8. You’ll also get the identical 2-inch neodymium stereo speakers along with a passive radiator that featured on the previous model.
However, the biggest change in the Echo Show 8 (2nd Generation) over the last-generation model is its 13-megapixel camera. This is significantly larger in megapixel count over the 1-megapixel camera available on the older Echo Show 8.
The new camera sensor also supports Amazon’s auto-framing feature that enables automatic pan and zoom — just like on the Echo Show 10.
Amazon has also provided an updated, octa-core MediaTek MT8183 processor on the Echo Show 8 (2nd Gen) to deliver faster performance over the original Echo Show 8 model that had a quad core MediaTek MT8163 SoC. On the downside, the new Echo Show 8 doesn’t include a 3.5mm jack that is there on the older model to let you connect your phone or other devices through an aux cable. However, you can still connect over Bluetooth to play your favorite music tracks. There is support for Advanced Audio Distribution Profile (A2DP) to stream audio between your mobile device and Echo Show 8 and enable audio streaming to a Bluetooth speaker.
Apart from playing songs from your phone, the Echo Show 8 (2nd Gen) would let you play music through Web services including Amazon Prime Music, Apple Music, Gaana, Hungama, JioSaavn, and Spotify. Also, you can ask Alexa to play your favourite movies or TV shows from Amazon Prime Video and Netflix. Alexa can also make hands-free video calls or control any of your compatible smart home devices. Additionally, the Echo Show 8 (2nd Gen) would let you remotely monitor your home and view live video feed using its built-in camera, directly on your smartphone or other Echo Show devices.
The Echo Show 8 (2nd Generation) can also be a digital frame in your room and show your memories from Facebook Photos. When not in use, the camera sensor of the Echo Show 8 (2nd Gen) can be closed, using the inbuilt physical cover and turn its microphone off with a press of a button.
