Expert Rating

94

If you’re on the market for one of the best smart home devices to bring your smart home appliances together, the Amazon Echo Show 5 is waiting for you. This compact home device is surprisingly powerful for its size and packing oodles of features from streaming television to answer calls and texts.

Why We Like It – Echo Show 5

The Echo Show 5 is a jack-of-all-trades smart home device that satisfies several necessary needs in one single device.
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  • Has multiple uses
  • Full integration with Alexa
  • Really easy setup

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  • Camera could be better

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Performance

The Echo Show 5 is small in stature, but packing tons of features that beat out the Lenovo Smart Clock. Since it’s a smart speaker, voice controls are possible. Use the Alexa app and simply say Alexa and make hands-free calls or video chat with its 1MB camera.

While you’re cooking, you can stream recipes or Prime Video, watch the clock, or browse with Firefox and Amazon Silk. Its smart alarm clock can be a valuable companion for mornings, much better than the Lenovo Smart Clock. With Alexa integration, it can also pair with other Alexa-supported devices like the Nest Learning Thermostat or other Echo devices like Echo Spot. You can even use its drop-in features for quick calls, enabled through your privacy features.

Design

The Echo Show 5 has a sleek and modern design. With its 5.5-inch smart display, it’s big enough to use as a temporary streaming device or use as a speaker. If you ask Alexa nicely with “Alexa play,” she’ll play music.

Four buttons along the top control volume, mute, and camera shutter. The shutter is special because using it will disable the camera; a useful button to have if you plant it in your bedroom. The power cable, microUSB, and audio out are in the back. Should you wish to pair it with an automated scheduling system, use Gosund’s Smart Plugs Outlet.

Value

It’s clear Amazon really wants to get the Echo Show 5 into homes considering its price. For $70 you can have everything the Echo Show 5 is or, alternatively, you can do monthly payments of $14 over a 5 month period. That’s a killer deal just on its own, not to mention four free months of Amazon Music.

Given how well the Echo Show 5 performs and all of the features it comes packed into its little compact housing, it has stellar value—especially up against the Google Nest Hub. Not to mention the Amazon Alexa integration makes connecting other smart devices a cinch like its cousin, the Amazon Echo Dot.

Echo Show 5 Wrap Up

There’s no doubt about it: the Echo Show 5 is an excellent smart home hub. It’s quite the companion to have around the house, especially if you need to quickly answer calls, answer text messages, or stream a show on the home screen. While its camera is on the weaker side, its integration with Alexa and easy setup makes up for it.

Brady Meyers Avatar