I spent weeks with Alexa on the Echo Show 11, and it was awesome (until I started fact-checking)

ZDNET's key takeaways

• The Echo Show 11 is one of Amazon's newest smart displays, available for $220.
• The 11-inch display comes with Alexa+ built in, Omnisense presence sensors, and upgraded audio.
• Unfortunately, the Echo Show 11 doesn't have a physical camera privacy shutter, and the AI could still use some tuning.

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My husband is a cybersecurity developer, and much to his chagrin, our home is filled with Amazon Echo devices. After testing all the mainstream virtual assistants in my house, I've found Alexa to be the best home automation system for effective voice control. After testing the Echo Show 11 with Alexa+, I'm more convinced of this than ever.

Let's be honest -- the Amazon Alexa system has major drawbacks compared to Google Home's efficiency, Home Assistant's privacy and customization features, and Apple HomeKit's security and reliability. But Amazon has empowered its virtual assistant with generative AI and created a well-rounded consumer interaction. 

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This contributes to its status as the most popular smart home assistant, while offering the most seamless, easy-to-set-up experience for most users. The Echo Show 11 is a great way to experience Alexa+ to control your smart home ecosystem and, beyond that, become your home's command center.  

This Amazon Echo Show 11 features a 1920x1200 resolution to deliver crisp images when streaming on its 11-inch touchscreen, and functionas as a gateway to use Alexa+ with all the associated benefits such as calendar syncing, shopping lists, and individual profiles. 

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With its front-facing camera, the Echo Show 11 can tackle video calls, though the display doesn't swivel to follow you like the older Echo Show 10 did. The camera also doesn't have a physical privacy cover as on older models; instead, it only offers the option to switch it off electronically in the UI.

Maria Diaz/ZDNET

The upgraded speaker on the back of the Echo Show 11 blows the older Echo Dot out of the water, with booming bass and sharp vocals, even at loud volumes. The upgraded audio system features front-facing speakers, a woofer, and full-range drivers, delivering better sound than on older Echo Shows.

The Echo Show 11 also supports Omnisense, an upgraded presence sensor that combines the display's camera, microphones, and other sensors to trigger different screen behaviors for more context-aware routines. Admittedly, I felt a bit icky the first time I approached the display and saw a "Hi, Maria!" along with a prompt of what to do next. 

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Which brings me to the AI elephant in the room. The revamped Alexa+ comes with the Echo Show 11, so you don't need to sign up for any extra early-access programs to use it before setting it up. The device will prompt you to accept using Alexa+ during setup, which features generative AI for more in-depth responses. 

Maria Diaz/ZDNET

If you haven't had a chance to use Alexa+, I certainly recommend giving it a shot. While it's not the greatest thing to come to the smart home world, it is quite compelling -- and it works (most of the time). Think of it like having a countertop ChatGPT that can control your smart lights and TVs, while also giving you access to your calendar and lists. 

Just like ChatGPT, however, Alexa+ makes mistakes. And just like ChatGPT's early days, these mistakes happen often. Alexa+ has been a breath of fresh air compared to the previous version, even if it takes a few days to get used to its overly excited voice (though maybe all voices sound overexcited compared to the old Alexa).

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Still, the gen AI sets it apart. Prompting Alexa+ to use my kids' favorite made-up characters to create a story has been a huge hit with my family. Alexa+ not only generates the story but also shows them a string of AI-generated images to feed their imagination, which is about as close as you can get to blowing my kids' minds. 

Maria Diaz/ZDNET

Be mindful that the accuracy of AI-generated content can't be relied on, as these bots can hallucinate and provide incorrect information. Alexa+ is no exception -- it makes a lot of mistakes, misses prompts, and often says nonsense. Either way, it's a definite upgrade over the older version, and I'm looking forward to seeing how Amazon improves it over time.

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For more practical purposes, Alexa+ can handle multiple commands at once, like "turn off the bedside lamp and the floor lamp and turn on the night light." It can also generate content and understand context, so you can ask it to generate a recipe, and even ask it to create a new routine, like "turn on the pantry lights when someone is detected in the kitchen."  

ZDNET's buying advice

I recommend the Echo Show 11 for those looking for a larger smart display with Alexa+ and smart home hub integrations. Thanks to its support for Matter, Thread, and Zigbee, the Echo Show 11 is as much of a smart home hub as it is a speaker and display. It's a multipurpose entertainment hub for streaming video and music, running routines, catching up on the news, or finding recipes. 

That said, you could skip the Echo Show 11 if you prefer a smaller, cheaper Echo Show that is already available, or if you currently use the old swivel-screen model. There are other systems that offer stricter privacy features, including Eufy and ones you can tinker with like Home Assistant.