Amazon unveils upgraded Echo Show 5 and Echo Show 8 smart displays
The new Echo Show 5 and Echo Show 8 feature new cameras, upgraded innards and fresh colour schemes
Amazon has lifted the lid on the latest Echo Show 5 and Echo Show 8 smart displays. The new products represent the kind of upgrade we’ve come to expect from the retail giant; both smart displays have received a fresh coat of paint in a few key areas while holding on to the fundamentals laid down by their predecessors. If you were expecting an overhaul on par with the one given to the Amazon Echo Show 10 earlier this year, though, you might be a bit disappointed.
This year’s Echo Show 5 and Echo Show 8 have received their most substantial upgrades in the camera department. The Echo Show 8 now has a 13MP front-facing camera, a sizeable improvement over the 1MP snapper found in the previous model. This camera also has a party trick: it can automatically pan and zoom while you’re on a video call, helping to keep multiple callers in the frame when you’re catching up with your relatives.
The Echo Show 5 also bins the weedy 1MP sensor in favour of a 2MP camera, which Amazon simply describes as “HD”. This one can’t adjust to keep all callers in view, unfortunately, but it is at least a small improvement over the last-gen Echo Show 5.
Beyond these small but significant upgrades, the Echo Show 5 and Echo Show 8 remain almost identical to their predecessors. The Echo Show 8 now has an unnamed octa-core processor running the show at a quicker pace than the quad-core MediaTek processor in the previous Echo Show 8, but it retains the same 8in, 1,280 x 800 touch screen and dual 2in, 10W speakers packed into the same squat frame.
You won’t find a new processor inside the Echo Show 5, however – in fact, camera upgrade aside it’s identical on paper to the smart display it replaces. But that’s not a bad thing at all: the new Echo Show 5 is actually £5 cheaper than the previous model, even though it still uses the same 5.5in display and single 1.7in 4W speaker.
Both smart displays can perform the usual suite of voice-activated tasks, including controlling your smart home appliances, taking notes, setting reminders or timers and answering questions. The display can be used to watch films or TV shows, hold video calls with compatible devices and display your photos, among other things.
The new Echo Show 5 and Echo Show 8 are available to preorder now from Amazon for £75 and £120 respectively, with orders shipping next month. Both speakers come in Charcoal and Glacier White, and the Echo Show 5 is also available in a new Deep Sea Blue shade. Stay tuned for our final verdicts in the coming weeks.