What you need to know
- The Echo Show 15 will add the Fire TV interface as a free update to make watching video content easier.
- The update will also add new tools like viewing multiple smart home camera feeds, timed commands, and video sticky notes.
- The Fire TV Omni QLED is a $799 4K TV series with ambient screens or personal photos that appear when you enter a room via presence sensors.
- The TV will also support Alexa widgets, hands-free music, and Alexa routines.
Most people use the Echo Show 15 as a miniature TV, but finding content is voice-dependent and can be rather inconvenient. So Amazon will lean into the device's adopted purpose and add its Fire TV interface to the smart display.
This will allow you to find and watch Prime Video and your connected subscriptions on the Echo Show 15. The new Fire TV widget on the home page will show shortcuts to recently streamed apps or shows, as well as your watchlist.
Amazon's largest smart display will receive other upgrades by the end of 2022. For starters, Amazon will allow customers to create personalized Routines based on your specific Alexa Profile and linked calendar. And you'll be able to leave recorded video messages — or Video Sticky Notes — that will pin to the Echo Show 15 home screen so your family members can watch it after they wake up.
In addition, the new Alexa Edge Extension feature will let you use the Echo Show 15 or Echo (4th Gen) as a hub for other Alexa devices. For example, your Echo Dot in another room will connect with the Show 15 or Echo speaker to receive new features.
Or, if you own compatible smart cameras like the new Ring Spotlight Cam Pro, and want to view multiple feeds (like your video doorbell and backyard cam) simultaneously, the Echo Show 15 will soon let you view both instead of checking one at a time.
Of course, if you want a real Amazon television and not a miniature substitute, you can look into the new Fire TV Omni QLED Series. Starting at $799 for 65 inches or $1,099 for 75 inches, the 4K Omni QLED TVs support Dolby Vision IQ and HDR10+ Adaptive, 96 dimming zones, and (of course) built-in Alexa.
Following in Samsung's footsteps, Amazon has created a low-power ambient mode for the QLED series, taking advantage of the fact that Quantum Dot TVs don't get burn-in like other models.
When you enter the living room, the TV will detect your presence and turn on ambient mode, showing slideshows of personal photos or "over 1,500 gallery-quality photos and curated art pieces." Once you leave the room, the Ambient mode will turn off.
Aside from that, it'll have all the usual Fire TV trappings you would expect, with the same Alexa Widgets that you'd see on the Echo Show 15. That includes Calendars, Reminders, Sticky Notes, smart home controls, news headlines, and more. The only difference will be that it's controlled by Alexa and a remote instead of a touchscreen.
Amazon also announced a new Fire TV Cube with a built-in 360-degree IR blaster and Wi-Fi 6E support, among other new devices. If you're curious what else Amazon announced during its Devices and Services Event, our Amazon live blog summarizes all of the highlights.
A petite Alexa-backed "television"
This wall-mounted, broad Echo device is a great tool to stay on top of your to-do list, check the weather or your security cam footage, or (now) watch your favorite Prime Video shows from the kitchen.
Built for Echo device lovers
Need a 4K device that'll pair with all your Echo speakers and Alexa Routines? And want a TV that displays cherished photo memories or beautiful artwork whenever you enter a room? Then the Fire TV Omni QLED Series may be for you.
