Amazon Echo Show 5 (2nd Gen): A Small Smart Display That Covers the Basics
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ScoredNot every smart display needs to take over your kitchen counter. The Echo Show 5 (2nd Gen) is Amazon's smallest, most approachable entry into its smart home ecosystem — built for people who want a bedside clock, hands-free weather checks, and a video-calling screen, not a full smart-home command center.
What It Is
The Echo Show 5 (2nd Gen) is Amazon's compact smart display: a small touchscreen with Alexa built in. Think of it as an Echo speaker with a screen bolted on — you get the usual Alexa skills (timers, music, weather, smart home control) plus visual extras like video calling, photo slideshows, and glanceable info like your calendar or a recipe on the counter. It sits below the larger Show 8 and Show 10 in Amazon's lineup, both in size and price.
Who It's For
This display is aimed at people dipping a toe into smart home tech, not building out a fully automated house. It makes sense as:
- A bedside nightstand device — clock display, sunrise-style alarms, and voice control without picking up your phone
- A secondary display for a kitchen or home office where you want quick info at a glance
- An easy way to add a video-calling screen for relatives who aren't comfortable with a tablet or laptop
- A starter device for testing whether you'll actually use a smart display before investing in a bigger one
If you're after a hub to manage a house full of smart plugs, cameras, and locks, this smaller model can do it — but its modest screen size makes it a weak choice as your main control panel.
Key Features & Specs
- Compact touchscreen display, sized for nightstands, desks, and small kitchen counters
- Built-in Alexa for voice control, hands-free music, and smart home commands
- Camera for video calls, with a physical shutter for privacy
- Photo display mode for showing off pictures when idle
- Compatible with a wide range of third-party smart home devices through Alexa's ecosystem
- Compact footprint that doesn't dominate a shelf the way larger Echo Show models do
Amazon hasn't published pricing or a current customer rating in the listing we pulled this from, so check the live product page for both before deciding — Echo devices go on sale often enough that the price you see day to day can shift quite a bit.
Pros
- Small enough to fit anywhere without becoming furniture
- Full Alexa functionality, not a stripped-down version
- Useful for video calls, with a physical camera shutter for privacy
- A low-commitment way to try a smart display for the first time
Cons
- Screen is too small for serious browsing, text-heavy recipes, or video streaming
- Speaker is serviceable but won't replace a dedicated smart speaker if music quality matters to you
- As an entry-level model, it may feel limiting if you plan to expand into a lot of connected devices down the road
The Echo Show 5 (2nd Gen) isn't trying to be a flagship smart display, and it doesn't need to be. It's the right call if you want a bedside device, a simple video-calling screen for relatives, or a low-stakes first step into smart home control — full Alexa functionality in a footprint that won't take over a counter. If you need a bigger canvas for recipes, media, or a smart home dashboard, look at the larger Show models instead. For anything smaller in scope, this is the sensible pick.
Check current pricing and availability here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08J8H8L5T?tag=thebenchtest-20&tag=thebenchtest-20
