Here’s something weird; Amazon’s Echo Show 15 now doubles as a Fire TV. After a quick update, you can enable the Fire TV interface by pressing a button on the corner of your smart display. We’re not sure that this will fix the Echo Show 15’s problems, but it’s certainly a fun idea.
Now, this isn’t some kind of surprise update—Amazon announced it back in September. But the news flew under the radar, likely due to the niche nature of Amazon’s largest smart display. There aren’t too many people dropping $250 on this puppy (although it’s currently on sale for a more reasonable $185).
The Echo Show 15’s Fire TV interface works as expected. It can run all your favorite apps, including YouTube, Netflix, and Disney+. To my surprise, it even supports Fire TV user profiles, meaning that each member of your household can enjoy a unique experience (without screwing up your recommendations, and all that).
You can also pair the Echo Show 15 with an Alexa Voice Remote, which should make the experience a lot more enjoyable. Without a remote, you need to interact directly with the smart display’s touch screen or bark out commands to Alexa.
Additionally, Amazon says that the Fire TV interface enables a “spatial audio” mode to mimic the “performance of a wide-screen stereo system.” But the Echo Show 15’s speakers are pretty bad, so I would take this with a grain of salt.
I’m not confident in the Echo Show 15’s ability to replace a smart TV. But if you’ve already got one installed in your kitchen, I doubt that you’ll complain about this feature—again, it’s a fun idea.
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