Amazon Echo Present (third Gen) assessment: Nice idea, poor execution

Abstract

• The Echo Present 5 is an honest Alexa good speaker however lacks the superior person expertise of Google’s Nest Hub.
• Regardless of its flaws, the Echo Present 5 is helpful as a part of an current Alexa good residence setup.
• Small display screen and restricted options make the Echo Present 5 higher suited as a background machine, not a major good show.

Good shows with small screens look like the proper addition to a desk or nightstand — with higher aesthetics than a typical good speaker. A 5-inch display screen works nicely as an alarm clock or music participant however is simply too small for any severe video streaming.

In principle, the Amazon Echo Present 5 (third Gen) needs to be a slam dunk as the one notable 5-inch good show you should buy. Sadly, the dearth of competitors means Amazon has no incentive to ship an impressive person expertise. Whereas the Echo Present 5 works nicely within the background of an Alexa good residence, its flaws maintain it from incomes a number one function.

Value, availability, and specs

Amazon’s entry-level good show

Though Amazon is the obvious place to purchase the Amazon Echo Present 5 (third Gen), it is also obtainable from most big-box retailer chains like Goal, Greatest Purchase, and House Depot. At $90, Amazon’s least expensive good show prices round $10 lower than the Nest Hub, Google’s 7-inch entry-level mannequin.

Amazon repeatedly reductions the Echo Present 5 throughout gross sales occasions all year long — a little bit persistence can prevent between $25 and $50 on common. The Echo Present 5 (third Gen) is available in three colours: charcoal, Cloud Blue, and Glacier White.

Design

Superb for smaller rooms

The Echo Present 5 (third Gen) consists of a 5-inch touchscreen on the entrance of a fabric-wrapped wedge that successfully blends into most rooms. Whereas the display screen is enough, it is clear that Amazon needs you to make use of the built-in Alexa voice assistant for many interactions. Nonetheless, you should use the touchscreen to regulate most settings or sort in textual content.

You will discover 4 buttons on the highest of the machine to manage the quantity, mute the microphone, and switch off the built-in 2MP digital camera. The digital camera high quality is sort of good, although it is clear that the 2MP digital camera is not as appropriate for residence safety as for video chats. Sliding the digital camera swap on the highest of the unit covers the digital camera so it might probably’t unintentionally stream video.

A look in the back of the unit reveals a single barrel-connector port for the 5-foot energy wire. In contrast to the 2nd Gen Echo Present 5, there isn’t any USB port.

Though the Echo Present 5 hasn’t had an audio-out port for the reason that first era. It makes up for this with a Bluetooth connection you employ for headphones or extra highly effective wi-fi audio system. This machine connects to your house community by way of Wi-Fi, enabling smart-hub performance by means of Matter and Sidewalk. In contrast to most Echo Present fashions, there isn’t any Zigbee radio for straight controlling good residence units.

Show and sound high quality

Acceptable audio, restricted video streaming choices

The Echo Present 5’s 1.75-inch driver will not match the audio high quality of a music-centric speaker from Bose or Sony. When enjoying at increased volumes, the bass is a little bit muddy, however I could not discern any noticeable crackling or points in treble and mid-range frequencies. The audio packs sufficient readability at volumes under 75% in order that most individuals will not have issues with music, podcasts, and audiobooks.

I loved listening to music on the Echo Present 5 within the background as I labored. Regardless that I accepted that the bass would not blow me away, it was robust sufficient that my music felt full. It is even suitable with most main music streaming companies like Amazon Music, Apple Music, Spotify, and Pandora. Whereas there isn’t any help for YouTube Music, you may bypass this restriction by connecting your telephone by way of Bluetooth.

The 960×480 pixel decision is nice for the small display screen. It is unlikely you may ever lean in shut sufficient to see particular person pixels. Excessive pixel counts might make sense for smartphones and enormous shows, however not on a tiny good show. Whereas the Echo Present 5 is simply too small to be helpful for recipes within the kitchen, it is an excellent match for bedrooms and residential places of work.

Regardless of the first rate video high quality, the Echo Present 5 does not make it simple to look at movies, motion pictures, and reveals anyplace however Prime Video. Movies play instantly after I ask for one thing on Prime Video, so it is irritating to leap by means of hoops for nearly every part else.

Even different supported companies really feel inferior to Prime Video. Tubi reveals solely a small choice of on-demand movies whereas hiding the stay channels I exploit within the background whereas I work or clear. I do know it is technically potential to make use of the built-in Silk internet browser to look at movies on YouTube or Netflix, nevertheless it’s a poor substitute. I had no luck tapping on a YouTube video timeline to leap to a selected half.

I notice I am spoiled by Google’s good shows, which have excellent help for video companies and the flexibility to solid movies from cell apps. Nonetheless, that does not take away the sting of Amazon continually making an attempt to funnel customers into paid subscriptions. For many of us, the small display screen means we can’t use the Echo Present 5 as our major video streamer, so the dearth of streaming choices is a non-issue.

Efficiency

Laggy touchscreen controls, buggy software program, and a display screen constructed for distraction

My gripes are quite a few, however I wish to emphasize that the Echo Present 5 excels as an Alexa good speaker. I’ve by no means had an issue with setting timers, enjoying music, asking questions, and controlling good residence units.

After I plugged the machine in, the Alexa app immediately acknowledged it and provided to set it up. Since I already had the Alexa app, it used my saved Wi-Fi password and current SmartThings Alexa Ability to seamlessly combine into my good residence. I just like the Alexa app’s good residence controls and the way it suggests residence automation routines. You’ll be able to even regulate many, however not all, of the Echo Present 5’s settings within the app.

After setup, the Echo Present had some bother operating apps, nevertheless it stabilized after I up to date the software program. Nonetheless, there is a persistent bug that reveals overlapping clocks at instances.

Virtually each faucet on the Echo Present 5’s person interface has a tiny delay and an animation that briefly blacks out the display screen. Whereas I perceive that the touchscreen controls do not should really feel as snappy as a smartphone, this delay will get outdated shortly when making settings adjustments. It is not all dangerous — the touchscreen may be very responsive when typing or navigating inside most apps.

By default, the Echo Present 5 shows data playing cards on the display screen when it is idle. Whereas these are largely innocuous — Alexa suggestions, sports activities scores, recipes, and so forth. — they rotate each 12 seconds with the fade-to-black animation I discussed earlier. They’re nothing greater than adverts to encourage interplay along with your Echo Present and hopefully make an Amazon buy.

As somebody with ADHD, that is an absolute nightmare when utilizing an Echo Present as a desk clock.

My first resolution was turning off the numerous, many playing cards in Settings > House & Clock > House Content material. Within the absence of playing cards, the machine defaults to Clock Mode, displaying my chosen clock face with images. Once more, these images rotate each 12 seconds, with no setting to regulate the frequency.

Finally, I set the clock to a static picture as a result of it distracted me too typically. Whereas that is largely steady, the Echo Present’s programming nonetheless needs to indicate the information playing cards I turned off, inflicting the display screen to fade out and in each few seconds. (I discovered a Reddit submit confirming this downside predates the launch of the third Gen mannequin.)

Essentially the most dependable repair I discovered was scheduling Night time Mode to remain on all day, however this wastes the display screen’s potential as an ambient canvas for images and artwork. Whereas we’re on the subject of night time mode, there is a mild sensor to dim the display screen however no setting to show the display screen off utterly. This can be a downside for individuals who search full darkness as we sleep.

Competitors

Google makes higher good shows

Because the Lenovo Good Clock is not obtainable, the Echo Present 5 is the one actual contender amongst 5-inch good shows. Sadly, for Amazon, you should buy the 7-inch Google Nest Hub for round $100, which is simply $10 greater than the Echo Present 5.

I strongly choose Google’s strategy to ambient display screen conduct. It does not present adverts, has a improbable clock-only mode, turns the display screen off at night time, and permits you to set the slideshow pace as much as 10 minutes as a substitute of a most of 24 seconds on Echo Present’s clockless Picture Body mode.

Google additionally handles third-party video streaming higher and consists of built-in YouTube help. The touchscreen controls are extra fluid and responsive than Echo Present 5. I’ve a first-generation Nest Hub in my kitchen, and it is rock-solid. The Echo Present’s solely benefit is the built-in digital camera for video calls, nevertheless it’s not sufficient to persuade me to modify.

Do you have to purchase it?

Echo Present 5 is a flawed good show however can work in current Alexa setups

Particular gripes apart, I discovered the Echo Present 5 (third Gen) to be a reliable Alexa good speaker so long as I ignored options that concerned the display screen. I like to recommend it for individuals eager to increase an current Alexa good residence, however you may normally skip the display screen for a less expensive Echo Dot. Google’s Nest Hub is the best choice for anybody wanting an excellent good show, adopted by another Echo Present mannequin.