Amazon Echo Show 5 (2023, 3rd gen) review: Smart Alarm Clock

Amazon originally launched its smallest Echo Show smart display in 2019 and has released a new model every two years since. Intended as a sort of smart alarm clock for your bedside table, it can show a lot more information than, say, an Echo Dot with Clock.

It isn’t simply a scaled down version of Amazon’s bigger smart displays though and has a couple of limitations that could prove to be deal-breakers.

Design & build

• 5.5in screen
• Rounded corners
• Charcoal, White & Cloud Blue colours

At a glance, there isn’t much difference between any of the Echo Show 5 generations. This latest model rounds off the corners of both the device itself and the screen, giving it a softer appearance.

Only the Charcoal model has a black bezel around the screen. Choose White or Cloud Blue (a much lighter shade than Deep Sea blue on the 2^nd-gen) and it will have a white bezel.

The rear, as ever, is covered in fabric and hides the upwards-firing speaker that Amazon says has better voice clarity and deeper bass than the 2^nd-gen Echo Show 5, reviewed. That’s a good thing because audio quality was one of the main criticisms levelled at that device.

Jim Martin / Foundry

I like that Amazon has updated the volume buttons to match the + and – symbols found on the latest Echo smart speakers because it’s now possible to feel which is which. That’s a problem with the older Echo Show 5 (and Echo Show 15) because there’s no distinction between their circular buttons.

The only connector is for power: there’s no microUSB port any more. That’s no problem as the port on older Echo Show 5s was for a USB-to-Ethernet adapter which I’ll bet virtually no-one used.

Jim Martin / Foundry

The 5.5in screen is the same size as before, but the difference here is that it’s able to dim a lot more and not disturb your sleep as some owners found the first- and second-gen models could.

Colours, contrast and viewing angles are great.

Jim Martin / Foundry

Features

• 2Mp camera
• Tap to snooze
• Privacy shutter

There’s a camera built into the front of the Echo Show 5 which you can use for Alexa calling (video calls to other Echo Shows), but it can also double as a kind of security camera, albeit one that only lets you view live video.

It would be useful for checking what’s happening in the room when you’re not home (or just in another room) but the fact the screen is tilted back means you get a great view of the ceiling but nothing of the floor or first few feet. You can at least hear what’s happening thanks to the built-in mics.

Jim Martin / Foundry

When using the Echo Show 5 for video calls, I missed the ‘stay in frame’ feature from the Echo Show 8 that keeps you in view even if you move around. In fact, I had to move further away from the camera than expected to avoid the top of my head being chopped off by the fixed angle.

Since it’s designed for bedroom use, it’s good there’s a shutter which you can slide in front of the camera to completely block its view. Amazon says it also electronically disables the camera too.

Jim Martin / Foundry

There are three microphones – one more than on the 2^nd-gen Echo Show 5 – which are meant to help Alexa hear you better but I couldn’t tell the difference. Alexa certainly responded reliably when I said the wake word.

Night mode isn’t exclusive to the 3^rd-gen Echo Show 5, as it’s available on the previous generations too. It removes all distractions from the screen and shows just the clock in a red font so you can check it if you wake up in the middle of the night.

Jim Martin / Foundry

When your morning alarm sounds you can tap the top to snooze, but there’s no setting to change this to stop the alarm instead.

During the day you’ll probably use the screen for information more than anything else, but it’s just about big enough to appreciate photos from Amazon Photos. It’s probably not the sort of device you’d watch shows on from Amazon Prime Video, and I certainly wouldn’t want to watch a movie on it. The screen is smaller than most phones’.

Jim Martin / Foundry

Because of this, it’s not such a deal-breaker that Netflix has disappeared. It’s available on older Echo Show 5s, but for some reason it isn’t on this latest one.

Unlike an Amazon Fire TV Stick, you can’t install apps on an Echo Show, so you’re stuck with what it comes with or what you can get in a web browser. Ask Alexa to open YouTube, for example, and the web browser will pop up and load the YouTube website.

Sound quality

The single 1.75in speaker does sound better than the previous Echo Show 5’s same-sized woofer. No-one would say it sounds impressive but it does have more bass and voices are, as promised, clearer.

This makes it good for hearing Alexa’s responses as well as listening to the radio or podcasts. It’s even acceptable for watching the odd video.

You can, as with all Echo devices, pair Bluetooth headphones to listen with better quality and without disturbing anyone else.

It’s also possible to pair a Bluetooth speaker for better sound quality

Price & availability

You can buy an Echo Show 5 3^rd-gen right now from Amazon for $89.99 in the US and £89.99 in the UK.

As ever, you can also buy them elsewhere, including Best Buy and Target in the US and John Lewis and Currys in the UK.

That’s $5 more than the previous model in the UK and £15 more in the UK.

However, you can still buy the second-gen Echo Show 5 from retailers that still have stock and it costs a lot less than it did when it launched. For example, it was just $42.99 from Best Buy and £49.99 from Argos at the time of writing, but if you want to grab one of these bargains, you should be quick because they won’t be around for long.

The latest Echo Show 5 also comes in a Kids Edition that has a playful galaxy print on its fabric and includes a year’s access to Amazon Kids+ and the same two-year warranty that you get with a Fire tablet Kids Edition which covers accidental damage. This version is $99.99 in the US and £99.99 in the UK. That’s a great deal for just £10 more.

But it is worth knowing that you can make a regular Echo Show 5 3^rd-gen child friendly by enabling the kids mode in the settings.

Verdict

The 3^rd-gen Echo Show 5 is a great smart alarm clock to put by your bed for those who want a screen to show photos, the odd video and – mostly – visual information. Maybe even to control your smart home devices.

Jim Martin / Foundry

It’s a bit frustrating that Netflix isn’t supported when it has been on Amazon’s smallest smart display in the past. However, video doesn’t really make sense on a screen this small.

Those who dislike devices with screens and cameras would be better off with an Echo Dot 5 with clock: it’s cheaper, has a useful clock display and just about goes dim enough to sleep next to.

An alternative would be to use the Echo Show 5 in a kitchen, but the Echo Show 8, 10 and especially 15 are arguably more suitable with their larger screens which make it easier to see detail from a distance, whether checking the weather forecast or following a recipe.

Amazon isn’t the only brand to make these sorts of devices, of course. And you’ll find alternatives and our recommendations for others in our roundup of the best smart displays.

Specs

• 5.5in, 960 x 480-pixel screen
• 1.75in speaker
• 2Mp camera with shutter
• 147 x 82 x 91 mm
• 456g
• 802.11ac Wi-Fi
• Bluetooth
• MediaTek MT 8169 B processor
• One-year warranty