Amazon has announced yet another member of the Echo family: the Echo Show 5. Priced at $89.99, the device is essentially a smaller version of the company’s existing Echo Show that’s much more affordable and compact.
With the Echo Show 5, you get a 5.5-inch display that shows the same type of content you’d find on the home screen of a traditional Echo Show. The screen is attached to a speaker that Amazon says delivers “rich and full sound.” You can use all the normal Alexa voice commands with it, control smart home accessories, and install the various Skills available through Amazon’s app. The device also delivers a dashboard so you can control everything in your home without using your voice.
Because of how compact the Echo Show 5 is, there’s a good chance you’ll be placing it on your nightstand in your bedroom. That’s why Amazon is introducing a new nighttime routine setting that you can use to wake up and wind down with. The nighttime routine can turn off your bedroom lamp and play relaxing sounds to help you fall asleep. Meanwhile, the wake up routine can set off your alarm, wake you up with a gradually-brighter Alexa Sunrise animation, turn your coffee pot on, and give you a briefing.
The Echo Show 5 can also display a slideshow of your photos after you connect your Facebook account. Mind you, this experience probably won’t be as pleasurable as something like a Google Nest Hub which uses Google Photos to source pictures, but it’s nonetheless a better alternative to Amazon Photos which not many people even know about to begin with.
Of course, the Echo Show 5 also allows you to peek into your nursery thanks to smart web cam compatibility, connect with friends over Skype using the built-in camera (which comes with a physical shutter), and see who’s at your front door with a Ring doorbell.
In addition to the Echo Show 5, Amazon is improving privacy controls with all Echo devices. You can now tell Alexa to delete voice recordings it’s taken so you don’t have to worry about anyone spying on your conversations. You can either delete the last thing you said (“Alexa, delete what I just said”) or everything you’ve said during the day (“Alexa, delete everything I said today”).
Amazon says the Echo Show 5 will come in Charcoal and Sandstone finishes for $89.99. It’s available for pre-order today and will start shipping in the U.S., United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Japan, Canada, New Zealand, and Australia next month. A magnetic stand will be sold separately for $19.99 that will let you adjust the Echo Show 5 for different viewing angles.
