Amazon Echo Show 21 Review: A Giant Smart Display and Kitchen TV in One, Let Down by Alexa+ and Sound
A huge 21-inch Full HD display with built-in Fire TV, strong smart-home dashboard and family organization, held back by immature Alexa+, mediocre sound and disruptive updates.
The Amazon Echo Show 21 is Amazon's largest smart display, a 21-inch Full HD touchscreen with built-in Fire TV that doubles as a kitchen or common-room TV, a family command center and a smart-home hub. Owners love the big, bright screen (easy to read across a room), the seamless Fire TV that streams every major app without hiccups, the customizable widgets for calendars, reminders and lists, the excellent photo frame, and the smart-home dashboard that shows Ring and other camera feeds at a glance. It is also a Zigbee, Thread and Matter hub. The frustrations are real: Amazon's new Alexa+ AI is buggy (misreading words, poor multi-device coordination, English-only, and not working in portrait mode), the built-in sound is only okay (many add a soundbar), and Amazon updates have broken features like album art and the back button, with fixes long promised but undelivered. It only works with Alexa (Home Assistant partially), not Google or HomeKit. For a large kitchen display and TV replacement with home organization and smart-home control, it is excellent value on sale, if you can tolerate Alexa+'s current state.
- Kitchen TV and smart-display in one
- Family organization and command center
- Smart-home dashboard with camera feeds
- Alexa households wanting a big screen
Pros
- Huge, bright 21-inch Full HD screen, readable across a room
- Built-in Fire TV streams every major app and live TV without hiccups
- Excellent family organizer: synced calendars, lists and customizable widgets
- Strong smart-home dashboard with camera feeds; great photo frame
- Zigbee, Thread and Matter hub built in; easy wall or stand mounting
- Good value on sale versus a separate TV, soundbar and streamer
Cons
- Alexa+ is buggy: misreads words, poor multi-device coordination, English-only
- Alexa+ does not work in portrait mode (landscape only)
- Mediocre built-in sound; many owners add an external soundbar
- Amazon updates have broken features (album art, back button) with slow fixes
- Sponsored themes/ads until disabled; remote only controls Fire TV
- Alexa only (Home Assistant partial); no Google Home or HomeKit
Who is the Echo Show 21 for?
This is Amazon's largest smart display, a 21-inch Full HD touchscreen with Alexa and built-in Fire TV, aimed at kitchens and shared living spaces. It works as a TV replacement, a family organizer (calendars, reminders, shopping and to-do lists via widgets), a photo frame, a video-call and Drop In device (with a camera and privacy shutter), and a smart-home hub, it is a Zigbee coordinator, Thread border router and Matter bridge, and shows camera feeds and device controls on a dashboard. It connects over dual-band Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, mounts on a wall or stand, and works with Alexa (and Home Assistant partially), but not Google Home, HomeKit or SmartThings. It best suits Alexa households wanting a large kitchen display and TV in one, plus home organization and smart-home control. If you rely on great sound, portrait orientation, or a fully polished Alexa+, read the caveats first.
What buyers love
The size and versatility win owners over. The 21-inch Full HD screen is bright, sharp and readable across a room (a boon for older eyes), and the built-in Fire TV is a standout: it streams every major app, Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, Max, Prime, YouTube and Apple TV, plus live TV, without hiccups, letting one device replace a kitchen TV, soundbar and streaming box. Owners cook along to recipes and shows hands-free, and several were surprised by the picture quality (one saw more detail than on their 4K Samsung TV). As a family hub it excels, with shared calendars that sync from Apple Calendar, reminders, lists and highly customizable widgets, and it makes an excellent photo frame that looks like art on the wall. The smart-home dashboard is a favorite, showing Ring and other camera feeds and device controls at a glance, and Drop In uses the camera to zoom and frame intelligently. It is a Zigbee, Thread and Matter hub, installation is easy (wall bracket with a stencil, or a stand), and on a sale (around 350 dollars) owners consider it strong value versus buying a separate TV, soundbar and streamer.
What to know before you buy
The biggest complaints center on Amazon's new Alexa+ AI, which owners find immature: it misreads words (calling the radio station LBC 'EBC'), coordinates poorly across multiple Echo devices (the wrong device answers, sets a timer in the wrong room, or plays music upstairs instead of down), works in English only (setup with a mixed language can break it), and, notably, does not work in portrait mode, forcing landscape even though Amazon's listing implies both are supported. Since the screen leans on Alexa, these issues matter. Sound is another weak point: it is only okay, not very loud, with weak bass, so many owners pair it with an external soundbar. Amazon's updates have also broken features, one owner details an update that shrank album art, removed the weather and disabled the back button, with a fix promised over a year ago and still undelivered, and it re-breaks when adding Ring devices. Sponsored themes and ads appear until you disable them in settings, the included remote only controls Fire TV (and drains its cheap batteries quickly), touch does not always work for choosing a streaming service (forcing the remote), and it comes only with a black frame. It does not support Google or HomeKit.
Is the Echo Show 21 worth it?
For a large kitchen or common-room display that also serves as a TV, family organizer, photo frame and smart-home dashboard, the Echo Show 21 is impressive and, on sale, good value, especially if it replaces a TV, soundbar and streaming box. The built-in Fire TV, big bright screen, widgets and camera dashboard genuinely make it a home command center. Temper your expectations in three areas: Alexa+ is currently buggy and landscape-only, the built-in sound is mediocre (plan for a soundbar if music matters), and Amazon updates have broken and not promptly fixed features, which is frustrating on a premium device. Buy it if you are in the Alexa ecosystem and want a giant, do-it-all kitchen display and can tolerate Alexa+'s rough edges; if you need great sound, portrait mode, or Google/HomeKit support, weigh those limits first.
Frequently asked questions
Does it work as a TV?
Yes, and it is a highlight. Built-in Fire TV streams every major app, Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, Max, Prime, YouTube and Apple TV, plus live TV, without hiccups, so many owners use it to replace a kitchen TV, soundbar and streaming box. The picture is sharp, though the included remote only controls the Fire TV side.
How good is Alexa+ on it?
It is a work in progress. Owners report Alexa+ misreading words, coordinating poorly across multiple Echo devices (the wrong one responds or acts in the wrong room), working in English only, and, importantly, not functioning in portrait mode, so you must use landscape. Since the display depends on Alexa, these issues affect the experience today.
Is the sound good?
Only okay. It delivers clear vocals but is not very loud, with weak bass, and getting a good balance takes EQ tweaking. It fills a kitchen adequately, but many owners pair it with an external soundbar for music, so do not expect it to replace a dedicated sound system.
Can I turn off the ads?
Mostly, yes. Sponsored themes and ads appear by default, but you can disable them in the settings on the screen (including turning off the 'Theme' setting that shows movie promos), after which owners report seeing very few. It is an extra step, but it cleans up the display.
Which smart-home platforms does it work with?
Alexa, and it is a Zigbee coordinator, Thread border router and Matter bridge, so it can control many smart-home devices directly and show camera feeds on a dashboard. It works with Home Assistant partially, but not Google Home, HomeKit or SmartThings, so it fits best in an Alexa-centric home.
