Amazon now has two small smart speakers with displays, both available for a very similar price.
That makes life a little bit confusing, so should you buy the newer Amazon Echo Spot (2024) or the slightly older Amazon Echo Show 5 (3rd Generation)?
That’s what I’m here to help with, as I put the two smart displays head-to-head.
The design is very different depending on the model you choose
The two devices are radically different in looks, each designed with a specific purpose in mind. The Amazon Echo Show is designed as a standard smart display and has a regular 5.5-inch screen (960 x 480) that dominates the front.
Measuring 147 x 91 x 82mm, this smart display will fit on a bedside table, but it’s also designed for use in other areas where you want a screen but don’t want a device that will take up too much room. That could be on an office desk or in a kitchen.
The Echo Spot (2024) has a rounded display and looks like a slightly larger Echo Pop. It measures 113 x 103 x 111mm, which makes it a touch narrower than the Echo Show but taller and slightly deeper. Overall, both devices take up a similar amount of room.
With its smaller 2.83-inch screen (320 x 240), which is focussed on showing the current time, the Echo Spot is designed as a smart clock first and foremost, so is more at home on a bedside table.
Both devices have similar controls on top, with physical volume control and microphone mute buttons. The Echo Show also has a camera privacy slider, which physically turns off the integrated 2MP webcam, as well as blocking its view. With no webcam, the Echo Spot (2024) doesn’t need this control.
Features and screen
In terms of voice features, as both devices have Amazon Alexa built-in, you can do the same things with both devices, from asking about the current weather to finding out what upcoming appointments you have or controlling a smart home device.
The differences come down to what the screens can do, with the Echo Show 5 offering a wider range of features. With the Echo Show 5, you get the same basic interface as with the majority of the other Echo Show devices.
By default, the screen rotates through information pages that show recent headlines, the upcoming weather, recipe recommendations, and more, as well as a clock page. It’s quite a busy interface, although the Settings page lets you select which bits of information (if any) you want to see.
In contrast, the Echo Spot’s screen shows a choice of clocks, ranging from a digital clock that shows the date and weather to an analogue option. It’s far less cluttered from the start, and straight out of the box, the Echo Spot is a little more focused.
How the screens can be used varies between devices. The biggest difference is that the Echo Show 5 can show video, whereas the Echo Spot can’t. With an Echo Show 5, you can watch recipe videos or even catch up on Prime Video content; however, my main use of the Echo Show 5 is for answering my Ring Battery Video Doorbell Pro.
As the Spot doesn’t support any video feeds it can only sound an audible alert when someone presses my doorbell, but I have to get my phone out to see who’s there or to answer the call. For me, this makes the Echo Show 5 a better choice.
The two devices share some features: ask about the weather, and both will show the forecast on screen; controlling a smart device using your voice brings up touch controls to make adjustments, such as a slider to change a light’s brightness; and play music, and there are playback controls and track skip buttons.
Even so, the Echo Show 5 can do more, thanks to its higher resolution screen. For example, ask for local restaurants, and the Show 5 will show the results on-screen; the Echo Spot can only read out the listings, the same as a regular Echo Dot.
At night, both devices can dim their screens automatically, showing just a clock that’s bright enough to read, but dim enough that they don’t disturb you. Both allow alarms to be set, and you can snooze (but not stop) and alarm by tapping the top of either device.
Thanks to its built-in webcam, only the Echo Show 5 can make video calls. For some people, having a webcam in a bedroom is a big no, which makes the Spot a better choice if absolute privacy is your main concern. However, the Show 5 does have a physical camera shutter, so you can permanently turn off the camera if you don’t want to use it.
The Audio quality is very similar
The Echo Show has a 1.75-inch speaker, and the Echo Spot has a 1.73-inch front-firing speaker. Audio quality is very similar between the two devices. I found that there’s a good amount of bass on each, and the maximum volume is good, but the audio sounds harsh at the high end, and there’s not much detail.
Speech quality is very good, so both smart speakers are good for talk radio, Alexa responses and podcasts. For music, occasional use is fine, but if you want better audio quality, the Echo Show 8 (3rd Generation) is a better smart display, and the Echo (4th Generation) is a better smart speaker.
Which one is best?
If you just want a smart clock, the focused Echo Spot is a neat device. It adds a bit extra thanks to the small touchscreen display. However, it’s only a little cheaper than the Echo Show 5, which has more features thanks to its better screen and it integrates better with Ring doorbells. That will make the Echo Show 5 a better choice for most people.
If you don’t care about having a display, the Echo Dot (5th Generation) has similar sound quality, but is cheaper than both products. The minor caveat is that during its launch period over Prime Day, until July 18, the Echo Spot costs just £49.99/$44.99 for Prime members, which is great value.
