Amazon has been all over the smart tech market in recent years. Ever since the first Echo device brought virtual assistants from your phone to the home, the eCommerce tech giant has made its smart home devices a notable priority, updating them frequently and improving dramatically on the original iteration. In fact, the Echo lineup has branched out so much that many of the devices offer widely differing features that cater to the specific needs of potential users. The Echo Show 10 and the Echo Studio are two prime examples on the premium end of the Echo spectrum.
With both coming in at more than $200, these are not the tiny, tinny-sounding devices of the mid-2010s. The Echo Show 10 (3rd Gen) is a top-tier smart display with motion tracking technology that gives you an easy out when voice shopping gets too complicated, whereas the Echo Studio provides a next-level listening experience with in-studio audio quality that will fill your whole room and then some. So which one is right for you? Depends on what you’re looking for.
| Echo Show 10 (3rd Gen) | Echo Studio | |
| Size | 9.9″ width x 9” height x 6.7” depth | 8.1” height x 6.9” diameter |
| Weight | 5.6 lbs | 7.7 lbs |
| Display | 10.1-inch touchscreen | N/A |
| Audio | Two 1-inch tweeters and a 3-inch woofer | Three 2-inch midrange speakers, one 1-inch tweeter, one 5.25-inch woofer |
| Camera | 13MP | N/A |
| WiFi Connectivity | Dual-band Wi-Fi supports 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (2.4 and 5 GHz) networks | Dual-band Wi-Fi supports 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (2.4 and 5 GHz) networks |
| Colors | Charcoal, Glacier White | Charcoal |
| Price | $250 | $200 |
Smart display or high-quality audio?
The primary difference between the Echo Show 10 and the Echo Studio is pretty substantial, which should ideally make the decision easy for you: smart display versus smart speaker. As you’ve likely gleaned by now, the Echo Show 10 is a smart display, featuring a 10.1-inch touchscreen that coordinates content with your voice commands, while displaying everything from news and weather to personal pictures while in standby mode. It adds some serious ease of use to the Alexa experience, especially for those of us without the attention span to listen to long-winded responses.
The Echo Studio, on the other hand, has no display at all. It’s just a big ol’ smart speaker that looks surprisingly similar to the original Apple HomePod, save the gap near the device, which houses the bass aperture to maximize bass output. That’s not to say it doesn’t have something to offer compared to the Echo Show 10 though. In fact, when it comes to speakers and audio quality, the Echo Studio definitely takes the edge. The Echo Show 10 still has pretty solid sound quality, but the Echo Studio just simply has more speakers (five on the Studio versus three on the Show 10), making for a better, more complete sound.
Both devices are equipped with Advanced Audio Distribution Profile (A2DP), so connecting your smartphone to play music is easy, as we all know that voice commanding your way to the ideal playlist can be a bit of a crapshoot.
Video chats or voice calls?
Another important distinction between the Echo Show 10 and the Echo Studio is to be expected when comparing a smart speaker to a smart display: the camera. As you can imagine, the Echo Studio does not have a camera, as it would be pretty odd to have a camera floating around a display-less smart speaker. The Echo Show 10, on the other hand, is equipped with a 13MP camera in the upper right-hand corner of the display, allowing users to check in on their pets via the Alexa app.
On top of that, the camera facilitates video chat, which is what separates these two devices in terms of communication. In other words, the Echo Studio can facilitate voice calls, whereas the Echo Show 10 can support video calling. I think we can all admit that communicating via virtual assistants hasn’t exactly taken off as much as the tech industry (or the Jetsons) had hoped, but if you’re debating the merits of keeping in touch via an Echo device, the Echo Show 10 adds a bit of flair to your setup.
Excellent for smart homes
If you’re looking for either of these devices to be part of your smart home ecosystem, you’ve come to the right place. Right out of the gate, Alexa is one of the better options for smart homes, as it allows for a whole bunch of integrations and, in my self-described expert experience, noticeably outperforms other virtual assistants on responsiveness to voice commands. While we’ve found that Google Assistant is, overall, a better virtual assistant, Alexa is just a better fit when it comes to running your smart home.
And when it comes to Alexa-powered smart speakers and smart displays, you’d have a hard time finding better than the Echo Show 10 and the Echo Studio. In addition to the high quality audio found on both devices, the responsiveness and effectiveness of voice commands are noticeably an improvement over the less robust Echo iterations. Particularly with the Echo Show 10, which swivels in response to your voice right away, the microphone is always pointed right at you and ready for your next command.
Privacy and peace of mind
Nowadays, the idea that smart speakers and smart displays constantly recording your conversations has taken on a life of its own. Whether or not it’s true doesn’t really matter anymore, as the mere thought of it will likely encourage you to avoid the technology altogether. Fortunately, Amazon has thought of everything and add some privacy features to both the Echo Show 10 and the Echo Studio to assuage potential users that they aren’t listening in.
The Echo Show 10 is likely the more unsettling device, as it has a microphone and speaker that could be watching and listening to your every move. Fortunately, the camera on the Echo Show 10 is equipped with a privacy shade, which even the most advanced hacker would have trouble opening without actually being in your home. Additionally, both the Echo Show 10 and the Echo Studio come with settings that allow you to turn off the microphone, which disconnects it from the device. That’s right, no spooky targeted ads will originate from either of these Echo devices if you don’t want them to.
That price, though
There’s no two ways about it; the Echo Show 10 and the Echo Studio are pretty expensive for smart speakers/displays. The Echo Studio is $200 and the Echo Show 10 is $250, which would absolutely classify them as premium choices for virtually any buyer. That said, premium speakers themselves can easily run into the hundreds without all the smarts Alexa brings to the table. The value proposition is even higher for the Echo Show 10, which marries a surprisingly good connected speaker with a swiveling screen that can be used to turn it into a mini-TV or the perfect video call rig for you, your kids, or your grandparents.
Those high prices do come down around shopping holidays like Black Friday and Amazon Prime Day, so if these look appealing to you but are a bit high for your budget, be patient. If there’s one constant from Amazon, it’s that everything goes on sale eventually.
Echo Show 10 vs Echo Studio: Which one should you buy?
As I mentioned earlier, the decision between these two smart devices should be pretty obvious if you know what you want. The Echo Show 10 admittedly provides a bit more cool factor with the motion tracking display, but the value of high-quality audio cannot be overstated when it comes to your listening experience on the Echo Studio. They’re both expensive, they both offer excellent Alexa experience, and they both give you privacy if you want it, although the camera-less Echo Studio is probably more attractive in that right.
A friendly reminder, though, that these are not the only Alexa-powered smart speakers out there. While it may be tempting to opt for an Amazon-branded device, the reality is that the market is filled with great third-party options that work just as well, sometimes even better, than the originals. And with the price of these two devices getting pretty far up there as far as smart speakers are concerned, there could be a more budget-friendly option out there waiting for you to scoop it up.
Buy the Amazon Echo Show 10 (3rd Gen) if…
- You prefer a screen for easier input
- You make a lot of video calls
- You like multi-taskers
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Buy the Amazon Echo Studio if …
- You absolutely need that added audio quality
- You’re familiar with voice commands
