Amazon Echo Show 5 - 2021

The Amazon Echo Show 5 (2nd generation) is an affordable smart display that brings the benefits of seeing as well as hearing Alexa to those on a budget. It’s simple to use, it’s got an improved camera, and it comes in a new blue finish. While it’s a great device for those looking for a first smart display, it doesn’t offer enough upgrades to warrant trading up if you have the original Echo Show 5.

Not much of an upgrade, but the Echo Show 5 is still a good value smart screen.

With an affordable price tag and jam-packed with features, the Amazon Echo Show 5 (2nd Gen) is a brilliant option for those buying their first smart display.

The new Echo Show 5 (and its Kids Edition derivative) is basically the same as the prior model. It’s still a handy, compact smart display for a nightstand or desk, but it’s not as capable or fast as the larger Echo models in Amazon’s lineup. Given the limitations with the camera, I would be more interested in a model without a camera at all, similar to Google’s Nest Hub, as the bedroom alarm clock is the ideal use case here.

The second-generation Amazon Echo Show 5 is nearly identical to the previous version, and remains a capable smart display for virtually anywhere in your home, particularly your nightstand.