Amazon Echo Show 5 takes on the Nest Hub, brings a smart display to your desk

Amazon’s Echo ecosystem keeps getting crowded as it adds yet another screen-equipped device to its portfolio. The Echo Show 5 is, as the name suggests, a miniature version of the company’s full-sized smart display. 

At the heart of the Echo Show 5 is a 5.5-inch display with a seemingly low resolution of 960 x 480 pixels. Replacing the dual two-inch drivers is a single four-watt speaker. The microphone array also gets a downgrade to two mics but that should be more than sufficient for the intended use. 

Indeed, Amazon appears to be positioning the Echo Show 5 as a desk accessory that can be used to make video calls. On that note, the smart display ships with a 1MP camera. A first for Amazon, the camera has a physical slide cover that can be used to hide the lens when you are not using it. The move comes on the heels of Amazon’s privacy focused announcement that you will soon be able to easily delete an entire day’s worth of voice recordings with a single command.

The Echo Show sits at an odd position below the Echo Spot. The Echo Spot continues to be a more expensive smart display with the only noticeable difference being the round display. Like the Spot, the Show 5 too does not have a Zigbee hub built in so you’ll want to look elsewhere if you want to use your display as a replacement for a Philips Hue Hub.

The Echo Show is priced at $90, 79.9 pounds, and 89.90 euros in the U.S., U.K. and Europe respectively with shipping dates set for June. The device also goes on sale in India for 8,999 rupees (~$130) with shipping set for July. The Echo Show 5 will be in available a darker charcoal shade as well as a lighter sandstone color.