The arrival of Amazon Echo Show 5 marks a new era in smart assistant system that packs the same functionality such as hands-free usage with the added benefit of a full onboard display.
The addition of this display means, you can get a whole lot of things done, without needing to pick up your smartphone. Users can make video calls, cycle through images, watch videos while cooking the dinner at the same time. The Echo Show 5 hopes to be your in-home companion, who can take care of all your needs to help you manage better.
So, can the Echo Show 5 deliver on this promise? Well, Let’s find out!
Design
The Echo Show 5 carries a design similar to the one we observed on the 10-inch Echo Show. It features a rounded mesh casing with tactile buttons on the top. The 5.5-inch screen comes with a 960×480 resolution which is adequate to render clean visuals and turns to night mode in low light with adaptive brightness option. The buttons include a volume rocker, quick mute button and shutter slider for the HD camera. It comes with two mic system to discern voice commands amidst playing music. While the back comes with a 3.5mm headphone jack and a power port which needs to plug in at all times.
Features
The interface is a bit cluttered up, thanks to the absence of navigation buttons. You would have to fiddle around the screen to find a shortcut back to your home screen which seems frustrating.
The Alexa support helps you connect with other IoT enabled devices such as the Philips Hue or the Smart security cameras. Although Zigbee smart home interface is missing, the device can connect to smart home compatible devices like TV, AC, Fans and much more.
Show 5 is paired with Vimeo for primary video streaming, which means you cant ask Alexa to play videos right from YouTube. The screen also lacks the amount of detail, that is necessary to make binge-watching via Prime Video an ideal experience. Browsers like Amazon Silk and Mozilla Firefox is provided to help you search the internet for your recipes.
Making video calls over Alexa app is a great experience. Voice level was consistent and video quality was ideal at the same time. The device can be paired with multiple Show 5 devices to announce commands such as – “Dinners ready” possible.
The one thing that makes this device worthwhile is getting through your entire work schedule. Show 5 can take notes, act as an alarm, get you the latest news and traffic updates while sipping your coffee. The overall size and form factor make the Show 5 better suited as a bedside companion rather than a kitchen appliance. Being wired does steal the level of portability you expect from a smart screen.
Sound
The Echo Show 5 comes with handy features such as summoning your morning radio station or playing the latest track from your Amazon Prime music. The volume level 10 is the highest and but the audio is clear up to 7. Unlike the 10-inch sibling, it comes with a rear speaker setup of 1.65 x 4W. This setup works fine but doesn’t go too loud to cover the adjacent room. The sound stage is moderated though its poor bass output, which took away some points.
Users can alter the levels of bass, mids, and trebles in the settings app, but the changes felt were not remarkable enough. Nonetheless, Show 5 makes this up though its capability to handle good audio in podcasts and clear voice across instructional videos.
Final Verdict
Show 5 lives up to its claim in delivering a smart and comfortable experience. It easily handles everything that we threw at it with ease. The joy of having a single platform handle your schedules, get you new recipes, news updates, video conferencing, music streaming, does make your life a whole lot easier. To be able to handle such a wide array of
Pricing
The level of convenience Amazon Echo Show 5 offers comes at a cost. The Show 5 comes in black and white colour variant and is priced at ₹8999.
