Echo Show 5 (3rd Gen) Review
A smart display that's part alarm clock, part kitchen sous-chef, part video-call screen.
It's the smart alarm clock that quietly took over the nightstand. The Echo Show 5 does the small stuff well for not much money, and most people won't need anything fancier.
What the Echo Show 5 (3rd Gen) actually is
Picture an Echo Dot with a 5.5-inch touchscreen bolted on top, and you've basically got it. This is Amazon's entry-level smart display, the cheapest way into the Show lineup, and it lives almost entirely on bedside tables and kitchen counters. Pricing floats roughly in the $60 to $90 range, dropping hard during Prime Day and Black Friday.
The third-gen version is an iterative update, not a reinvention. Amazon tuned the speaker for clearer mids and more bass than the second gen, added a smarter adaptive display that dims at night, and kept the same small footprint. The screen is fine for glanceable info. It is not a movie screen, and you shouldn't expect it to be.
How it performs day to day
The alarm clock job is where this thing earns its keep. Tap-to-snooze, a gentle sunrise-style wake routine, and a screen that actually shows the time at a readable size beat fumbling for your phone at 6 a.m. Owners consistently say it replaced their old clock radio and never went back.
In the kitchen it's a capable sous-chef. Set multiple timers, follow a recipe, glance at the weather, ask a quick conversion question while your hands are covered in flour. Alexa handles all of that without complaint. Voice recognition is solid even with the tap running nearby.
Video calls work through the 2MP camera, which is serviceable for chatting with family and not much else. Don't expect crisp footage. The bigger catch is there's no physical shutter on the camera, only a software mic/camera off button and a privacy slider, so the genuinely camera-shy may prefer to stick the camera toward a wall.
Audio is the pleasant surprise. The single speaker won't fill a living room, but for podcasts, news briefings, and background music in a small room, it sounds noticeably better than its size suggests. Sound quality is the headline upgrade over the previous model.
The good and the annoying
On the plus side: it's cheap, it's small, the new speaker is genuinely better, and Alexa's smart-home control is mature. If you already own Echo devices, recipes, routines, and intercom features all slot right in. The adaptive brightness means it won't blast your face at 2 a.m.
The downsides are real. The screen is low resolution and the camera is weak, so this is a poor choice for serious video calling or watching anything longer than a recipe clip. Amazon's ads and constant suggestions on the home screen irritate plenty of owners, though you can trim some of that in settings. And Alexa, frankly, has felt stagnant lately while Google and the new AI assistants race ahead.
Who should buy it, who should skip it
Buy it if you want a smart alarm clock and kitchen helper for cheap, or if you're already in the Alexa ecosystem and want to add a screen to a bedroom or counter. It's also a sensible, low-stakes gift.
Skip it if you care about video call quality or want to actually watch shows. For that, spend up on the Echo Show 8, which gives you a bigger, sharper screen, a far better camera with auto-framing, and stereo sound. And if you're a Google Home household, the Echo Show 5 won't play nicely with your setup.
The verdict
The Echo Show 5 (3rd Gen) is the right amount of smart display for the right amount of money. It is the budget pick, and it knows it. Wait for a sale, set your expectations at the bedside table rather than the home theater, and it's an easy recommendation.
Frequently asked questions
- Is the Echo Show 5 (3rd Gen) worth it over the 2nd Gen?
- If you're buying new, yes, especially on sale. The main upgrade is clearer, fuller sound. The screen and camera are essentially unchanged, so 2nd-gen owners don't need to rush to upgrade.
- Can you watch Netflix or video on the Echo Show 5?
- You can watch Prime Video and some streaming clips, but Netflix support is limited and the 5.5-inch low-res screen is too small for comfortable viewing. For real video, get the larger Echo Show 8.
- Does the Echo Show 5 have a camera cover?
- There's no physical sliding shutter like the Show 8. You get a software mic/camera off button and a built-in privacy slider, but security-minded users may want to angle the camera away when not in use.
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