Smart Displays / Amazon Echo Show 21 (2024) vs Amazon Echo Hub (8-inch wall panel)
Amazon Echo Show 21 (2024) vs Amazon Echo Hub (8-inch wall panel)
Amazon Echo Show 21 (2024)
The biggest screen in the category, at a pixel density a 2015 TV would be embarrassed by.
Wins overall by 0.0 points
Quick Verdict
This is close. The Amazon Echo Show 21 (2024) edges ahead by 0.0 points, but that margin is inside the noise — the Amazon Echo Hub (8-inch wall panel) is a defensible pick on its own terms. A wall panel with every radio Amazon makes and a speaker you will never use twice.
The Amazon Echo Show 21 (2024) and Amazon Echo Hub (8-inch wall panel) are both current-generation smart Display models, and the Amazon Echo Hub (8-inch wall panel) is $220 cheaper than the Amazon Echo Show 21 (2024) ($179.99 vs $399.99). On Sound, the Amazon Echo Show 21 (2024) leads (6.5 vs 3.0/10) — whether it is honestly a music speaker or just a voice speaker with a screen. On Ad Freedom, the Amazon Echo Hub (8-inch wall panel) leads (6.0 vs 3.5/10) — how much of the screen you paid for the vendor sells back to you, and whether you can turn it off. On Display Quality, the Amazon Echo Show 21 (2024) leads (7.0 vs 5.5/10) — size, resolution and pixel density for the money. Overall, the Amazon Echo Show 21 (2024) scores 6.3/10 across our 8 scoring categories versus 6.3/10 for the Amazon Echo Hub (8-inch wall panel), though the gap is close enough that your specific use case should decide it. Below, we break down the full spec sheet, category-by-category scores, and exactly who should buy which one.
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Spec | Amazon Echo Show 21 (2024) | Amazon Echo Hub (8-inch wall panel) |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $399.99 | $179.99 |
| Release Year | 2024 | 2024 |
| Voice Assistant | Alexa+ — Amazon's own FAQ states there is no free Alexa+ tier on Echo hardware: it needs Prime or a $19.99/mo Standard plan | Alexa+ — Amazon's own FAQ states there is no free Alexa+ tier on Echo hardware: it needs Prime or a $19.99/mo Standard plan |
| Screen Size (in) | 21✓ | 8 |
| Resolution | 1920 x 1080 | 1280 x 800 |
| Touchscreen | Yes | Yes |
| Camera | 13 MP centred camera with auto-framing and 3.3x zoom | No camera |
| Physical Camera Shutter | Yes — physical shutter, plus a mic/camera off button | No camera fitted; microphone-off button only |
| Speakers | Two 2-inch woofers plus two 0.6-inch tweeters — identical to the 15.6-inch model | Mono speaker — Amazon does not publish the driver size; PCMag describes it as smaller than the Echo Show 8's and reviewers rate it as background-audio-only |
| Smart Home Hub Radios | Zigbee hub + Matter controller + Thread border router (Amazon's own tech specs; one third-party FAQ claims Matter over Wi-Fi only, which contradicts Amazon and the launch press release) | Zigbee hub + Matter controller + Thread border router + Amazon Sidewalk — the most complete radio set Amazon puts in a display |
| Subscriptions Required | Alexa+ requires Prime or $19.99/mo; every Fire TV streaming service is billed separately | Alexa+ requires Prime or $19.99/mo; Ring Alarm arming works, but Ring video history needs a Ring subscription |
| Home-Screen Ads | Sponsored cards appear on the home screen; Amazon's own help page says these ads cannot be turned off, only swiped away | Dashboard is user-built, but Amazon's sponsored-content rules still apply to Alexa surfaces and cannot be fully disabled |
| Video Calling | Alexa calling and Drop In only | None — no camera. It can display other cameras' feeds but cannot originate a video call |
| Wall Mountable | Yes | Yes |
| Warranty | 12 months | 12 months |
| Colors | Black | White |
Category Scores
Display Quality
The Amazon Echo Show 21 (2024) leads clearly here, 7.0 against 5.5 — a 1.5-point margin on size, resolution and pixel density for the money. If that is what you are buying for, the Amazon Echo Hub (8-inch wall panel) does not close the gap elsewhere.
Sound
The Amazon Echo Show 21 (2024) leads clearly here, 6.5 against 3.0 — a 3.5-point margin on whether it is honestly a music speaker or just a voice speaker with a screen. If that is what you are buying for, the Amazon Echo Hub (8-inch wall panel) does not close the gap elsewhere.
Assistant
The Amazon Echo Show 21 (2024) leads clearly here, 7.5 against 7.0 — a 0.5-point margin on how capable and responsive the built-in assistant actually is on this hardware. If that is what you are buying for, the Amazon Echo Hub (8-inch wall panel) does not close the gap elsewhere.
Smart Home Hub
The Amazon Echo Hub (8-inch wall panel) leads clearly here, 9.5 against 9.0 — a 0.5-point margin on zigbee, Matter and Thread border-router support — often the real reason to buy the bigger model. If that is what you are buying for, the Amazon Echo Show 21 (2024) does not close the gap elsewhere.
Ecosystem Freedom
The Amazon Echo Hub (8-inch wall panel) leads clearly here, 5.0 against 4.5 — a 0.5-point margin on how much of a rival ecosystem's gear, apps and calling networks it will still talk to. If that is what you are buying for, the Amazon Echo Show 21 (2024) does not close the gap elsewhere.
Privacy Hardware
The Amazon Echo Hub (8-inch wall panel) leads clearly here, 8.0 against 6.5 — a 1.5-point margin on physical camera shutters, hardware mic cut-offs and how much sensing runs by default. If that is what you are buying for, the Amazon Echo Show 21 (2024) does not close the gap elsewhere.
Ad Freedom
The Amazon Echo Hub (8-inch wall panel) leads clearly here, 6.0 against 3.5 — a 2.5-point margin on how much of the screen you paid for the vendor sells back to you, and whether you can turn it off. If that is what you are buying for, the Amazon Echo Show 21 (2024) does not close the gap elsewhere.
Value
The Amazon Echo Hub (8-inch wall panel) leads clearly here, 6.5 against 5.5 — a 1.0-point margin on hardware and features relative to price, including accessories that are not in the box. If that is what you are buying for, the Amazon Echo Show 21 (2024) does not close the gap elsewhere.
Best For
Choose the Amazon Echo Show 21 (2024) if…
- • Sound matters most to you — the Amazon Echo Show 21 (2024) scores 6.5/10 here (whether it is honestly a music speaker or just a voice speaker with a screen).
- • Display Quality matters most to you — the Amazon Echo Show 21 (2024) scores 7.0/10 here (size, resolution and pixel density for the money).
- • Your main use case is kitchen or video-calling.
Choose the Amazon Echo Hub (8-inch wall panel) if…
- • Ad Freedom matters most to you — the Amazon Echo Hub (8-inch wall panel) scores 6.0/10 here (how much of the screen you paid for the vendor sells back to you, and whether you can turn it off).
- • Privacy Hardware matters most to you — the Amazon Echo Hub (8-inch wall panel) scores 8.0/10 here (physical camera shutters, hardware mic cut-offs and how much sensing runs by default).
- • Value matters most to you — the Amazon Echo Hub (8-inch wall panel) scores 6.5/10 here (hardware and features relative to price, including accessories that are not in the box).
- • You want to spend less — it's $220 cheaper.
Pros & Cons
Amazon Echo Show 21 (2024)
Pros
- +Nothing else in the category comes close to 21 inches on a kitchen wall
- +Keeps the physical camera shutter, unlike the newer Show 8 and 11
- +Complete hub: Zigbee, Thread border router and Matter
- +Wall mount and Fire TV remote are both in the box
Cons
- −1920 x 1080 stretched across 21 inches is about 105 ppi — pixels are visible up close
- −Same two woofers and two tweeters as the 15.6-inch model, in a much larger cabinet
- −$399.99 buys a 1080p panel; a same-sized 1080p TV plus a Fire TV Stick costs far less
- −Counter stand $99.99 and frame kit $39.99 are both extra
- −Sponsored home-screen content cannot be disabled, on the biggest screen Amazon sells
Amazon Echo Hub (8-inch wall panel)
Pros
- +Zigbee + Thread border router + Matter for $179.99 — the cheapest way to get all three from Amazon
- +The only Echo designed to sit flush on a wall with cable management in the box
- +No camera, so it can go in a hallway or bedroom without argument
- +Amazon actively rebuilt the interface in June 2026, so it is not a maintenance-mode product
Cons
- −The speaker is genuinely poor — do not buy this to play music
- −No camera means no Drop In video, no video calls and no indoor-camera duty
- −Power over Ethernet is supported but the PoE splitter is not in the box
- −No Z-Wave, so it will not replace a SmartThings or Hubitat hub
- −Costs the same as an Echo Show 8 that has a better screen, a 13 MP camera and the same hub radios
Shop by Need
FAQs
Is the Amazon Echo Show 21 (2024) or Amazon Echo Hub (8-inch wall panel) better overall?+
Based on our 8-category scoring, the Amazon Echo Show 21 (2024) comes out ahead overall. See the full breakdown in the scores section above — the right pick still depends on which categories matter most for your use case.
Which is better for Sound, the Amazon Echo Show 21 (2024) or the Amazon Echo Hub (8-inch wall panel)?+
The Amazon Echo Show 21 (2024) scores higher on Sound (6.5/10 vs 3.0/10) — whether it is honestly a music speaker or just a voice speaker with a screen.
Which is better for Ad Freedom, the Amazon Echo Show 21 (2024) or the Amazon Echo Hub (8-inch wall panel)?+
The Amazon Echo Hub (8-inch wall panel) scores higher on Ad Freedom (6.0/10 vs 3.5/10) — how much of the screen you paid for the vendor sells back to you, and whether you can turn it off.
Which is better for Display Quality, the Amazon Echo Show 21 (2024) or the Amazon Echo Hub (8-inch wall panel)?+
The Amazon Echo Show 21 (2024) scores higher on Display Quality (7.0/10 vs 5.5/10) — size, resolution and pixel density for the money.
Which is better for Privacy Hardware, the Amazon Echo Show 21 (2024) or the Amazon Echo Hub (8-inch wall panel)?+
The Amazon Echo Hub (8-inch wall panel) scores higher on Privacy Hardware (8.0/10 vs 6.5/10) — physical camera shutters, hardware mic cut-offs and how much sensing runs by default.
Is the Amazon Echo Show 21 (2024) worth the price difference over the Amazon Echo Hub (8-inch wall panel)?+
The Amazon Echo Hub (8-inch wall panel) is the cheaper option at $179.99 versus $399.99. Whether the pricier model is "worth it" depends on how much you value its lead in Sound.
Which is better suited to my use case?+
The Amazon Echo Show 21 (2024) is the better fit if you mainly care about kitchen or video-calling. The Amazon Echo Hub (8-inch wall panel) is the better fit for smart-home-control or family-organizer.
What's the warranty on the Amazon Echo Show 21 (2024) vs the Amazon Echo Hub (8-inch wall panel)?+
The Amazon Echo Show 21 (2024) ships with a 12-month warranty; the Amazon Echo Hub (8-inch wall panel) ships with a 12-month warranty. Always confirm current terms on the manufacturer's site before buying.
Should I wait for the next model instead of buying either of these?+
If either model is more than two years old, a successor may be close — check the "Latest Model" link on each product page. Otherwise, both are current, well-supported options and there's no strong reason to wait.
Cheaper Option
Google Nest Hub (2nd gen) — $99.99
Specifications and prices for both products last verified . Scores are calculated from published specifications — see how we compare products.