Smart Displays / Amazon Echo Show 8 (4th Gen, 2025) vs Amazon Echo Spot (2024 release)
Amazon Echo Show 8 (4th Gen, 2025) vs Amazon Echo Spot (2024 release)
Amazon Echo Show 8 (4th Gen, 2025)
The one to buy — if you can live without the camera shutter Amazon just deleted.
Wins overall by 1.2 points
Quick Verdict
A 1.2-point gap makes the Amazon Echo Show 8 (4th Gen, 2025) the straightforward choice here. The one to buy — if you can live without the camera shutter Amazon just deleted.
The Amazon Echo Show 8 (4th Gen, 2025) and Amazon Echo Spot (2024 release) are both closely matched smart Display models, and the Amazon Echo Spot (2024 release) is $100 cheaper than the Amazon Echo Show 8 (4th Gen, 2025) ($79.99 vs $179.99). On Smart Home Hub, the Amazon Echo Show 8 (4th Gen, 2025) leads (8.5 vs 3.0/10) — zigbee, Matter and Thread border-router support — often the real reason to buy the bigger model. On Display Quality, the Amazon Echo Show 8 (4th Gen, 2025) leads (7.5 vs 3.0/10) — size, resolution and pixel density for the money. On Privacy Hardware, the Amazon Echo Spot (2024 release) leads (8.5 vs 4.5/10) — physical camera shutters, hardware mic cut-offs and how much sensing runs by default. Overall, the Amazon Echo Show 8 (4th Gen, 2025) scores 6.4/10 across our 8 scoring categories versus 5.2/10 for the Amazon Echo Spot (2024 release). 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 8 (4th Gen, 2025) | Amazon Echo Spot (2024 release) |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $179.99 | $79.99 |
| Release Year | 2025 | 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) | 8.7✓ | 2.83 |
| Resolution | Sources conflict: PCMag's spec sheet lists 1,340 x 800, while Amazon publishes only 'over a million pixels' | 240 x 320 |
| Touchscreen | Yes | Yes |
| Camera | 13 MP with auto-framing, 3.3x zoom and ambient noise reduction | No camera |
| Physical Camera Shutter | NO physical shutter — the 2025 redesign removed it; only an on-device button that electronically disables camera and mics | No camera fitted, so no shutter; a physical microphone-off button is the only hardware privacy control |
| Speakers | Two front-firing full-range drivers plus one custom woofer, tuned for spatial audio | One 1.73-inch full-range front-firing driver (mono) — the same driver size as the $49.99 Echo Dot |
| Smart Home Hub Radios | Zigbee hub + Matter controller + Thread — Amazon's press material confirms all three radios on this generation | Matter over Wi-Fi only — no Zigbee radio and NOT a Thread border router |
| Subscriptions Required | Alexa+ requires Prime or $19.99/mo; Ring event summaries shown in Amazon's marketing require a Ring subscription; Oura integration requires an Oura account and its subscription | Alexa+ requires Prime or $19.99/mo; music beyond the ad-supported Amazon Music tier needs its own 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 | Sponsored cards appear on the home screen; Amazon's own help page says these ads cannot be turned off, only swiped away |
| Video Calling | Alexa calling and Drop In within the Alexa ecosystem; no Meet, no FaceTime, and Skype ended in May 2025 | None — audio-only Alexa calling, Drop In and announcements |
| Wall Mountable | No | No |
| Warranty | 12 months | 12 months |
| Colors | Graphite, Glacier White | Black, Glacier White, Ocean Blue |
Category Scores
Display Quality
The Amazon Echo Show 8 (4th Gen, 2025) leads clearly here, 7.5 against 3.0 — a 4.5-point margin on size, resolution and pixel density for the money. If that is what you are buying for, the Amazon Echo Spot (2024 release) does not close the gap elsewhere.
Sound
The Amazon Echo Show 8 (4th Gen, 2025) leads clearly here, 7.5 against 5.0 — a 2.5-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 Spot (2024 release) does not close the gap elsewhere.
Assistant
The Amazon Echo Show 8 (4th Gen, 2025) leads clearly here, 8.0 against 7.0 — a 1.0-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 Spot (2024 release) does not close the gap elsewhere.
Smart Home Hub
The Amazon Echo Show 8 (4th Gen, 2025) leads clearly here, 8.5 against 3.0 — a 5.5-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 Spot (2024 release) does not close the gap elsewhere.
Ecosystem Freedom
The Amazon Echo Show 8 (4th Gen, 2025) leads clearly here, 4.5 against 4.0 — 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 Spot (2024 release) does not close the gap elsewhere.
Privacy Hardware
The Amazon Echo Spot (2024 release) leads clearly here, 8.5 against 4.5 — a 4.0-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 8 (4th Gen, 2025) does not close the gap elsewhere.
Ad Freedom
The Amazon Echo Spot (2024 release) leads clearly here, 4.0 against 3.5 — a 0.5-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 8 (4th Gen, 2025) does not close the gap elsewhere.
Value
The Amazon Echo Show 8 (4th Gen, 2025) leads clearly here, 7.5 against 7.0 — a 0.5-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 Spot (2024 release) does not close the gap elsewhere.
Best For
Choose the Amazon Echo Show 8 (4th Gen, 2025) if…
- • Smart Home Hub matters most to you — the Amazon Echo Show 8 (4th Gen, 2025) scores 8.5/10 here (zigbee, Matter and Thread border-router support — often the real reason to buy the bigger model).
- • Display Quality matters most to you — the Amazon Echo Show 8 (4th Gen, 2025) scores 7.5/10 here (size, resolution and pixel density for the money).
- • Sound matters most to you — the Amazon Echo Show 8 (4th Gen, 2025) scores 7.5/10 here (whether it is honestly a music speaker or just a voice speaker with a screen).
- • Assistant matters most to you — the Amazon Echo Show 8 (4th Gen, 2025) scores 8.0/10 here (how capable and responsive the built-in assistant actually is on this hardware).
- • Your main use case is kitchen or video-calling.
Choose the Amazon Echo Spot (2024 release) if…
- • Privacy Hardware matters most to you — the Amazon Echo Spot (2024 release) scores 8.5/10 here (physical camera shutters, hardware mic cut-offs and how much sensing runs by default).
- • You want to spend less — it's $100 cheaper.
- • Your main use case is bedside.
Pros & Cons
Amazon Echo Show 8 (4th Gen, 2025)
Pros
- +Best sound-per-dollar in the category — a real woofer, not a single full-range cone
- +Zigbee, Thread and Matter in a $179.99 tabletop display
- +13 MP auto-framing camera is a serious upgrade over the 2 MP Show 5
- +AZ3 Pro makes it the most responsive Echo Show yet, by a wide margin
Cons
- −Amazon deleted the physical camera shutter in this generation — a software toggle is all you get now
- −Sponsored home-screen content cannot be turned off, per Amazon's own help pages
- −Alexa+, the entire pitch of the device, is gated behind Prime or $19.99/mo
- −Amazon publishes no resolution figure; the only numbers available come from third parties
- −Omnisense presence sensing means the device is always modelling who is in the room
Amazon Echo Spot (2024 release)
Pros
- +The only Alexa display with no camera in it at all — the honest answer for a bedroom
- +240 x 320 half-circle screen is dim enough at night not to light the room
- +Cheapest way into a screen-equipped Echo at $79.99
- +Physical mic-off button, and nothing to un-shutter
Cons
- −Matter over Wi-Fi only — no Zigbee and no Thread border router, so it hubs almost nothing
- −One 1.73-inch driver: this is a voice speaker with a clock on it, not a music speaker
- −240 x 320 is too coarse for recipes, video or camera feeds
- −Sponsored content on the clock face cannot be disabled, per Amazon's own help documentation
- −Alexa+ — the whole reason the 2026 Echo line exists — costs Prime or $19.99/mo on this hardware
Shop by Need
FAQs
Is the Amazon Echo Show 8 (4th Gen, 2025) or Amazon Echo Spot (2024 release) better overall?+
Based on our 8-category scoring, the Amazon Echo Show 8 (4th Gen, 2025) 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 Smart Home Hub, the Amazon Echo Show 8 (4th Gen, 2025) or the Amazon Echo Spot (2024 release)?+
The Amazon Echo Show 8 (4th Gen, 2025) scores higher on Smart Home Hub (8.5/10 vs 3.0/10) — zigbee, Matter and Thread border-router support — often the real reason to buy the bigger model.
Which is better for Display Quality, the Amazon Echo Show 8 (4th Gen, 2025) or the Amazon Echo Spot (2024 release)?+
The Amazon Echo Show 8 (4th Gen, 2025) scores higher on Display Quality (7.5/10 vs 3.0/10) — size, resolution and pixel density for the money.
Which is better for Privacy Hardware, the Amazon Echo Show 8 (4th Gen, 2025) or the Amazon Echo Spot (2024 release)?+
The Amazon Echo Spot (2024 release) scores higher on Privacy Hardware (8.5/10 vs 4.5/10) — physical camera shutters, hardware mic cut-offs and how much sensing runs by default.
Which is better for Sound, the Amazon Echo Show 8 (4th Gen, 2025) or the Amazon Echo Spot (2024 release)?+
The Amazon Echo Show 8 (4th Gen, 2025) scores higher on Sound (7.5/10 vs 5.0/10) — whether it is honestly a music speaker or just a voice speaker with a screen.
Is the Amazon Echo Show 8 (4th Gen, 2025) worth the price difference over the Amazon Echo Spot (2024 release)?+
The Amazon Echo Spot (2024 release) is the cheaper option at $79.99 versus $179.99. Whether the pricier model is "worth it" depends on how much you value its lead in Smart Home Hub.
Which is better suited to my use case?+
The Amazon Echo Show 8 (4th Gen, 2025) is the better fit if you mainly care about kitchen or video-calling. The Amazon Echo Spot (2024 release) is the better fit for bedside.
What's the warranty on the Amazon Echo Show 8 (4th Gen, 2025) vs the Amazon Echo Spot (2024 release)?+
The Amazon Echo Show 8 (4th Gen, 2025) ships with a 12-month warranty; the Amazon Echo Spot (2024 release) 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.
Premium Option
Amazon Echo Show 11 (2025) — $219.99
Specifications and prices for both products last verified . Scores are calculated from published specifications — see how we compare products.