Question

Thinking of going with an Alexa show 5 or 8. Pros? cons? Likes? Dislikes? I currently have 2 echo dots in the house. I’m not looking to switch away from Alexa devices unless someone suggests that the Alexa show is complete junk. But I doubt it is. Lol. Reviews are mixed on amazon. that’s why I’m asking.  

Answer 1

5 edges out 8 with the clock faces and night mode unless they added that recently to the 8. If speaker quality is your thing go to the full show. If video is your thing or you want to read a lot think about whether you can read the 5 from across the room (my concern originally but not a concern with my setup). Otherwise the 5’ll do by your head at night. Speaker is good esp for the money.  

Answer 2

I got a 5 for $10 when I bought our Ring. I put it in our kitchen but We don’t really use the screen for anything. We have different types of echos in each room and don’t really use the show any differently. It’s nice to scroll through your amazon photos though as kind of an album lol.  

Comments

@chevrotain not really. We always just use our phones which we usually have on us. Might be just a matter of location (kitchen) and seems easier to press the notification on our phones than telling Alexa to show us the front door. If We had one in more rooms we may use it more. To be fair It takes about 5 seconds for the Ring image to appear after giving it the command and the image is really clear. BTW - I placed this in our kitchen for my wife to use for recipes but she still uses her phone or tablet lol. I may relocate it to our bedroom and swap it with an dot.  

Answer 3

I love my 8. Way better speakers than the dots.  

Answer 4

Have a 5 next to the bed and a 10 in the kitchen. Dont use the screen on the smaller 5 much, just sometimes to show the Ring camera feed if my phone is not handy. The 10 in the kitchen i find great for viewing shopping lists, calendars, weather etc. Also the audio is way better for playing music. Both have a slideshow of photos running. Get the biggest screen possible.  

Answer 5

Really like the show 8 I have in our kitchen. Sounds pretty good as well. We have a show 5 in the bedroom that makes for a very smart alarm clock. It is a small display and the sound is pretty average. I think the 8 is the sweet spot.  

Comments

I also agree that a 10 inch might be an even better option if you have the space/ budget

Answer 6

We have the 10” Show in the Kitchen and one 5” by each bedside. Not a lot of video skills but the 10” is especially good as a slide show for your pictures. Great clock faces + night modes in the bedroom. I do like seeing music cover art and lyrics. For smart devices like lamps and thermostats, when you summon them you can do additional control with screen sliders. I love being able to see my Ring Doorbell and Wyze cameras!  

Comments

Thank you for the examples.  

Answer 7

We have the 10" in the kitchen. Speakers are awesome. I was able to get it off amazon for about the price of an 8" plus it came with a dot and Philips hue bulb.  

Answer 8

Fire HD tablets can be put in SHOW mode.  

Answer 9

Iv had the 8 for a few weeks now. Not yet benefited from the screen yet but the speaker is miles better than a dot.  

Answer 10

No more Amazon products for me. The fine print on how they use your audio is the making of a Horror Movie.  

Answer 11

FYI amazon has a great deal right now two for $99 for the 8. I know I said I don’t use the screen much but I just ordered two more lol.  

Answer 12

To be honest, I don’t use them. I just try to have an Alexa within voice distance. It’s all u really need. They look cool and make phone calls but those features never get used. I listen to music and tell Alexa to control home automations.