Echo Show 5 (1st Gen, 2019 release) -- Smart display with Alexa – stay connected with video calling - Sandstone

Many tech magazines reviewed the Echo Show 5 ahead of the initial release and is what convinced me to pre-order two. I am still learning new things daily about this device. I'm a bit shocked that there are so many low ratings for features that can be altered, or by the misinformation in many reviews. The "5" in name of the device is for the size of the screen (5"), in case you were wondering. These devices do not come with in-depth manuals, so a lot of the features are discovered through trial and error, and curiosity. The so-called "ads" (technically banners) can be completely turned off if you customize your home screen. The clock senses darkness and light and the brightness auto-adjusts, but can also be customized. The idea is that the clock goes very dim during sleeping hours, and "begins to rise" with the sun. This is so cool - as it really does start dim and gradually gets brighter as the morning comes. But you can turn that off too. You can also ask Alexa to go completely dark, if that's your preference, and she will. It also senses when a person is within range and active. In other words, at 2:00 a.m., if you are up and being interactive with Alexa, it recognizes that, and stays up with you (the display stays brighter). When you conk out, the display begins to fade dimmer. Video quality: If one wants to watch movies on their cell phone, they will probably love the same feature here. Most of us have televisions or laptops to stream videos. I did watch an episode of the Brady Bunch on it, and I didn't need to see the picture to enjoy the memories, but the picture quality was damn good. You can upload your favorite photos (for Home screen or to cycle through like a digital frame), but be warned the quality on the Show 5 is much better than most cell phone pics, that it draws out the lack quality in some pictures. Have a few handy to swap out for this reason alone. I went back to the built in display offerings, which are much richer in color and detail. As built, this wins hands down over Google's Smart clock, which is basically just a clock. Yet, Amazon combined the best of the Spot and Show, and the Echo Show 5 was born. That alone is no 3 star product. Alexa can hear me just as well as through the Echo Dot. You can set a preference of which device will be the main device, if there are others nearby. Though Alexa gets a bit confused if too close together. I finally moved my Echo Dot to another room altogether. Prime music with lyrics works great on this device. The font is large so that you can sing as you read along. It sounds best if left on the nightstand. I tried bringing it closer to my ear in bed, listening to an audio book. Reduced quality this way. It needs that 360 space around it, like a Bose Wave. Kindle / Audible books are better listening on this device. The audio sounds are adjustable (bass, treble, mid), using the app. Much better than through the Dot. Mainstream and acoustical music is better than the full size Show. The loudest rock music does sound a bit better on the full size Show. As a clock, simply placing a partial hand over the top will snooze the alarm for another 9 minutes. No button, it simply senses the proximity of the snuggler's touch and goes into a 9 minute snooze. Like a regular clock radio, there are buttons for the volume up and volume down. You can still ask Alexa to adjust the volume, or use the app. But old fashioned folks are used to manual up and down buttons and Amazon obliged. The slider to shut off the camera gets ignored by me a lot. Maybe I'm not that paranoid, but it can be done. Voice purchasing is better with the Show than with the Echo Dot or Plus, since you get to see visually, the item(s) being purchased. Voice purchasers, using Alexa only, get further discounts than shoppers online. I saved an additional $30 on a Ring Doorbell 2. Online during Prime Days was $139.00, but by voice purchasing through Alexa, the price dropped to $99.00. Well worth it. If you want to surf the web, built in web browsers offer Amazon's new Silk browser and Firefox. The good news is there is a microphone to listen to your search so no manual typing is needed, unless that's your preference. The cool factor is definitely here. I wish I had purchased a few more during Prime Days. I paid about $75 with a two-fer discount at its' inception, but at $49.99, I really think there is little room to complain, if all it did was perform like a glorified clock. I kind of feel sorry for my Dots, because they know I prefer to interact with the Show 5. For $89.99, this clock / device is well worth the price just for what it does, even if certain features were permanent (WHICH THEY ARE NOT). For $75, a real bargain. At $49.00, that's a better than Black Friday deal, and I would do it all over again but not make the mistake of buying only one more. I've advanced in tech years more than I'd imagined possible, and not ashamed to admit it. Just do yourself a favor and do not read too much into the reviews posted here by reviewers with hardly a month in of owning this device. A lot of smart people put a lot of effort into making this device exceed expectations, and they succeeded. And I still don't know all there is to do with the Show 5!!!

I’ve only had my Echo show 5 for a few days and I am so impressed overall that I had to review. Right out the box had it up in running in no time and that part was easy. I did not understand when I bought this that I needed a mobile device with Alexa app installed. I have an old Android tablet that this app is not even available for. Needless to say it was very frustrating looking for an app that doesn’t exist. So I tried my wife’s IPad mini and wallah! The devices’ setup was not so intuitive but I fumbled around and managed to connect a smart plug (which required yet another app), my Dish receiver (with very limited functionality), a Blink camera, and my Nest thermostats. I had (have) real problems getting the Nests working. My Nests have an auto program as I’m sure most Nest users would that use it for heating and air conditioning. Echo would only reply with the Nest’s set auto range when I asked Alexa to adjust temp. It was only when I used the word “heat” and location did it start to work. It also appeared that my preprogrammed auto settings were gone and only heat temperature showed on the Nest. I then tried telling Alexa to set to auto and that appears to have worked. That’s very frustrating but I’ve yet to tinker more. The one thing that I want to convey is that nowhere was what I needed to do written down that I could find and asking Alexa how to do it was also futile. Lots of that kind of thing setting up this device. Anyway as you can see, this device requires a LOT of tinkering, patience, perseverance, and just plain guesswork. Some simpler functions work great! Time, weather, driving conditions, mood music, etc. Sound quality for this small of a device is awesome and for the $45 that I paid, the few luxuries I got seem well worth that.

Had it for two months now. It’s good for what I use it for: a handy little bedside smart clock (“Echo; set my alarm for 9am tomorrow!”). I live in a studio apartment, so this being the one Echo device in my living space is perfect. The screen’s small, around the same size as my iPhone 11’s screen, but it serves its purpose just fine as the screen’s pretty clear. I have it hooked up to my tv, lamp, ac, fan, router, modem, and usb ports (most on a smart strip), and it hears me from my door. Sound’s pretty good; mess around with the EQ settings for better results while playing music, but it won’t blow you away. Again, I live in a small apartment, so I don’t need amazing sound quality. You can have it hook up to a good bluetooth speaker if you aren’t satisfied (I hook it up to my Soundcore Flare whenever I’m showering). It has a touchscreen, which I find useful. For example; if I ask it to turn on my light, it then displays the brightness level bar, and I can slide it to my liking on the screen. It makes it easier to use than a standard echo that lacks a screen. It has to remain plugged in at all times, which is my only gripe. But again, it’s my bedside companion, nothing more... and once again, I hook it up to a mic’d bluetooth if need be. All in all, I’m satisfied with it as my bedside companion. Sure, my smartphone can do what it does, but it’s good to have something as my dedicated alarm clock/device activator for my home. When I have guests over, they use it too. Siri on my phone is used when I leave my home, but this controls my base. I definitely recommend it if your living situation’s similar to mine.