Amazon Echo Show 5 Smart Display: A Compact, Budget-Friendly Way to Bring Alexa Into Any Room
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ScoredNot every room needs a full-size smart display — sometimes you just want Alexa with a screen, minus the countertop takeover and the flagship price tag. That's the gap the Amazon Echo Show 5 is built to fill.
What It Is
The Echo Show 5 is Amazon's entry-level smart display, pairing a 5.5-inch screen with the full Alexa voice assistant experience. Think of it as an Echo Dot that grew a face — voice control for music, timers, weather, and smart home devices, plus a screen for video calls, photo slideshows, recipe walkthroughs, and glanceable info like your calendar or the news. At a listed price of $89.99, it sits in the budget tier of the smart display category, priced closer to a nice speaker than a tablet.
Who It's For
This device makes the most sense for a few specific situations:
- Nightstand or kitchen counter duty — its small footprint, roughly that of a paperback, means it won't dominate a tight space.
- First-time smart display buyers who want to try the format before investing in a larger, pricier unit.
- Multi-room Alexa households adding a display to a bedroom, bathroom, or home office without a big spend.
- Parents or grandparents who want simple video calls with family without wrestling a phone or tablet interface.
It's less of a fit if you want a primary kitchen hub for following recipes from across the room, or a mini entertainment screen — the 5.5-inch display is genuinely small.
Key Features and Specs
- 5.5-inch display — compact enough for tight spaces, but still functional for touch controls, video calls, and visual Alexa responses
- Built-in camera for video calling (Alexa app, and Skype-style calls to other Echo Show or Alexa app users)
- Alexa voice assistant — smart home control, routines, timers, reminders, streaming music, and skills
- Compact, nightstand-friendly design that fits into bedrooms as easily as kitchens
- Smart home hub capability, acting as a control point for compatible lights, plugs, locks, and cameras
- Price point of $89.99, at the accessible end of the smart display market
Pros
- Genuinely low barrier to entry for smart display functionality
- Small size makes it easy to place almost anywhere
- Alexa's smart home integration is mature and works with a huge range of third-party devices
- Doubles as a decent alarm clock/bedside display given its size
Cons
- Small screen limits usefulness beyond glanceable info and simple video calls
- Speaker quality is modest compared to larger Echo Show models or dedicated smart speakers
- Camera and microphone are worth thinking through from a privacy standpoint, especially in bedrooms
- Not ideal as a primary kitchen display if you want to read recipes from across the room
The Echo Show 5 isn't trying to be a flagship device, and it doesn't need to be. For under $90, it delivers a real smart display experience — voice control, a screen for context, video calling, and smart home management — in a size that fits almost anywhere in the home. If you want a screen without the size or price of a full Echo Show, this is the sensible pick, not just a fallback one. Just go in expecting a small, functional display rather than a media powerhouse.
If this sounds like the right fit for your space and budget, you can check current pricing and availability here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09B2SBHQK?tag=thebenchtest-20&tag=thebenchtest-20
