Echo Show 5 (2nd Gen, 2021 release) | Smart display with Alexa and 2 MP camera | Charcoal

The Amazon Echo Show 5 is fantastic! It has a crisp display, great sound quality for its size, and is super easy to use. Perfect for controlling smart devices, watching videos, or checking the weather. A great addition to any home!

We love this, we keep it in our master bath, and it is the perfect size! It's great to have and be able to ask anything while you shower or get ready.

So the secret is I purchased the Echo Show 5 2nd Gen solely as an “add-on” bc it only cost me an additional $10 as part of a Prime Day Deal (w the purchase of 3 Blink Outdoor Cameras- which I love)The pros are that it’s extremely easy to set up (uhhh, just plug it in), has great voice recognition, decent screen quality, and it’s the perfect size for me on the night stand (neither too big nor too small). I also like the clock feature(s) and all the different ummm apps? which you can download to use on the ES5 (like Netflix). Now, that being said, I haven’t watched a single thing of substance on it yet (no movies, videos, video calls) bc I have my iPad, iPhone, etc. for all of that stuff.I also like all of the different settings and features available, allowing you to customize your ES5 screen(s).Finally, I like how you can easily block the front-facing camera on the home screen so no bored pervs at Amazon can watch me sleep.Now, the one negative … WHICH I 100% KNEW GOING IN … So it’s not really a fair knock … BUT unless you’re willing to pay substantially more (at least in the Prime Day deal I was offered), you can’t select one single Lock Screen for the ES5 to display all the time (such as an alarm clock face or the weather forecast). Instead, it’s always scrolling through various screens.Now, you absolutely CAN get all the information you need on the screen at times; but, unless you pay extra, your ES5 screen will also contain auto-scrolling nonsense as it shuffles through various faces (stocks, scores, weather, pics, etc.). I’d love to be able to use the Home Screen solely as a weather station or solely as an alarm clock, both while I’m using it (as a speaker) and while I’m not using it at all. To be fair. I’ve really only used it as a Bluetooth speaker so far, and it’s been really good for that limited purpose.Again, in full disclosure, I only purchased the Echo Show 5 2nd Gen as an inexpensive add-on to a Prime Day deal, so keep in mind it’s always possible (likely) I’m only tapping like 3% of it’s actual abilities, but that’s ok too, bc I’ve been really satisfied with it as a Bluetooth speaker so far.Final thoughts- If you can get it as an inexpensive add-on as part of another deal/item, that would be ideal. However, it’s still a good + solid product that delivers as promised, which may not sound like much, but is actually quite the rarity these days.FINAL VERDICT: SOLID BUY … as long as the price is right

This is my third Echo device. I have a 2nd generation dot, 4th generation dot and now this. The oldest of the group is in our basement and the 4th gen is in our livingroom. I got this for our kitchen because when I'm cooking or cleaning and need to add something to the shopping list, Alexa can't always hear me unless I shout. I also wanted to be able to play music or stream a show while tooling around in the kitchen but needed something small. This is pretty perfect. It was super easy to set up. Like, suuuuuper easy. I literally didn't have to do anything other than plug it in. I didn't even have to add my wifi password. She did it all and the connection was lightning fast. I didn't buy a stand for it but it fits just fine where I set it. It's not wobbly or unstable. I watched a show while cooking and the resolution was decent enough for that. I played some music from my Sirius XM and it sounded pretty good. Not stereo like quality of course but not bad either. I don't use my echos for phone calls so I can't say how well that works. I also haven't used the camera on this one, nor do I really have any immediate plans to, so I can't attest to that either. I honestly use these mostly to control lights throughout the house as well as the TVs, create shopping lists, set reminders and timers, ask about the weather and use for entertainment purposes. Speaking of entertainment, the only issue I have had with it is that it won't open Netflix. Even when I ask her to, she'll say she did, but nothing happens. I haven't played around with it to see what the problem is yet but it did just fine opening Amazon Prime (of course) as well as Tubi. I was also able to open my YouTube TV via the internet and scroll through the live guide. I picked one of their nature options for the screensaver and the photos are nice, although you do get news bits and Alexa tips inbetween. Not a big deal for me. So far, I really like the Show and considering the deal I got on it, can't really complain either. I am considering getting another one (maybe the 8) to replace the old echo dot (that still works really well actually) we have in the basement.

Quick & simple setup. I use this to view my security cameras around the house, set reminders and turn on and off my smart lights. Works well!

Alexa/Echo can easily hear you when you call it’s name and the screen quality is great as you can see in the picture I attached.I love that you can watch Netflix, Prime Video and YouTube on this. It also is great for everyday use like asking what the weather is like, what time it is or any other general questions with the built in Alexa.There is a camera cover built in for privacy so you don't have to worry about a hacker checking out the video through its camera. I personally have not used the camera on this device since I use Skype and do not believe it is capable of calling from Skype however you are able to make this device a security camera to check on your house while you’re away or can call others with voice or video via Alexa.The speakers are loud and sound great when listening to music especially the bass. The only problem that I see with the sound is when watching a movie at night and want it to be more of a background noise or you are not trying to be too loud it can seem like the bass is too loud even when it’s turned all the way down in the options which can make the movie or show sound less appealing.It also serves as a great alarm clockOverall I would highly recommend this product

I'm really pleased with the Alexa device