The Amazon Alexa home invasion continues apace with another capable smart display hard to complain about at the price

Good price; Big sound; Works as a Bluetooth speaker

Display style can be distracting; No Netflix; YouTube only via a workaround; A bit too vibration-happy

The Amazon Echo Show 8 is the smart display sweet spot for many people. It’s big enough for comfortable video chatting, and to fit in drivers powerful enough to fill rooms with music. Its display may not look as refined as the Google Nest Hub Max’s, and the sound won’t worry Sonos. But it is easily good enough in every area to justify its price, either at £120 or the eye-opening £60 promo price Amazon treated us to before Christmas. As ever, Amazon promo periods are the best time to tool yourself up with Echos. We just wish Amazon could find a way to iron out the politics that mean we don’t get such important video staples as YouTube and Netflix.

Good price; Big sound; Works as a Bluetooth speaker;

Display style can be distracting; No Netflix, YouTube only via a workaround; A bit too vibration-happy;

Good price; Big sound; Works as a Bluetooth speaker;

Display style can be distracting; No Netflix, YouTube only via a workaround; A bit too vibration-happy;

Good price; Big sound; Works as a Bluetooth speaker;

Display style can be distracting; No Netflix, YouTube only via a workaround; A bit too vibration-happy;

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.

Significantly cheaper than its big brother but with most of the same features, the Amazon Echo Show 8 strikes the perfect balance between price and size. A bright and sharp display and excellent audio make this smart display a perfect allrounder.

Excellent price; Great audio; Screen adds more to the Alexa experience

No on-screen search; No Netflix support

If you want a smart display from Amazon, the Echo Show 8 is the Goldilocks model: not too expensive, not too small, with just right sound. Here’s our review

“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

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.

Significantly cheaper than its big brother but with most of the same features, the Amazon Echo Show 8 strikes the perfect balance between price and size. A bright and sharp display and excellent audio make this smart display a perfect allrounder. You miss out on the Zigbee hub of the larger display, but realistically this is a feature that most people won't miss.

Excellent price; Great audio; Screen adds more to the Alexa experience;

No on-screen search; No Netflix support;