Key options
- Connectivity: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth
- Ecosystems: Alexa, Matter
(Picture credit score: The Ambient)
The most affordable Echo with a display screen, the Third-generation Amazon Echo Present 5 is designed to be the best bedside, workplace or kitchen companion with the Alexa voice assistant built-in.
Refreshed for 2023, the 3nd-gen Present 5 nonetheless does its fundamental job properly, however minor upgrades imply there is not any cause to ditch your 2nd-gen Present 5 for this mannequin, though it’s now the proper choose for anybody seeking to enter the smart show class.
Google hasn’t up to date the similarly-size Nest Hub because the newest mannequin went stay in 2021 and the subsequent step up within the Present vary is the all new Echo Present 8, introduced in September 2023, is double the worth, and there is additional leaps in measurement and value to the Present 10 and the Present 15.
We have been dwelling with the Echo Present 5 third-gen for just a few weeks now, learn on for our full evaluation.
Design and construct
- Curvier kind issue
- Newly formed buttons
- Identical show as 2nd-gen
There is not an enormous departure, design clever, from the 2nd-gen Echo Present 5 to the brand new Third-gen 2023 mannequin; however then once more there wasn’t a giant leap from gen-1 to gen-2 both.
What I’d say is that it is a bit curvier and fewer cumbersome, though I would cease wanting describing it as ‘cute’ as a result of I am not a weirdo.
(Picture credit score: The Ambient)
The massive, chunky bezel continues to be right here, wrapped across the 5.5-inch display screen, with its slightly-unimpressive 960 x 480-pixel touchscreen.
That kind of decision could be sneered at for a 5.5-inch smartphone nevertheless it would not actually matter an excessive amount of with the Present 5, though I’d have hoped for a lift as that is primarily the very same show as its predecessor – and that got here out over 2 years in the past.
There’s nonetheless a privateness shutter for the digital camera and the Present 5 retains that cubic-shaped rear that homes the speaker, though the strains are much less sharp on this new redesign.
(Picture credit score: The Ambient)
Essentially the most important alteration lies within the prime buttons. In earlier fashions, the mute and quantity buttons have been round, that includes icons printed on their surfaces. Nevertheless, with the Third-gen Present 5, the quantity controls are represented by giant ‘+’ and ‘-‘ formed buttons, whereas the mute button is represented by a circle with a line by way of it.
This tweak enhances the tactile expertise of the buttons, although their performance stays unchanged.
Amazon killed the three.5mm audio jack for music output on the final Present 5 and there is not any return for it right here sadly; they usually’ve additionally executed away with the USB-C charging port, so there is not any smartphone charging from the system now.
Out there in charcoal, cloud blue, and white, there’s additionally a Children variant of the Present 5, which provides an area theme to the show’s rear and promotes Alexa’s array of child-friendly options.
In on a regular basis use
- Digital camera for video calling and security measures
- Superior alarm clock options
- Contact display screen smart home widgets
Powered by Amazon’s voice assistant, Alexa, the Echo Present 5 is filled with a variety of voice pushed capabilities, which I do not really want to enter right here.
If you happen to’re on the lookout for particular data as to what Alexa affords you try a few of our key Alexa guides:
With the most recent Present 5 Amazon has bumped up the variety of microphones from two to 3, claiming it helps the system hear voice instructions higher. However actually, I have not actually seen a giant enchancment in voice high quality, and the 2nd-gen mannequin labored simply superb for me.
The newest Present 5 now boasts Amazon’s AZ2 Neural Edge processor, which is meant to make the Echo Present 5 deal with extra voice instructions without having to ship them to the cloud. In idea, this could make Alexa reply quicker however, once more, it is not dramatically totally different for anybody pondering of upgrading from the 2nd-gen Present 5.
Amazon tells this new processor is 20% quicker than the one within the earlier Echo Present 5. That does translate to faster display screen responses, particularly when swiping down to regulate smart home stuff or leaping into movies.
I nonetheless actually like how you need to use contact controls alongside voice instructions. For instance, I can use my voice to activate lights after which tweak the brightness utilizing the on-screen controls.
(Picture credit score: The Ambient)
It isn’t fairly the smart home hub that the larger display screen Present 15 is (nor the incoming Echo Hub, after all) however it’s straightforward sufficient to tug down and management a few of your linked home tech.
Personally, I simply go away the display screen itself to rotate by way of just a few issues through the day; the climate, headlines, calendar updates, sports activities scores and the like – you may management what cycles on the homescreen within the settings (annoyingly, Amazon provides new classes on a regular basis and they’re switched on by default).
(Picture credit score: The Ambient)
You can too arrange the Present 5 to sync together with your images, or use artworks to create slideshows and have it act as a digital body.
The scale and design of the Echo Present 5 make it very best as a bedside alarm clock. If you happen to’re nonetheless rocking an old-skool LED alarm clock by your mattress, the Present 5 represents an outstanding improve.
You may set and management alarms immediately from the system, utilizing contact or your voice. Then dismiss or snooze them with a faucet or a command.
If you wish to get fancy you may arrange Alexa Routines to set off whenever you dismiss an alarm. This could allow you to select to have Alexa learn you the headlines, progressively brighten your smart lights, elevate your smart blinds, set your smart thermostat to the precise temperature, then begin enjoying your favourite radio station, all with only one phrase from you or a faucet on the display screen.
We additionally actually just like the dawn impact, which progressively brightens the show beginning quarter-hour earlier than any alarm set between 4am and 9am It is a light method to begin waking you up earlier than the alarm goes off.
The faucet-to-snooze characteristic can be a pleasant addition, supplying you with an additional 10 minutes shut-eye with out having to say a phrase or blearily faucet on the display screen.
There is a 2MP webcam in-built, which is identical because the earlier mannequin. The webcam high quality is not wonderful, and it would not have the flowery people-tracking tech you discover within the Echo Present 8 and Echo Present 10.
Like different Present’s it does have the Home Monitoring distant view mode by way of the Alexa app, which is useful for checking in your home whenever you’re away, principally turning your smart show right into a makeshift smart safety digital camera.
Simply needless to say the night time imaginative and prescient is not nice, so you may want some ambient mild for it to be helpful.
The Echo Present 5 (Third Technology) can act as a Matter controller, nevertheless it would not have Thread help, so it is restricted to Matter over Wi-Fi. Matter continues to be in its early phases, however as extra Matter units land, the Echo Present 5 will be capable to join on to Wi-Fi devices for quicker management with out counting on the cloud.
(Picture credit score: The Ambient)
Audio and video high quality
I’ve talked about my disappointment already that the show hasn’t been upgraded from the 960 x 480 decision we had with the 2nd-gen present however, on the entire, the display screen is brilliant display screen to point out off a wide variety of wallpapers and clock faces. The latter of which we opted for, as this system is ideally suited to be a bedside alarm clock.
The place the show falls quick is that it is probably not as much as scratch for watching movies although it helps Prime Video.
Netflix is omitted although, which is considerably shocking given it really works on the older mannequin and on different Present units. And you will have to make use of a browser to look at YouTube on the Echo Present 5, as with all of its stablemates.
The display screen may be set to adapt to the brightness of your room, that means it should dim when the lights exit if you would like it to. Though we discovered it would not fairly dim sufficient if utilizing it as a bedside clock, particularly when in comparison with the Google Nest Hub.
(Picture credit score: The Ambient)
The speaker located around the again is fairly spectacular. It isn’t room-filling however greater than nice sufficient to take heed to tunes in mattress or whereas working should you pop this in your desk.
Amazon has really boosted speaker from a 1.6-inch mannequin within the 2021 Present, to a 1.75-inch speaker on this 2023 mannequin, that means a lift for each quantity and bass.
There is no manner you’d need this to be your fundamental speaker for listening to music although and that is probably not what it is meant for.
It is loads loud and clear sufficient for voice replies, podcasts, radio and calling folks although.
If you happen to do take heed to music on it although, and also you subscribe to Amazon Music, it scrolls the lyrics of the songs on the show, so can double as a enjoyable karaoke machine in a child’s room.
Ultimate ideas
The brand new Echo Present 5 works finest when it, and also you, wish to preserve issues easy. As a bedside or desk companion it affords you Alexa at a smart value, with some good visuals beefing up what you’d get from the likes of the Echo Dot or Echo Pop.
And whereas this smart show can do different stuff, that is actually the place it shines. You are not going to wish to watch motion pictures on it, nor stream HD music; you are going to wish to persist with the fundamentals.
Do this and you will not be upset with the all new Present 5.
How we check
Once we publish our opinions, you may relaxation assured that they’re the results of “dwelling with” long run exams.
Smart speaker normally stay inside, and even management, a smart home ecosystem, or a variety of merchandise that – supposedly – all work in concord. Due to this fact, it’s not possible to make use of a linked speaker for per week and ship a verdict.
As a result of we’re testing smart home equipment all day, on a regular basis, we all know what issues and the way a selected smart speaker compares to alternate options that you may additionally be contemplating.
Our opinions are complete, goal and honest and, after all, we’re by no means paid on to evaluation a tool.
Learn our evaluation course of for smart audio system to study extra.
FAQS
Are you able to watch Netflix on the Echo Present 5?
Not on the 2023 Echo Present 5 (Third-gen) mannequin, you may want the older mannequin to do this.
Is the Echo Present 5 a Matter controller and Thread border router?
It is a Matter controller however not presently a Thread border router.
Does the Echo Present 5 have a digital camera?
Sure, there is a digital camera on the entrance that allows you to video name and likewise acts as a safety digital camera too, so you may see a stay feed of your own home.
Amazon Echo Present 5 (2023 mannequin, Third-generation): Specs
Kind | Kind and colours | |
UK RRP | £89.99 | |
US RRP | $89.99 | |
Dimension | 147 mm x 82 mm x 91 mm | |
Weight | 456g | |
Launch date | 2023 | |
Ecosystems | Matter, Alexa | |
Connectivity | Wi-Fi, Bluetooth |