WebUser – 21 August 2019

24 21 Aug - 3 Sept 2019

Product Test Amazon Echo Show 5

In manyways, theEcho

Show 5 is nothing special.

It sounds acceptable, but

its microphone array isn’t

very responsive and its

smart display does nothing

more than those of its

predecessors. It’s

essentially the same device

but smaller.What it does

do, however, is bring the

price of smart displays

downto an affordable

level. At £79.99, even

with its limitations, the

Echo Show 5 is asteal.

Amazon Echo Show 5

PRODUCT INFO

Amazon Echo

Show 5

Price: £79.99

Buy from Amazon:

bit.ly/echo482

SPECIFICATIONS

■MediaTek MT 8163 processor

■5.5intouchscreen

■1-megapixel camera with720p HD

videorecording and built-incover

■Dual-band 802.11a/b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi

■Bluetooth

■148 x 86 x 73 mm

■410g

■1-yearwarranty

FOR

✓Great price

✓Privacy shield on camera

✓All thefeatures of the Show 2 in

a smaller package

AGAINST

✗Mediocre audio quality

✗Disappointing microphone

sensitivity

OUR VERDICT

FEATURES HHHHH

PERFORMANCE HHHHH

EASE OF USE HHHHH

VALUE FOR MONEY HHHHH

The Echo Show 5 has all the features of its bigger siblings in a

cheaper and more compact package

Microphone quality isa

mixed bag, however.The

Show 5 has a pair of

microphones on itstop edge,

between the mute and

volume buttons.Witha

moderate level of background

noise,wefound the mics

disappointingly unresponsive.

While the Show 5responded

reliablytothe Alexawake

wordatcloserange (uptoa

metre-and-a-halfawayat

conversationalvolume)we

hadtoraise ourvoices

block using a privacy shield

• aswitch that physically
  covers and disconnects the
  camera.The smallrectangular
  screenatthe front is angled
  back slightly, and afabric-
  covered wedgeattherear
  houses the speaker driver and
  othercomponents.The Show
  5’s big party trick, however, is
  its price,which is a barely
  believable £79.99.
  Amazon hasn’t done much
  toimprovetherepertoire of
  its onscreen display since the
  firstEcho Show launched two
  years ago.Bynow it should
  beresplendent with
  information on whatever
  you’vecommanded ittodo,
  but it’s rather disappointing. It
  can play video clips and
  Amazon Prime movies, but it
  doesvery little whileyou’re
  using services that lack video,
  such asradiostreaming.

Performance

The interface has been

updated slightly, however.

Swipe left on thetouchscreen

and a new panel appears with

shortcutsto corefeatures–

Communicate, Smart Home,

Music,Video,Routines and

Alarms – aswell as a selection

of “Discover Alexa” cardsto

help getyou started.

The Echo Show 5 isa

compact speaker, which is

usually bad newsfor sound

quality. Surprisingly, though,

it’s pleasanttolisten toat

mediumtolowvolume

levels. Radiovoices sound

balanced and full-bodied,

whetheryou’re listeningto

the cricket on BBC Radio 5

Live Sports Extra oryour

favourite podcast, and ifyou

turn up thevolume, the Show

5 can fill a medium-sized

room with sound.

noticeably whenwe weretwo

metresawayor more.

This means that although

its finefor use as a bedside

clock or desk speaker, the

Show 5 isn’t the best option

for noisier environments.

While using the device ona

kitchen table,wefoundwe

hadtorepeat“Alexa” and

raise ourvoices more often

thanwedo with theEcho

Show 2, which has an array

of eight microphones that

faceforwards.

T

heEcho Show 5 is

the 13th member of

Amazon’sEchorange.

In effect, it’s a smallerversion

of thecompany’s £220Echo

Show 2 (reviewed in Issue

468,bit.ly/webuser468). It

offers most of the same

features and functions as

that speaker and, like any

otherEcho, letsyou control

it usingyourvoice.

Amazon has crammed a lot

into the Show 5’scompact,

alarm clock-sized body,

including a bright, clear 5.5in

touchscreen, a surprisingly

powerful speaker, a twin

far-field microphone array

and a camerafor making

video calls, whichyou can

The Show 5’s big party trick is its price,

which is a barely believable £79.99.