Amazon Echo Show 5From real comments

Verdict distilled from 38 mentions across 13 aspects in comments under product review videos.

Positive sentiment31%
PROS 31%
CONS 69%

Rank based on 38 mentions across 13 aspects

View the verdict as

Buy this if...

  • You want a compact, affordable smart display for video calls, alarms, and smart-home control
  • You're fine with occasional ads/sponsored content in exchange for the price
  • You mainly need weather, clock, and voice-assistant convenience by your bed or front door

What users love

Skip this if...

  • You can't tolerate on-screen ads and sponsored content that can't be turned off
  • You want a device with battery backup instead of being plugged in constantly
  • You're worried about long-term reliability, since screen flickering is a widely reported hardware fault

What users complain about

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Adjustable night vision brightness
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No audio recording
IR can be too bright by default
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Amazon Echo Show 5
Useful for smart home control and daily routinesCompact and convenient sizeDecent sound, display, and hardware on newer unitsRecurring screen flickering/glitchingInconsistent voice recognitionSoftware bugs and update failures
Amazon Echo Show 5
Useful for smart home control and daily routines
Compact and convenient size
Decent sound, display, and hardware on newer units
Recurring screen flickering/glitching
Inconsistent voice recognition
Software bugs and update failures

Who wins on what

Ranked by what users actually praise

Overall Impression

Handy for calls, alarms, and quick smart-home glances. Users appreciated video calls with distant family, using it as a bedside alarm/weather clock, and placing it by the front door to check the doorbell or adjust heating. Its small size compared to larger Echo Show models made it easier to fit on a nightstand. Several felt it offered good functionality for the price, syncing with calendars and controlling connected devices conveniently.

A hardware flickering fault plagues many units over time. Multiple commenters reported screens flickering or glitching, often worsening in cold temperatures and sometimes temporarily fixed with a hairdryer or heat gun aimed at the display. Some traced it to the LCD or CPU working overtime, others simply gave up and bought replacements. The issue appeared across first, second, and third generation units, suggesting a recurring design flaw rather than isolated defects.

Ads and inconsistent voice recognition frustrate owners. Several users returned or complained about unremovable ads and sponsored content cluttering the home screen. Others reported having to repeat or yell commands because Alexa didn't hear them well, along with random unprompted responses or announcements at odd hours. Additional complaints included failed updates, Spotify playback freezing, and general software lag and slowdowns on some units.

Outdated / Not-accurate data?