Smart Home

Amazon Echo Show 8 (3rd Gen, 2023)

Name: Amazon Echo Show 8 (3rd Gen, 2023)
Rating: 8 (1 reviews)

Best Midsize Smart Display

The Amazon Echo Show 8 (3rd Gen) is the mid-size smart display in Amazon's lineup, featuring a 13MP centered camera, built-in Zigbee/Matter/Thread hub, and 40% faster Alexa processing — making it the best smart home controller in the 8-inch display class. Available on Amazon.ca (ASIN B0BLS3Y632) at around $169 CAD.

ClearPick Score

8 / 10

Very Good

Smart Home Hub

9.0

Sound Quality

8.0

Display Quality

7.5

Privacy Controls

7.0

Value for Money

8.5

Full Specs

Screen	8-inch, 1280 × 800 resolution, edge-to-edge glass
Speakers	Dual 2-inch full-range neodymium drivers + passive bass radiator, spatial audio
Camera	13 MP, center-aligned, auto-framing, digital pan and zoom
Smart Home Hub	Zigbee 3.0, Matter 1.2 controller, Thread border router, Amazon Sidewalk
Processor	MediaTek MT8188J + Amazon AZ2 Neural Processing Unit
Content	420+ live and ad-supported Fire TV channels, Prime Video, Netflix, Spotify
Privacy	Physical camera shutter, hardware mic mute button
Wi-Fi	802.11a/b/g/n/ac dual-band

As an Amazon Associate, ClearPick earns from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you.

🏆 Best Midsize Smart Display

Amazon Echo Show 8 (3rd Gen, 2023)

~$169 CAD est. on Amazon.ca

View on Amazon.ca → Opens Amazon.ca · Affiliate link

✅ Ships to Canada

✅ Prime eligible (most orders)

✅ 30-day Amazon returns

✅ No extra cost to you

✅ What Works

Built-in Zigbee, Matter, and Thread hub makes this a genuine smart home controller — Zigbee devices pair without a separate hub, and Matter devices from any brand connect natively. The strongest hub-per-dollar in this size class.
Centered 13MP camera makes video calls feel natural — looking at the screen now means looking near the camera lens, a meaningful improvement over the offset 2nd-gen camera.
Room-filling audio for an 8-inch display — dual neodymium drivers with passive bass radiator punch noticeably above expectations for the size and price.
40% faster on-device Alexa processing via AZ2 NPU — smart home light and plug commands respond nearly instantly without waiting for cloud round-trip lag.

⚠️ Worth Knowing

Full-screen sponsored ads have grown increasingly intrusive via OTA updates — they appear as interstitial ads in Photo Frame mode and between content cards, and Amazon has not provided a way to disable them entirely. Multiple owners and outlets flagged this as a growing pain point since 2024.
Display resolution (1280 × 800) and visible bezels lag behind tablet-class screens at the same price — functional but not premium when used purely as a picture frame.
Alexa voice recordings may be reviewed by Amazon contractors for quality improvement. Users concerned about audio privacy should review the Alexa privacy dashboard and set recordings to auto-delete. Physical mic mute is available.
No eero built-in (unlike Echo Show 15) — still requires a separate Wi-Fi router.

What Real Buyers Are Saying

What buyers love

"The Echo Show 8 (3rd Gen) is the Alexa-powered smart display to get if you want a larger display but not one that's too large for your kitchen or bedroom."
Source: Tom's Guide reviewer

"The centered camera means you look right at the screen during video calls instead of slightly off to the right. Sounds minor but makes a real difference."
Source: Tom's Guide reviewer

"Full-screen ads with the 'sponsored' tag are now appearing between my photos in Frame mode. I didn't buy this to watch ads."
Source: Amazon reviewer

"Even 15 feet away, the auto-framing camera kept me in the shot and followed me around the room."
Source: Tom's Guide reviewer

Common complaints

Full-screen sponsored ads interrupt Photo Frame…

Full-screen sponsored ads interrupt Photo Frame mode and content browsing — it's gotten noticeably worse since 2024 and feels like a billboard I paid for

Source: Amazon reviewer / r/alexa

Display resolution is adequate but not…

Display resolution is adequate but not impressive — text and images look slightly soft compared to tablet-class screens at this price

Source: TechRadar reviewer

Alexa still makes comprehension errors on…

Alexa still makes comprehension errors on complex or multi-part commands — smart home reliability is strong but natural language stumbles

Source: Amazon reviewer

No eero built-in like the Echo…

No eero built-in like the Echo Show 15 — missed integration opportunity at this price

Source: Tom's Guide reviewer

ClearPick Verdict

The Echo Show 8 (3rd Gen) is the right size and price for most households — the centered camera, built-in Zigbee/Matter/Thread hub, and faster processor are genuine upgrades that make it the best Amazon smart display for the money. The growing intrusion of full-screen sponsored ads is a real and worsening nuisance Amazon controls via OTA updates. Buy it knowing you're getting a capable smart home hub that also serves as an ad surface.

Amazon Echo Show 8 (3rd Gen, 2023)

✅ What Works

⚠️ Worth Knowing

What Real Buyers Are Saying

What buyers love

Common complaints

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