Amazon Echo Show 5 reviews: Smaller and cheaper, but is it really smarter?

Amazon simply can not stop making smart speakers.

There is now a smart music creator for all tastes, sizes, and budgets, such as Echo Input, starting at £ 35.

But Amazon clearly wants his fans to have more choice and has recently launched his latest device called Echo Show 5.

This smart device brings your home a speaker and a mini-screen without taking too much money out of your bank account.

So far, buying the original Echo Show on screen would have cost over £ 215, but Amazon's latest addition is available for a fraction of that price.

For under £ 80, you get a smart device powered by Alexa that not only answers your questions, but also displays a wealth of information on its 5.5 inch screen.

You will receive notifications, news clips and your daily newspaper, all of which will be revealed on the screen, which will certainly add a useful extra dimension to this gadget.

It is also possible to watch movies, view recipes and view the latest news reports. It also has a tiny camera that allows users to make and receive video calls.

Amazon is also smart enough because, unlike some previous Echo, there is a small switch that can cover the camera if you are concerned about privacy.

Another nice feature of the screen is the ability to display at any time a digital clock with many styles and even family photos available to integrate to your home.

For your daily music, there are impressive speakers that broadcast audio at a decent level. You get all the usual smart features, including lighting and heating.

Of course, this is an echo. You have access to millions of songs, playlists and radio stations. The recent addition of the Apple Music service makes these devices even more attractive.

With so many features, Express.co.uk is a big fan of Echo and this new addition to the lineup means that you get an extra bonus from this posting without paying a small fortune to own one.

However, we are not totally sold on Echo Show 5.

Although the screen is practical, the fact that it is so small limits what you can actually do, especially if you compare it to the larger Echo Show of 10.5 inches.

This means that we did not like using this unit in areas such as the kitchen, because the small screen is just too small to be viewed.

So, you will probably have the Show 5 on your desk or bedside table where it will work very well.

But its design is just not as cute as the Echo Spot smart clock and we would prefer instead to display this device instead of the new Show 5.

Finally, the sound is no better than the standard echo, currently offered at a much lower price of £ 59.99.

All of this puts the new Show 5 in a strange position with other Amazon products just offering more useful features, lower price and improved design.

VERDICT:

The Echo Show 5 is another excellent smart speaker from Amazon that offers a host of features at an affordable price for most people.

Its small screen brings interesting extras such as viewing content, receiving messages and making video calls.

The fact that it plays the role of a digital clock is also a welcome bonus and its audio quality is good enough to fill a medium-sized room with the latest tracks and your favorite playlists.

However, its screen is not as good as the standard Echo show, its design is not as appealing as the echo and it can not beat the standard echo in terms of sound.

And that means the new Echo Show 5 feels slightly useless.

If you're looking for a smart, small and cheap speaker with a screen, Echo Show 5 is very nice, but we're just not sure if we like it.