Amazon today revealed the latest version of the Alexa-powered Echo Show smart display: a smaller model at a much lower price point.
The new Echo Show 5 is named for its 5.5-inch display, 45 percent smaller than the screen on the second-generation device unveiled last year. it comes at a significant discount compared to previous models. Echo Show 5 is priced at $89.99, while the larger Echo Show costs $229.99.
In a press release, Amazon executives referenced a goal of getting customers to add an Echo Show 5 to multiple rooms in the house. The smaller size and lower price make that a much more reasonable possibility.
“Since we launched the first Echo Show device, customers have told us they love asking Alexa to show them things — whether it’s a recipe for banana bread, their shopping list, or music lyrics,” said Tom Taylor, senior vice president of Amazon Alexa, in a statement. “With Echo Show 5, we’ve made it even easier and affordable for customers to add a smart display to every room of their house.”
Amazon is also offering a magnetic stand that allows users to tilt their Echo Show devices for $19.99. Both the stand and the device are available for pre-order starting today.
The device will start shipping next month in the U.S., U.K., Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Japan, Canada, New Zealand and Australia next month and to India in July. Amazon also plans to make the device available in Mexico in the future.
In addition to the standard Echo Show capabilities — watching HD video, pulling up recipes, making video calls — the new device also features a physical shutter that can be turned off. That is an example of a series of new privacy features Amazon is releasing for its Alexa-powered devices.
Many of the newest features assume users will plant Echo Shows throughout the house, such as having one in the kitchen and one in the bedroom. Amazon added new Alexa-powered wake up and wind down routines, integrations with smart home products such as Ring doorbells, Arlo baby cameras and other devices.
The new Echo Show isn’t the first small Alexa device the company has made with the idea that users could buy several of them and place them throughout the house. The trend started with the popular Echo Dot and then grew with the Echo Spot smart display.
Amazon is battling it out with Google and other tech giants for command of the digital assistant market through lines of devices like smart speakers and displays. As of the end of 2018, Amazon held a 70 percent smart speaker market share, according to an estimate, compared to only 24 percent for Google.
