Amazon has announced the launch of its largest-ever Echo smart display, the Echo Show 21. With a 21-inch screen it nearly doubles the viewing space of previous models, at 1080p resolution and better audio quality, Amazon says, adding that camera improvements and a built-in hub to manage your smart home hub with Alexa are included among the new features. The device will retail for $399.99. A next-generation of the Echo Show 15, first released in 2022, will also come to market for $299.99 with a 15-inch screen as well as audio, camera and smart home upgrades.

Amazon’s announcement says the Show 21 is equipped for “delivering immersive sound, double the bass and room adaption technology.” Noise reduction has been improved in the camera as has the automatic framing feature, for better video calls.

Amazon notes the field of view has more than doubled and there is “65 percent more zoom than the first-generation Echo Show 15.”

The Verge reports “the new Echo Show 15 will also get the same audio and camera upgrades” with both devices having the potential to function as smart home hubs. “Wi-Fi 6E, Thread, and Zigbee radios, and Matter Controller capabilities for smart home control” have been added to both,

“These models will also be capable of controlling some devices locally, including lights, switches, and plugs” — functionality first released on the Echo Hub, which launched earlier in the year, The Verge adds.

The Wi-Fi 6E “should help with faster music and video streaming,” explains The Verge, adding that “they can double as Fire TVs and work with Amazon’s Fire TV remote,” which coupled with the smart home features also makes them well-suited for kitchen use.

“If you aren’t familiar with the world of smart displays, think of a smart speaker, but add a screen that can display your smart home devices, let you play music and TV, and make video calls with the built-in camera,” Wired reports.

While expanding the size of the Echo Show devices comes as a bit of a surprise, “especially since the Alexa department is known for having posted massive losses a couple years ago,” Wired points out, “there are rumors of a mountable Apple TV screen, so perhaps a new massive Echo Show isn’t so out of the blue.”