New Adaptive Content screen introduced on new smart display
Amazon traditionally has a bumper hardware launch event every September and this year is no exception; the Echo Show 8 (3rd-generation, if you’re keeping count) was the first new device revealed by Dave Limp, Amazon’s SVP of devices and services at the 2023 Devices & Services event in Virginia.
The new Echo Show 8, which we’re told will be a Matter smart home controller, looks a bit slicker than the 2nd-gen model (which went on sale back in 2021), taking some design cues from the newest Echo Show 5, with a centered camera for better video calls.
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One of the standout features on the latest Alexa smart display is the Adaptive Content screen, which uses its proximity sensor to look where people are in the room, and present a homescreen based on those locations.
For example, if you’re on the other side of the room, you might see a single weather screen with the current conditions, but as you get closer you might get a breakdown of the full week’s weather.

What is shown on your Show 8’s homescreen obviously depends on your home content settings but we were also told that this content can be further personalized with you have Visual ID set up through your Amazon account.
Amazon also revealed the new Show 8 has spatial audio processing technology for a wider and more immersive sound experience, along with a room adaption technology that senses the acoustics of the space and then fine-tunes playback for optimal sound… which sounds a but like what Sonos TruePlay does.
All of the Echo Show range are primed for an array of display based Alexa Skills, including video calling, a smart home control panel, visual feedback on questions, and, of course, watching movies and TV with Prime Video and Netflix – you’ll need a workaround to watch YouTube on an Echo Show.
We’ll add further specs and feature details for the 3rd-gen Echo Show 8 to this story as we learn more.
You can pre-order the new 3rd-gen Echo Show 8 for $149.99 / £149.99 and it will ship starting next month.

There will also be a Photos Edition of the Echo Show 8, for $10 more, that puts your family photos front and center of the homescreen.
That $10 gets you 6 months subscription to an extra 25GB of phot storage, which will then be $1.99 monthly after that.