What Can You Do With Echo Show 5

Of all the various Alexa devices, none seems then misunderstood as the lowly Echo Show 5, which Amazon updated last week with a amend camera and another color selection -- blue ($85 when not on auction -- a $5 subtract from the previous generation; information technology'due south £75 in the UK and currently unavailable in Australia). It's hundred-to-one even the new chameleon-skinned Echo Prove Kids ($95 when not on sale) volition exist plenty to elevate Amazon's 5-inch smart display much beyond an afterthought in the minds of the Alexa faithful. And that'southward a shame.

Similar

• Sounds as good every bit Echo Dot
• Perfect as a modest photo frame
• Can read time and atmospheric condition at a distance
• Frequent discounts

Don't Similar

• Updated camera still subpar at 2 megapixels
• Inexplicably removed aux port
• Video calls aren't great

It's not the Show 5's fault -- its much bigger sibling, the midsized Repeat Bear witness 8, and its even larger kin, the whirly, twirly Echo Bear witness 10, both easily (and justifiably) hog all the Alexa limelight. And then, of course, there'due south the competition -- Google's slightly bigger vii-inch Nest Hub, with its dazzling screen and more than intuitive smart home controls. The but other, similar device that the Repeat Prove 5 clearly outshines is the even more maligned Lenovo Smart Clock, which relies on Google Assistant and can't fifty-fifty play videos (although, to be fair, who would want to on such a small screen?).

Which is why, to get a sense of the cellphone-sized Echo Show five'southward true value, it needs to be pulled out of the smart screen lineup that includes Echo Shows and Nest Hubs and placed alongside smart speakers, like the Echo Dot, Dot with Clock and Google's Nest Mini. If you lot're in the marketplace for a full-featured smart screen -- for your kitchen, say, to look for recipes and make video calls -- you tin become alee and dismiss the Echo Evidence five out of paw. A bigger screen with a better camera volition be worth spending a little more if you lot're going to use it a lot.

But if you're thinking about adding relatively cheap Alexa access to 1 or more rooms -- and accept been eyeing a fourth-gen Echo Dot -- there'southward a compelling case to be made for getting an Echo Testify 5 instead.

The first Echo Show Kids, based on the Show 5, comes with a "chameleon" skinned speaker enclosure and matching digital clock face.

Dale Smith/CNET

Minimal updates brand 1st gen a great value

First, allow'southward manipulate with the updates Amazon made to the second-generation Repeat Prove five (I'll get to the Kids model in a bit). The takeaway hither is that the updates are so minimal, the best matter to come out of the second-gen Echo Bear witness 5 will likely exist the long tail of smashing discounts you'll find on remaining first-gen devices.

The nigh significant alter is in the camera -- it's been bumped from 1 to 2 megapixels. While that represents a doubling of operation, it'south still a camera spec you'd detect on decade-old flip phones.

The Echo Prove 5 now also comes in blue, but -- to exist brutally honest -- information technology's an awful shade of navy blue. Information technology's so dark, in fact, I didn't realize the test device Amazon sent was really a blue ane until a practiced hour or so after I set information technology upward.

This photograph, taken with the updated Echo Show 5's new 2-megapixel photographic camera, has been cropped but is otherwise unaltered.

Dale Smith/CNET

But that's information technology. Oh, except there's no longer a stereo out (aka, aux) port on the back, which to be even more brutally honest, just makes the value of the first-gen Testify 5 go up even farther, if you e'er program to plug it into a traditional stereo arrangement.

What the Echo Testify 5 gets correct

I more fourth dimension -- if you lot care nigh photographic camera specs, for whatsoever reason, get a better device. Just if y'all don't -- if y'all just want another smallish Alexa speaker in your house, instead of an Repeat Dot or Repeat Dot with Clock, you lot should consider getting an Repeat Show 5, peculiarly if you tin score one for under $50. That'south the everyday retail price of the Echo Dot when it's not on sale -- the Repeat Dot with Clock will run yous $ten more, at $lx.

For i, both generations of the Echo Show 5 have essentially the same 1.6-inch full-range speaker as quaternary-gen Echo Dots, which is a noticeable improvement over the third-gen Echo Dot's 1.1-inch speaker. The Echo Show v sounds more or less identical to an Echo Dot when playing music and podcasts or even merely Alexa's voice responses.

At present playing: Sentinel this: New Echo Show 5 rests on the first edition's honour

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While both the third- and quaternary-gen full-sized Amazon Echo do sound better with their 3-inch woofers and 0.8-inch tweeters, those bigger Alexa speakers typically control twice the toll of the Echo Dot, whether on sale or not (at which point there'south an equally compelling case for the Echo Evidence 8, but that'south some other story).

Basically, you get sound quality that's just equally adept, plus a 5-inch screen and a camera.

Simply what if you don't want a camera?

Fair enough -- some people are (justifiably) sketched out by an ever-on smart device with a camera. Amazon seems to know this, so the 2nd-gen Echo Show 5 has a concrete camera shutter, simply like the first one (the camera also has a software impale switch that activates when the microphone is muted).

Yous tin can view the video feed from a linked camera like the Wyze Cam v3 on your Echo Bear witness five brandish.

Wyze

But that camera can do more than than accept selfies -- thanks to a recent firmware update, you can now enable Home Monitoring, which lets you view your Echo Show camera feed from a mobile device. Sort of similar a security camera, simply you can't record or salve video to the cloud.

And speaking of security -- that screen can be linked with a bona fide security camera, similar those from Amazon-endemic Ring or certain tertiary-party device makers similar Wyze. So, you tin check your security camera feed from your bedside device when things go bump in the night. But that's not all the Echo Show 5's screen is good for.

The Show 5's screen is pocket-sized simply not useless

The Echo Testify 5 may have a screen most the size of your smartphone -- maybe even a little smaller -- merely that doesn't mean information technology'due south not good for a few things your smartphone isn't. It works great equally a photo frame -- all you have to practice is link Amazon Photos (free for Prime members) and yous can sync whatever photos you desire from your phone to your Echo device.

Fifty-fifty if all yous use it for is to display the time and weather forecast, the Repeat Bear witness v is better than having no screen at all.

Dale Smith/CNET

Sure, the photos are pocket-size, but it'south nonetheless really nice to take an e'er-rotating serial of pictures of family and friends on your desk, nightstand or accent table. You're only going to expect for a second or two anyway -- it's not like the experience would be a lot better in Hard disk drive.

Fifty-fifty if you don't want to utilize an Repeat Show five every bit a digital photograph frame, if nothing else, the 5-inch brandish offers enough of room to see the fourth dimension and weather data it can display -- fifty-fifty from beyond the room.

If yous accept the choice between the Echo Dot (or Repeat Dot with Clock) and the identical-sounding Echo Show 5 for roughly the same price (merely with a screen!) why not become with the screen? For all of the quality-of-life improvement introduced with the Echo Dot with Clock, at the cease of the day it'southward nonetheless a dinky little LED display (that doesn't even tell you lot the atmospheric condition).

The "chameleon" skinned Echo Show Kids actually looks pretty neat.

Dale Smith/CNET

Echo Prove Kids is in a category of its ain

Although Amazon'southward Kids devices see less frequent discounts than the regular Echo smart speakers and displays, the example for buying an Echo Bear witness Kids is like. There'due south already an Echo Dot refashioned as Echo Kids ($60 full retail), which comes dressed up like either a tiger or a panda bear with a complimentary year of Amazon Kids Plus (a $36 value, at $three per month). The Kids Plus service delivers child-oriented stories, games and educational programing and is included with the Echo Evidence Kids ($95 full retail) also. (Information technology's not even so available in the Great britain or Australia.)

The Repeat Show Kids currently but comes in 1 skin -- a chameleon design with a corresponding clock face that actually matches really well, despite the device's monstrous bezels. For all Kids-branded devices, Amazon doubles its usual warranty period to two years and adds coverage for accidental breakage, so if that screen always does intermission (in the first two years), Amazon will supervene upon it, no questions asked.

Granted, without the kind of discounts Amazon routinely offers on other Echo devices, it's a much bigger step up from the $60 Kids smart speaker to the $95 Kids smart display, but the investment volition pay dividends when you encounter how much more engaged your kid may exist with the extra visual element.

Yous would hardly be able to tell the difference between this first-gen Repeat Show 5 and the updated 2d-gen device.

Tyler Lizenby/CNET

Ultimately, get whichever generation is on sale

This is the commencement Echo Show 5 to offer a Kids edition, so unfortunately in that location's no first-gen to continue sale. But permit me let you lot in on a niggling secret -- you tin can turn any Echo device into an Echo Kids device by simply swiping down from the tiptop of the screen, borer Settings and so FreeTime (that'due south what Kids Plus used to exist chosen) and toggling the characteristic on.

Granted, y'all won't go the gratis year of Kids Plus or an extra warranty, nor volition your device suddenly turn into a tiger, panda or chameleon on the outside. Merely in all other respects -- the kid-friendly clock faces, parental controls -- you'll accept a Kids edition. And if you can score a first-gen for more than $36 less than the Echo Show Kids, well -- you tin can utilize the savings to subscribe to Kids Plus for a year and nevertheless come up out ahead (or don't -- and relieve all the money).

But if you don't have kids (or do, only no interest in a Kids edition Echo Show), you should start watching the price of the original Echo Show five similar a hawk. With Prime Solar day simply around the corner, it's nigh guaranteed to drop in cost, possibly below even the electric current offer of $45 (at time of publication).

Before the most recent update, the first-gen Echo Show five was already a viable alternative (and improvement!) to the Echo Dot or Dot with Clock. At present it'south practically a no-brainer.

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Source: https://www.cnet.com/home/smart-home/amazon-echo-show-5-2nd-gen-review-still-better-than-an-echo-dot/

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