Amazon Echo Show 5 Review: Smart Display with Big Sound
The Amazon Echo Show 5 (Newest Model) is a compact yet powerful smart display designed to fit seamlessly into your home. With its 5.5-inch screen, improved audio, and integration with Alexa, it promises to enhance your smart home experience. But does it live up to the expectations? Let’s dive into the features, performance, and potential drawbacks of this smart device.
Features and Design
The Echo Show 5 boasts a 5.5-inch display perfect for viewing news updates, weather forecasts, or even monitoring your compatible cameras. Its compact size makes it ideal for kitchens, bedrooms, or small spaces. The built-in camera allows for video calls, and the slideshow feature is a great way to display your favorite photos. Amazon also emphasizes privacy, with a physical camera shutter and multiple layers of privacy controls.
Performance and Audio
This newest model delivers twice the bass and clearer vocals, making it a noticeable upgrade in sound quality. It’s great for streaming music, podcasts, or shows from providers like Amazon Music, Spotify, and Prime Video. However, some users have noted a decline in voice recognition accuracy, especially from across the room.
Smart Home Integration
The Echo Show 5 excels in smart home control, allowing you to manage lights, thermostats, and other devices. However, its heavy reliance on internet connectivity can be a drawback. For tasks like running automated routines with multiple steps, any interruption in the internet can cause programs to fail. A user shared their experience of using the Echo Show 5 to control a kitchen distiller, highlighting the frustration of incomplete routines due to connectivity issues.
Matter and Thread Compatibility
While the Echo Show 5 supports Matter over Thread, its implementation feels incomplete compared to competitors. Features like selecting a primary Matter hub or ensuring local control of Thread-based devices aren’t yet available. This reliance on the cloud rather than local processing could hinder its utility in fully smart homes.
Rating: ★★★☆☆ (3/5)
Pros and Cons
Pros:
Compact, stylish design
Improved audio quality with deeper bass
Built-in camera for video calls and home monitoring
Versatile smart home controls
Cons:
Limited local processing; relies heavily on internet connectivity
Declining voice recognition performance
Incomplete Matter over Thread support
For its price, the Echo Show 5 offers solid functionality but falls short in addressing issues critical to advanced smart home users. If you’re looking for a dependable smart display for basic tasks, it’s worth considering. For those who prioritize seamless automation and advanced features, it might be worth waiting for future updates.