Echo Spot vs Echo Show 5: What Sets Them Apart?
By Naila Syifa
Updated August 2024
Amazon's latest Echo device, the Echo Spot, integrates a smart speaker, display, and smart home features, making it similar to the widely-known Echo Show 5. How do the two devices compare in terms of design, performance, and features? Let's dive into the details and find out which one is the better choice!
Key Takeaways
Echo Spot has a smaller display with more basic features. Echo Show 5 has a larger display and a camera, allowing for video calling, video streaming, and digital frame showcase that the Echo Spot's smaller screen can't accommodate.
Echo Spot
Compact Smart Alarm Clock
✓ 2.83” Display
✓ 1.73” Front-Firing Speaker
✓ Motion Detection
✓ Support Matter
Echo Show 5 (3rd Generation)
Smart Display for Small Tabletop
✓ 5.5” Touchscreen
✓ 1.75” Speaker
✓ 2 MP Camera
✓ Support Matter
#1 Design & Display
Echo Show 5
The overall design of both devices is essentially different. The Echo Show 5 has a tablet-like rectangular shape, while the Echo Spot features a half-rounded design that is more similar to the Echo Dot.
Coming in a larger size of 5.8” x 3.6” x 3.2”, the Echo Show 5 boasts a larger 5" touchscreen display with 960 x 480 resolution, which provides a better viewing experience compared to the 2.83" display of the Echo Spot with 320 x 240 resolution.
The screen differences affect the functionality, with the Echo Spot only able to display limited information like time, weather, and basic smart home controls, while the Echo Show 5 can handle more robust visual content like movies and video calls.
Both devices are compact, but the Echo Spot is designed for placement on a bedroom nightstand while the Echo Show 5 is better suited for kitchen countertops or office desks.
#2 Audio Performance
Echo Spot
Echo Spot features a 1.73" full-range, front-firing speaker, delivering Lossless High-Definition audio that's ideal for personal listening and casual music playback in small spaces like bedrooms.
Echo Show 5 offers a full-range 1.75” speaker. It is slightly larger but does not have very much advantage over the Echo Spot. Its audio is also suitable for small spaces like kitchens and home offices.
#3 Smart Features
Echo Show 5
One key feature that sets both devices apart is the camera. While the Echo Spot has no camera, the Echo Show 5 features a 2MP camera that allows for video calls and home monitoring, including streaming video from compatible video doorbells or security cameras.
The larger, higher-resolution display of the Echo Show 5 also supports photo slideshow, allowing you to turn it into a digital photo frame that displays your favorite images when not in use. Streaming audiovisual content from streaming services like Prime Video, Red Bull TV, or Tubi is also supported on the Echo Show 5, which the Echo Spot's small screen cannot yet accommodate.
One common feature both the Echo Spot and Echo Show 5 share is the Alexa voice assistant, allowing for voice control for a range of tasks and smart home integration. Alexa routines can be set up on both devices to automate various smart home functions, such as turning on lights, adjusting thermostats, and more based on the time of day or other triggers.
The good news is that both the Echo Show 5 and Echo Spot support Matter, the universal smart home connectivity standard. This ensures both devices are futureproof and can seamlessly integrate with a wide range of smart home devices across brands and ecosystems.
Echo Spot vs Echo Show 5
Final Thoughts
Echo Spot
Two primary aspects that set the Echo Spot and Echo Show 5 apart are the camera and display screen size, which affects the overall functionality and use cases for each device.
With a larger screen and a camera, the Echo Show 5 supports video calling, video playback from streaming services, and live feed streaming from compatible home cameras, making it a better choice for kitchen, living room, or office use.
Meanwhile, the Echo Spot has a smaller display and lacks a camera, making it more suitable for placement on a bedroom nightstand or other compact spaces where the basic smart features and audio playback are the primary focus.
If you like to read more about Alexa Echo devices, check out our other relevant guides here:
Echo Dot (5th Gen) vs Echo Dot (4th Gen)
Echo Dot vs Echo Pop
Echo Spot vs Echo Dot
Echo Spot vs Echo Pop
Echo Spot vs Echo Show 8
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