Along with the new Echo Show 8, Amazon has also updated its smaller Echo Show 5 display. It’s basically the same smart watch radio as the previous model, with no major changes to the screen or speaker. The camera gets a small update, but it’s not quite the same step up in image quality that you get with the new Echo Show 8. There’s really no reason to upgrade if you own the original model, but for new users, the second-generation Echo Show 5 remains a handy, affordable smart display that’s small enough to fit anywhere you need Alexa and a screen.
The second-generation Echo Show 5 is physically almost identical to the first model. It’s still a miniature version of the Echo Show 8, a Toblerone-shaped device with a triangular side profile that allows the screen to tilt back slightly. It measures 3.4 x 5.8 x 2.9 inches (HWD) and is available in black, blue or white.
[content-egg-block template=offers_logo hide=price]The 5.5-inch touchscreen with a resolution of 960 x 480 pixels is surrounded by a black border that is flush with the screen and includes a camera in the upper right corner. On the upper edge are two cutouts for the far-field microphones, a mechanical switch for the camera shutter, and buttons for muting the microphone and volume control.
The Amazon Echo Auto lets you take the company’s Alexa voice assistant into your car. It’s an unassuming little device that plugs into your car’s 12-volt outlet and connects to your phone’s Alexa app to offer all the voice-controlled services your Echo does at home, including news, sports scores, recipes, shopping lists and streaming music. It doesn’t offer vehicle-specific features like Alexa-based voice-guided directions, and the connection to my phone kept breaking during testing, but it’s an inexpensive little accessory you can use to make your vehicle smarter.
Echo Auto is a small, black rectangular case that measures 3.3 x 1.9 x 0.5 inches (HWD) and weighs 1.6 ounces. It has an action button, mute button and eight microphone ports on the top, a micro USB port and 3.5mm aux port on one end, and a light strip on the front that glows blue when you ask Alexa a question and changes between dark and light blue when you answer.
The array of eight microphones helps the Echo Auto hear what you’re saying over your car’s engine and other background noise. On the bottom of the unit is a square recess that allows it to attach to the included magnetic mount for the air vent. Also included are a 3.5mm audio cable, a 12-volt car adapter, a micro USB cable, and a quick start guide.