Amazon Echo Show 5 (2019)

“Amazon’s Echo Show 5 is so much more than a smart alarm clock.”

Excellent price ; Powerful speakers for the size ; New dashboard and smart home controls

Some features really need a search option ; Needs multiple settings for proper night control

Basically a shrunken Echo Show, the new Echo Show 5 is far easier to place than its big brother, making it the ideal bedside companion or just for use where you don't have a lot of room. The new interface is largely a success and the smart home...

Low, low price Integrated how-to videos Camera shutter

Low resolution No YouTube app Frustrating UI

The usefulness of Alexa, and integration with WikiHow, is enough to justify the low price of the Echo Show 5, even if the lack of some features grates on us. This isn’t quite the definitive smart display, but it is one we can imagine in a lot of...

Sub-£100 price tag ; Plays video ; Surprisingly loud ; Works brilliantly as an alarm clock ; Visual element improves many Alexa skills

Resolution isn’t great ; Won’t do your music library justice ; Alexa can be temperamental

Aa great alarm clock and a feature-packed smart display that’s already a bargain

Great price ; Privacy shield on camera ; All the features of the Show 2 in a smaller package

So-so audio quality ; Disappointing microphone sensitivity

In many ways, the Echo Show 5 isn’t anything particularly special, then. It sounds okay, but its microphone array isn’t great and it doesn’t move the smart display paradigm on significantly over the Echo Show 2. It’s essentially the same device, just...

The Echo Show 5 is a competent device. But Amazon needs to figure out what it is.