Rating: 4
Author: Paul Lamkin

The best small screen smart display just got better

The Echo Show 5 (3rd-gen) isn't designed to be a smart home hub, a dedicated speaker or even a video player like some of its bigger siblings; it's place is on a desk, kitchen sideboard or bedside cabinet, acting as an Alexa assistant with some visuals thrown into the mix. It's not a great leap from the 2nd-gen model in terms of features of quality but it takes its predecessors place as the best small smart display that money can buy. And not much money either; it's the cheapest Echo screen speaker.

Pros

Better design
Great price-point
Matter controller
Faster Alexa
Awesome alarm clock skills

Cons

No Thread
Display is average
No Netflix
No 3.5mm aux-out

Key features

Connectivity: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth
Ecosystems: Alexa, Matter

(Image credit: The Ambient)

The cheapest Echo with a screen, the 3rd-generation Amazon Echo Show 5 is designed to be the ideal bedside, office or kitchen companion with the Alexa voice assistant built-in.

Refreshed for 2023, the 3nd-gen Show 5 still does its main job well, but minor upgrades mean there’s no reason to ditch your 2nd-gen Show 5 for this model, although it is now the perfect pick for anyone looking to enter the smart display category.

Google hasn’t updated the similarly-size Nest Hub since the latest model went live in 2021 and the next step up in the Show range is the all new Echo Show 8, announced in September 2023, is double the price, and there’s further leaps in size and cost to the Show 10 and the Show 15.

We’ve been living with the Echo Show 5 third-gen for a few weeks now, read on for our full review.

Design and build

Curvier form factor
Newly shaped buttons
Same display as 2nd-gen

There isn’t a massive departure, design wise, from the 2nd-gen Echo Show 5 to the new 3rd-gen 2023 model; but then again there wasn’t a big leap from gen-1 to gen-2 either.

What I would say is that it’s a bit curvier and less bulky, although I’d stop short of describing it as ‘cute’ because I’m not a weirdo.

(Image credit: The Ambient)

The big, chunky bezel is still here, wrapped around the 5.5-inch screen, with its slightly-unimpressive 960 x 480-pixel touchscreen.

That sort of resolution would be sneered at for a 5.5-inch smartphone but it doesn’t really matter too much with the Show 5, although I would have hoped for a boost as this is essentially the exact same display as its predecessor – and that came out over 2 years ago.

There’s still a privacy shutter for the camera and the Show 5 retains that cubic-shaped rear that houses the speaker, although the lines are less sharp on this new redesign.

(Image credit: The Ambient)

The most significant alteration lies in the top buttons. In previous models, the mute and volume buttons were circular, featuring icons printed on their surfaces. However, with the 3rd-gen Show 5, the volume controls are represented by large ‘+’ and ‘-‘ shaped buttons, while the mute button is represented by a circle with a line through it.

This tweak enhances the tactile experience of the buttons, even though their functionality remains unchanged.

Amazon killed the 3.5mm audio jack for music output on the last Show 5 and there’s no return for it here sadly; and they’ve also done away with the USB-C charging port, so there’s no smartphone charging from the device now.

Available in charcoal, cloud blue, and white, there’s also a Kids variant of the Show 5, which adds a space theme to the display’s rear and promotes Alexa’s array of child-friendly features.

In everyday use

Camera for video calling and security features
Advanced alarm clock features
Touch screen smart home widgets

Powered by Amazon’s voice assistant, Alexa, the Echo Show 5 is packed with a wide range of voice driven capabilities, which I don’t really need to go into here.

If you’re looking for specific information as to what Alexa offers you check out some of our key Alexa guides:

With the latest Show 5 Amazon has bumped up the number of microphones from two to three, claiming it helps the device hear voice commands better. But honestly, I haven’t really noticed a big improvement in voice quality, and the 2nd-gen model worked just fine for me.

The latest Show 5 now boasts Amazon’s AZ2 Neural Edge processor, which is intended to make the Echo Show 5 handle more voice commands without needing to send them to the cloud. In theory, this should make Alexa respond faster but, again, it’s not dramatically different for anyone thinking of upgrading from the 2nd-gen Show 5.

Amazon tells this new processor is 20% faster than the one in the previous Echo Show 5. That does translate to quicker screen responses, especially when swiping down to control smart home stuff or jumping into videos.

I still really like how you can use touch controls alongside voice commands. For example, I can use my voice to turn on lights and then tweak the brightness using the on-screen controls.

(Image credit: The Ambient)

It’s not quite the smart home hub that the bigger screen Show 15 is (nor the incoming Echo Hub, of course) but it is easy enough to drag down and control some of your connected home tech.

Personally, I just leave the screen itself to rotate through a few things during the day; the weather, headlines, calendar updates, sports scores and the like – you can control what cycles on the homescreen in the settings (annoyingly, Amazon adds new categories all the time and they are switched on by default).

(Image credit: The Ambient)

You can also set up the Show 5 to sync with your photos, or use artworks to create slideshows and have it act as a digital frame.

The size and design of the Echo Show 5 make it ideal as a bedside alarm clock. If you’re still rocking an old-skool LED alarm clock by your bed, the Show 5 represents a superb upgrade.

You can set and control alarms directly from the device, using touch or your voice. Then dismiss or snooze them with a tap or a command.

If you want to get fancy you can set up Alexa Routines to trigger when you dismiss an alarm. This can let you choose to have Alexa read you the headlines, gradually brighten your smart lights, raise your smart blinds, set your smart thermostat to the right temperature, then start playing your favorite radio station, all with just one word from you or a tap on the screen.

We also really like the sunrise effect, which gradually brightens the display starting 15 minutes before any alarm set between 4am and 9am It’s a gentle way to start waking you up before the alarm goes off.

The tap-to-snooze feature is also a nice addition, giving you an extra 10 mins shut-eye without having to say a word or blearily tap at the screen.

There’s a 2MP webcam built in, which is the same as the previous model. The webcam quality isn’t amazing, and it doesn’t have the fancy people-tracking tech you find in the Echo Show 8 and Echo Show 10.

Like other Show’s it does have the Home Monitoring remote view mode through the Alexa app, which is handy for checking on your home when you’re away, basically turning your smart display into a makeshift smart security camera.

Just keep in mind that the night vision isn’t great, so you’ll need some ambient light for it to be useful.

The Echo Show 5 (3rd Generation) can act as a Matter controller, but it doesn’t have Thread support, so it’s limited to Matter over Wi-Fi. Matter is still in its early stages, but as more Matter devices land, the Echo Show 5 will be able to connect directly to Wi-Fi gadgets for faster control without relying on the cloud.

(Image credit: The Ambient)

Audio and video quality

I’ve mentioned my disappointment already that the display hasn’t been upgraded from the 960 x 480 resolution we had with the 2nd-gen show but, on the whole, the screen is bright screen to show off a good selection of wallpapers and clock faces. The latter of which we opted for, as this device is ideally suited to be a bedside alarm clock.

Where the display falls short is that it’s not really up to scratch for watching videos even though it supports Prime Video.

Netflix is omitted though, which is somewhat surprising given it works on the older model and on other Show devices. And you’ll have to use a browser to watch YouTube on the Echo Show 5, as with all of its stablemates.

The screen can be set to adapt to the brightness of your room, meaning it will dim when the lights go out if you want it to. Although we found it doesn’t quite dim enough if using it as a bedside clock, especially when compared to the Google Nest Hub.

(Image credit: The Ambient)

The speaker situated round the back is pretty impressive. It’s not room-filling but more than pleasant enough to listen to tunes in bed or while working if you pop this on your desk.

Amazon has actually boosted speaker from a 1.6-inch model in the 2021 Show, to a 1.75-inch speaker in this 2023 model, meaning a boost for both volume and bass.

There’s no way you’d want this to be your main speaker for listening to music though and that’s not really what it’s intended for.

It’s plenty loud and clear enough for voice replies, podcasts, radio and calling people though.

If you do listen to music on it though, and you subscribe to Amazon Music, it scrolls the lyrics of the songs on the display, so can double as a fun karaoke machine in a kid’s room.

Final thoughts

The new Echo Show 5 works best when it, and you, want to keep things simple. As a bedside or desk companion it offers you Alexa at a smart price, with some nice visuals beefing up what you’d get from the likes of the Echo Dot or Echo Pop.

And while this smart display can do other stuff, that’s really where it shines. You’re not going to want to watch movies on it, nor stream HD music; you’re going to want to stick to the basics.

Do that and you won’t be disappointed with the all new Show 5.

How we test

When we publish our reviews, you can rest assured that they are the result of “living with” long term tests.

Smart speaker usually live within, or even control, a smart home ecosystem, or a range of products that – supposedly – all work in harmony. Therefore, it’s impossible to use a connected speaker for a week and deliver a verdict.

Because we’re testing smart home kit all day, everyday, we know what matters and how a particular smart speaker compares to alternatives that you might also be considering.

Our reviews are comprehensive, objective and fair and, of course, we are never paid directly to review a device.

Read our review process for smart speakers to learn more.

FAQS

Can you watch Netflix on the Echo Show 5?

Not on the 2023 Echo Show 5 (3rd-gen) model, you’ll need the older model to do that.

Is the Echo Show 5 a Matter controller and Thread border router?

It’s a Matter controller but not currently a Thread border router.

Does the Echo Show 5 have a camera?

Yes, there’s a camera on the front that lets you video call and also acts as a security camera too, so you can see a live feed of your house.

Amazon Echo Show 5 (2023 model, 3rd-generation): Specs

Type	Type and colors
UK RRP	£89.99
US RRP	$89.99
Size	147 mm x 82 mm x 91 mm
Weight	456g
Release date	2023
Ecosystems	Matter, Alexa
Connectivity	Wi-Fi, Bluetooth