Echo Show 5 (Newest gen), Smart display and alarm clock with clearer sound, Cloud blue, with Alexa+ Early Access

We use the Echo Show 5 on the bedside table and I think that is probably one of the best places for it.It works really well as an alarm clock because the screen is small enough not to dominate the room, but still large enough to quickly check the time, weather or an alarm. We also use it as a small music player, and the sound is perfectly good for listening in the bedroom without needing a separate speaker.Being able to set alarms, timers or play music just by speaking is especially convenient when you are already in bed and do not want to reach for your phone.The screen is not large enough for anything serious like watching long videos, but that is not really why we use it. As a compact bedside clock, alarm, music player and Alexa display, it is genuinely useful and does several jobs in one small device.

Been using the Echo Show 5 for a few days now as my bedside smart display and I'm honestly impressed with how much it does for the size. I get i haven't owned it for too long but it genuinely keeps impressing me!First off, big credit to Amazon for including a physical camera shutter. You just slide it across and you know for certain the camera can't see you. No app settings to dig through, no LED to squint at wondering if it's actually off. For something that sits next to your bed all night, that peace of mind is worth a lot.Beyond that it's still a proper Alexa device. Timers, music, smart home controls, calling, all there and working exactly as you'd expect. The screen is quite small, I won't pretend otherwise, but it does the job. Weather at a glance, lyrics while music plays, quick video calls, it handles all of it fine. I wouldn't want to watch films on it but I never bought it for that.Sound quality surprised me too. It's not going to fill a living room but for a bedroom or kitchen counter it's clearer than I expected for something this compact.Pros:Physical camera shutter, simple and actually reassuringFull Alexa functionality, nothing feels stripped backCompact footprint, fits easily on a crowded bedside tableSound is decent for the sizeSetup took under five minutesCons:Screen is small, don't expect tablet-like viewingCamera quality is basic on video calls

Mostly good. Occasional wrong time or date on display. Unplugging and resetting normally overcomes that.

Amazing I have had no issues at all and have been using for about 2 months it’s great value sounds great and is so easy to use and installed very quick

1) It comes with a 22w power adaptor in the box - you don't need to source one.2) The display from a current Ring (wired) doorbell still times out at 10mins - you cannot stream a continuous monitor feed.3) The feed from the Ring doorbell (a 4k unit) only appears as a 4:3 picture and does not fill the screen as shown in the adverts here - it cannot be reconfigured to cure. Pinch & stretch loses the view and resets after the 10min time out... it's far better on an old iPad or smartphone.4) If you go ahead anyway, beware response times are more than twice that for an Echo Dot 2nd gen - using as a countdown timer gives an error of 7½seconds - and doorbell alerts arrive long after the chime unit - we can get up and walk to our front door before the Echo Show 5 (3rd gen) has informed us we have a caller, the picture appears after we close the front door and just showed the back of our retreating visitor....useless, truly useless.5) The improved sound quality isn't. Tested with and without a 3rd party base on various surfaces - it's just far too bass-heavy which impacts useful listening distance. Increasing the volume past ¾ results in an annoying buzz at low frequencies and worse high end distortion.6) Utilising external speakers means mating via bluetooth and a subsequent additional power overhead as well as losing more 'real estate' in the room.7) ... and then there's the adverts - constantly cutting in on the rolling photo display I'd built... a £100 digital photo frame should do better than that ...Amazon have charged me to display their pointless, untargeted adverts - no thank you & reason enough to reject even if all the technical issues could be resolved.On a positive note returns are relatively easy and free - maybe future releases should include a 'no thanks not fit for purpose' button?The time and energy required to process this complete waste of effort riles me.I purchased this unit 'on offer' at just £59.99 (not £99.99 luckily). When I initiated the return I was offered the chance to keep it with just a £10 refund ... does this mean Amazon don't want more back in their warehouse?In short - don't bother

Great device , set up our ring camera easily on it, also great sound from speakers .

The Echo Show 5 is a fantastic addition to the home. The screen is clear and responsive, the sound quality is surprisingly good for its size, and Alexa makes everyday tasks much easier. I use it for alarms, weather updates, music, smart home controls, and video calls, and it handles everything smoothly.Setup was quick and straightforward, and the compact size means it fits perfectly on a bedside table or kitchen counter without taking up much space. The display is bright, easy to read, and the overall build quality feels excellent.I would definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a smart display that’s easy to use, reliable, and great value for money.

This is effectively a smart speaker with a screen, which is 5.5 inches, however it looks smaller. Setup is very easy and I highly recommend linking the device to your Amazon account during purchase to make it even easier. You just follow the on screen prompts on initial setup, it takes around ten minutes including any updates the device needs to do. The interface of the device is very similar to a smartphone, in that it uses toggle buttons to activate and deactivate various features. The home screen displays a clock and local weather, before it continually cycles through various screens such as purchase recommendations or local news. These can be turned off if you so wished. The clock auto dims at night. Sound quality is excellent and I found Bluetooth playback to be easy and reliable, the display will show track information but unfortunately not album art, which for a visual designed device is dissapointing. You can also ask it to play radio stations, again this was straightforward, but it only displays the radio station name, no track information and no album art. The responsiveness of the device is generally okay, however it can be sluggish at times. There is no option to make the fonts bigger or change the colours, which is a shame as on music playback some of the writing is very small. It has Alexa built in and you can ask Alexa almost anything, from telling jokes, suggesting food recipes to giving you local news. Overall this a decent device but does have some issues. Three stars.

Lovely it

Very pleased with this purchase

DO NOT BUY THIS.Worst Alexa I have ever used. It’s desperately slow. Glitchy. Unresponsive. And plain useless. I gave it the benefit of the doubt for a few months, but it’s terrible.I have 100mps Wi-Fi nearby, and other Alexa’s (dot and plus) nearby that work perfectly with years. This is just a terrible product.

Good

It's always been a dream of mine to have one. I'm loving my companion. I want to send one to my mother in Brazil; I wish it were as cheap as it is here.