Why the Upgrade to Echo Show 11?
I upgraded to the Amazon Echo Show 11 when it was launched this year. Why?
Since April 2021 I have been running a Echo Show 10, the one with the motorised screen with 350 degrees of horizontal movement. It has been a handy companion in the kitchen where it has been homed all this time.
Most of the time, I used it to check the weather, play some music or podcast when I am cooking. The motorised base allows me to control it remotely and keep an eye on the stove if I had to run up to the shops briefly with something cooking.
Comparing the Specs: Echo Show 10 vs. Echo Show 11
| Feature | Echo Show 10 (3rd Gen, 2021) | Echo Show 11 (2025) | Key Difference / Improvement |
| Display Size | 10.1 inches | 10.95 inches (often marketed as 11 inches) | Slightly larger screen. |
| Display Resolution | 1280 x 800 HD | 1920 x 1200 Full HD | Major Improvement in clarity and pixel density. |
| Physical Design | Display mounted on a motorised base that swivels/tilts to follow the user. | Fixed “floating” display mounted on a rounded base (similar to Show 8 design). | Loss of the motorised screen for following the user. |
| Processor | MediaTek 8183 + Amazon AZ1 Neural Edge Processor | AZ3 Pro with AI Accelerator | Significant processor upgrade for faster, smoother performance and advanced AI features (Alexa+). |
| Camera | 13 MP with auto-framing | 13 MP with auto-framing and 3.3x zoom | Identical resolution, but the Show 11 adds an improved digital zoom. |
| Audio | 2 x 1.0-inch tweeters + 1 x 3.0-inch woofer | 2 x Full-range drivers + 1 x 2.8-inch woofer | A different speaker configuration focused on spatial audio, potentially a slight reduction in woofer size compared to Show 10. |
| Wi-Fi Connectivity | Dual-band Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac) | Wi-Fi 6E (802.11ax) Tri-band | Major upgrade for faster and more stable modern networks. |
| Smart Home Hubs | Zigbee + Thread Border Router | Zigbee + Matter + Thread Border Router | Full support for the unified Matter standard out of the box. |
| Privacy Features | Physical camera shutter + mic/camera disable button | No physical camera shutter (only electronic disconnect button). | Loss of the physical camera shutter on the Show 11. |
| Ambient AI | Limited (Basic presence detection) | Omnisense Technology (Visual ID, proximity, presence, temperature, and adaptive brightness/color) | Advanced sensor suite for highly personalised, ambient routines and features. |
Covering off the basics, the screen is bigger by a smidgen, with a bump to full HD resolution. It’s been four years (with a few models in between) so this is pretty baseline expectations.
We lose the motorised screen which is neither here or there for me personally. Other users may have relied on it more.
The camera remained the same for resolution, but the Echo Show 11 comes with a 3.3x digital zoom.
The new audio configuration is geared for a different experience. It’s not quite apples to apples comparison.
Of course in late 2025, it is now Wi-Fi 6E onboard.
On the bad side, there is no physical camera shutter anymore on the Echo Show 11. Just an electronic disconnect.
The big changes is the inclusion of full support for Matter protocol, and of course, Omnisense Technology for AI.
Introducing Omnisense Technology: Ambient AI
Formally introduced by Amazon at the recent hardware launch, it is a core feature of their newest generation of smart displays and speakers.
Omnisense is Amazon’s name for its multi-sensor fusion platform – Ambient AI.
It is a huge step up from the rudimentary sensing capabilities of the Echo Show 10, as it combines data from multiple sensors – camera, microphones, ultrasound and Wi-Fi radar (Wi-Fi CSI) to build a more complete picture of what is going on around it in the room.
Powering the Omnisense Technology is the AZ3 Pro Processor. This processor enables the device to handle complex sensor data and sophisticated AI models locally – Edge Computing, rather than sending it back to into the AWS for processing.
Amazon deems it crucial for delivering personalised, proactive experiences with lower latency and enhanced user privacy.
First Impressions: Design and Smart Home Protocol Support
Why did I upgrade? It is the integration of the parts.
Four years is a very long time in the technology space and the Echo Show 10 was just a cog in the larger picture in my smart home strategy.
But one protocol I found myself needing is Matter. It is finally at a point where Matter does matter and this is where the Echo Show 11 comes in for me. It kept the support for Zigbee and Thread, but with full support for Matter. Yes I do realise that Amazon has added this in a while back for their Echo devices, I just didn’t take the opportunity to upgrade until now.
Physically, the Echo Show 11 significantly differs from the Echo Show 10 by the use of a fixed “floating” display mounted on a ball like base. The screen is fixed at a tilt angle that is more suited to a table height.
I have it elevated on a shelf and it works for me. I am sure I am going to hear complains from the shorter members of the family though.
The physical buttons have moved from the top of the unit to the right hand side for the unit.
Echo Show 11 In Use: Features and Daily Routines
Features wise, the Echo Show 11 is essentially the Echo Show 8 with a bigger screen. Bucks reviewed the Echo Show 8 last year and was a convert to the ecosystem.
My use case has not really changed, I still ask Alexa to set timers for my cooking, check the weather before I get my daughter into the shower, or ready for school, play music when I am cooking.
It also acts as a secondary dash to my Home Assistant panel, where the more common functions are easier to access for everyone else. For example all my Reolink camera gear are linked to Alexa so if someone presses the doorbell, the right routine kicks in and it is automatically displayed on screen.
One of my first settings I changed though is to enable the Follow-Up Mode. This is where you can continue a conversation with Alexa without having to repeat the wake word. It makes interacting with Alexa a bit more like natural conversation. If you are looking for it, it’s buried in the App Settings, under Device Settings.
The Echo Show 11 can also natively play content from Amazon Prime, and you can ask Alexa to search for content from other channels although not everything is supported. And of course as mentioned earlier, you can play tunes through it with plenty of support for the platforms. You can set your preferred provider as the default service through the app or via a voice command.
The Power of AI: Visual ID and Personalised Routines
The Echo Show 11 can be configured to recognise your face and display customised content. You need to enable this via “Visual ID” and go through the process of registering your mug shot from various angles.
The device will guide you through the process – visually. From front on, to side profile, looking up and down. It’s a simple process that takes a minute or so, depends at how good you are at following instructions.
Once you are registered on one device, it is available on all compatible devices.
My complaint here? I had to look at the instructions on screen, even when I am told to look left or right. Shouldn’t have been hard to get a audio prompt going.
The perks of having Visual ID configured goes beyond customised content displayed on screen. You could, with all the right hardware and configuration done, create routines based on your appearance (not how amazing you look daily, but your presence), light levels, ambient temperature for example, and trigger actions such as lights on or off, shades opening, kick in the heater if you can afford the utility bills.
Touch Controls and User Interface
You can do a lot of stuff via verbal instructions, although sometimes you have to be quite specific with Alexa.
For example, I have asked Alexa to bring up the Silk Browser, which it performed flawlessly. Then I quit out of it and asked Alexa to bring it back with “Bring up Silk” and it just told me off telling me it has no idea what I want. I had to specifically ask it to bring up Silk browser and it was happy again.
There is the option to go to touch control, but I find it a bit finicky.
For starters, I found touch control less responsive than I would like. Sometimes I have to touch the screen a few times before it registered an action. Even bringing up a keyboard to punch in an URL was sluggish.
It pays to have some patience and set up the finer details at your pace, such as customising the widgets you want on the home screen.
Multimedia Quality: Screen and Sound
Without doubt, the screen gallery feature of the Echo Shows is one that everyone at homr enjoys.
It is an easy way to share our favourite photos and it’s nice for the screen to wake up as someone walks past and see some happy memories. The quality of the screen is a nice bump up from the old device, going from HD to Full HD.
Whilst the screen size is not big enough to enjoy any real shows or movies, it is not bad for browsing the occasional YouTube video whilst killing time at the stove.
The laws of physics is immutable. Actually to be accurate, there are no laws in physics, just loads of overlapping frameworks and mathematical models.
I refer specifically in this instance, the size of the Echo Show 11 speaker. Don’t expect room shaking bass from the unit, it just doesn’t have the mojo for that. If you place it close to some walls, it does help with bouncing the sound off solids.
Also the two drivers are in relative close proximity, so don’t carry high hopes for stereo separation.
However it does largely hold it’s own across the soundstage, with detailed complex rendering of sound coming through. I threw John William’s Rey’s Theme at it, teasing out the horns, the strings and woodwinds with clarity.
Still on the OST genre, I also played the Pirates of the Caribbean theme by Hans Zimmer. This is where the limited bass became more apparent, creating a little muddiness in the tune.
Overall though, the Echo Show 11 demonstrates clever use of their AI technology, using digital signal processing to adapt the music to the surrounding space. Even at louder volume, there was very minimal distortion.
Key Complaints and Missing Features
Just the ones I mentioned earlier. The touch screen can feel laggy.
There is no physical privacy shutter for the camera, just an electronic disconnect.
I appreciate that Amazon prefers voice controls, but try reading off a string of IP address to type into the browser.
Also I was unable to test Alexa+, it is not currently available on my device.
Final Verdict: Should Users Upgrade?
Did I need to upgrade my Echo Show? Not really.
Was it worth the upgrade? Absolutely. For people who wants to get into the smart home appliances, the Echo Show 11 is an easy way to ensure you have most of the protocols in place – Zigbee, Matter, Thread.
The missing one here is Z-Wave, and as a proprietary technology, it is unlikely to ever make the cut when the other protocols has support of industry leaders.
Four years on from when I first put in the Echo Show 10, the updates on the surface has been incremental – better screen, better sound.
it is under the hood where the potentials and the shines are – processor designed for local processing of AI, Omnisense Technology, fusion of sensor data.
Now this opens a whole new field of routines and smart home integration I can explore alongside my Home Assistant instance.
The Echo Show 11 is available from Amazon with a RRP A$429. There is also an optional adjustable stand for A$69.95 that allows you to tilt it up to 40° and a full 360° swivel.
DRN would like to thank Amazon for providing the review unit. I’m going to prank the family with the Stranger Things Fireplace on it this Christmas.
The little one has no issues asking Alexa to do things anymore …. (Watch til the end with sound on).
