Amazon's 2023 Echo Show is faster and offers improved audio

Amazon updated the standard and Kids variants of the Echo Show 5 in its string of Alexa hardware announcements today. The new model is faster and sounds better, but it otherwise could be mistaken for the previous version.

The Echo Show 5 has a nearly (or exactly) identical design to the last generation model, including a 5.5-inch screen for watching the news, video-chatting or seeing who's at your door. Amazon says the new third-generation Echo Show 5 is 20 percent faster than the second-gen model. In addition, it has an upgraded speaker system that “doubles the bass” from its predecessor. It also adds a redesigned microphone array to pick up voices more easily.

Meanwhile, the Echo Show 5 Kids takes the new hardware and adds a space-themed design and a series of child-focused features. In addition to the expected parental controls and the generative AI feature Create with Alexa, it adds kid-friendly responses, jokes, homework help and explicit-lyric filtering. It also comes with one year of Amazon Kids+, the company’s subscription service that adds “ad-free and age-appropriate” audiobooks, games, videos and Alexa skills.

The Echo Show 5 is available today for $90 in charcoal, white and blue options. The Kids variant costs $100 and is available in the pictured galaxy design.