Amazon launches Echo Show 8 in India

Amazon has launched its mid-range Echo Show 8 in the Indian market. The Echo Show 8 is priced at INR 8,999 and will go on sale starting February 26, although you could pre-order it right now.

As you can guess from the name, the Echo Show 8 has an 8-inch display, which slots neatly in between the Echo Show 5 and the larger 10-inch Echo Show. The display also has a higher 1280x800 resolution, which is same as the more expensive Echo Show and higher compared to the 960x480 display on the Echo Show 5.

Apart from the display, the Echo Show 8 also has dual 2-inch speakers with 10W per channel output. These might not be as good as those on the Echo Show, which also has Dolby audio processing but would certainly beat the single 1.65-inch speaker on the Echo Show 5. The Echo Show 8 has the same 1MP camera on the front as the Echo Show 5 for video calls and there's a mechanical shutter to cover for when you're not using it.

The Echo Show 8 competes squarely against the Google Nest Hub, which was launched last year. The Echo Show is slightly cheaper than the INR 9,999 price on the on the Nest Hub and the latter also lacks a camera for video calls. But while the Echo Show 8 can play videos from Amazon Prime Video, the Nest Hub has the all-important YouTube support as well as Chromecast integration.

The Echo Show 8 will be available in two colors - Black and White.