If Goldilocks were to somehow stumble into Amazon’s headquarters, she wouldn’t have an affinity for either the 10-inch Echo Show or Echo Show 5. One’s just too big, the other too small. She’d probably prefer something somewhere around the middle. Perhaps the Amazon Echo Show 8 with its in the middle sized 8-inch display will do nicely? Just like in the story, it could perhaps be just right. There have been several new smart displays introduced over the last year that have been outstanding, like the Lenovo Smart Display 7, Google Nest Hub Max, and even the Amazon Echo Show 10 (3rd Gen), but the Echo Show 8 intends on remaining a standout contender for Alexa powered smart displays, especially given the sales and package deals that are constantly being offered by Amazon. Smart displays are without question a better, more future proof investment. You’ll be surprised by some of the neat stuff Alexa powered smart displays could do! It’s worth pointing out that its successor has been released...

Size is perfect for any space; Simple, on-device setup; Strong audio performance;

Lacks YouTube integration;

Amazon has really been impressing us with its smart display lineup. The $229.99 second-generation Echo Show packs surprisingly powerful sound in a reasonably sized package with a 10-inch screen, while the smaller $89.99 Echo Show 5 is perfect for nightstands. The new Echo Show 8 sits between these models in terms of price, power, and size, and for many people, it'll be just right. The Show 8 features an 8-inch screen and stereo speakers that easily eclipse the Show 5 and come close to the full-size Echo Show. For $129.99, that's a heck of a good deal, and enough to earn our Editors' Choice.The Same Style of Show The Echo Show 8 looks like a slightly smaller version of the standard Echo Show, or a slightly bigger version of the Echo Show 5. All three devices share the same general shape, with a prominent black-framed screen angled slightly back and a fabric-wrapped, trapezoidal rear section that covers the speaker drivers. The differences lie in overall size and a few smaller detai...

Amazon's Echo Show 8 smart display offers a nearly perfect balance of price, performance, and size.

Affordable; Powerful sound for the size; Sharp screen

Bass and high-frequency response could be stronger

It's 2020 and the Echo Show 8 is a year old. But Amazon's fourth Alexa-enabled smart display still stands apart from the competition as one of the best smart devices around. Squeezed between its high-end 10-inch and budget 5-inch siblings, the Show 8 offers the right mix of features and design perks to justify its middle-child existence -- and it's the best direct competitor to Google's Nest Hub. Even a year out from its release, the Echo Show 8 still deserves its Editors' Choice Award.

Amazon's incremental improvements still stand out, one year later.

The Echo Show 8 has solid sound quality and a good screen resolution.; The $130 price tag makes the Show 8 one of the best midrange smart displays on the market.; The physical camera shutter is a small, smart addition to soothe privacy concerns.;

The interface isn't as smooth or easy to use as the one on Google's Nest Hubs; You can't call up YouTube videos by voice;

Amazon has really been impressing us with its smart display lineup. The $229.99 second-generation Echo Show packs surprisingly powerful sound in a reasonably sized package with a 10-inch screen, while the smaller $89.99 Echo Show 5 is perfect for nightstands. The new Echo Show 8 sits between these models in terms of price, power, and size, and for many people, it'll be just right. The Show 8 features an 8-inch screen and stereo speakers that easily eclipse the Show 5 and come close to the full-size Echo Show. For $129.99, that's a heck of a good deal, and enough to earn our Editors' Choice.The Same Style of Show The Echo Show 8 looks like a slightly smaller version of the standard Echo Show, or a slightly bigger version of the Echo Show 5. All three devices share the same general shape, with a prominent black-framed screen angled slightly back and a fabric-wrapped, trapezoidal rear section that covers the speaker drivers. The differences lie in overall size and a few smaller detai...

Amazon's Echo Show 8 smart display offers a nearly perfect balance of price, performance, and size.

Affordable; Powerful sound for the size; Sharp screen

Bass and high-frequency response could be stronger

The Amazon Echo Show 8 is a really handy piece of tech for the kitchen, bedside or desk. It allows you to have a huge range of control over many piece of smart tech and also entertains you with it’s wide range of available services.

With an 8-inch display, the Echo Show 8 is the perfect size – not too big and not too small – for pretty much any space. And for such a diminutive device it’s got sound that throws a solid punch.

Perfect size; Affordable price; Sharp; responsive screen; Easy setup

Lacks YouTube support; No full-screen clock option; Can’t switch off on-screen Alexa suggestions

“Not too big, but not too small, Amazon has an absolute gem with the Echo Show 8.”

Size is perfect for any space; Simple; on-device setup; Strong audio performance

Lacks YouTube integration

At a significantly cheaper price than the larger Echo Show, the Show 8 has most of its appealing features and is also a significant step up from Echo Show 5. We think it's the best Alexa screen device yet.

Good option for medium-sized rooms; Significant sound improvement over Show 5; Ideal kitchen device; Great with Ring doorbell

No Dolby sound enhancement; Price can vary greatly

At a significantly cheaper price than the larger Echo Show, the Show 8 has most of its appealing features and is also a significant step up from Echo Show 5. We think it's the best Alexa screen device yet.

Good option for medium-sized rooms; Significant sound improvement over Show 5; Ideal kitchen device; Great with Ring doorbell;

No Dolby sound enhancement; Price can vary greatly;