Smart Displays / Amazon Echo Show 8 (4th Gen, 2025) vs Amazon Echo Show 5 (3rd Gen, 2023)
Amazon Echo Show 8 (4th Gen, 2025) vs Amazon Echo Show 5 (3rd Gen, 2023)
Amazon Echo Show 8 (4th Gen, 2025)
The one to buy — if you can live without the camera shutter Amazon just deleted.
Wins overall by 1.0 points
Quick Verdict
The Amazon Echo Show 8 (4th Gen, 2025) takes this by a clear 1.0 points. The one to buy — if you can live without the camera shutter Amazon just deleted. The Amazon Echo Show 5 (3rd Gen, 2023) only makes sense if it wins on a category you care about more than the total.
The Amazon Echo Show 8 (4th Gen, 2025) and Amazon Echo Show 5 (3rd Gen, 2023) are both closely matched smart Display models, and the Amazon Echo Show 5 (3rd Gen, 2023) is $90 cheaper than the Amazon Echo Show 8 (4th Gen, 2025) ($89.99 vs $179.99). On Smart Home Hub, the Amazon Echo Show 8 (4th Gen, 2025) leads (8.5 vs 3.0/10) — zigbee, Matter and Thread border-router support — often the real reason to buy the bigger model. On Privacy Hardware, the Amazon Echo Show 5 (3rd Gen, 2023) leads (8.0 vs 4.5/10) — physical camera shutters, hardware mic cut-offs and how much sensing runs by default. On Display Quality, the Amazon Echo Show 8 (4th Gen, 2025) leads (7.5 vs 4.5/10) — size, resolution and pixel density for the money. Overall, the Amazon Echo Show 8 (4th Gen, 2025) scores 6.4/10 across our 8 scoring categories versus 5.4/10 for the Amazon Echo Show 5 (3rd Gen, 2023). Below, we break down the full spec sheet, category-by-category scores, and exactly who should buy which one.
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Spec | Amazon Echo Show 8 (4th Gen, 2025) | Amazon Echo Show 5 (3rd Gen, 2023) |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $179.99 | $89.99 |
| Release Year | 2025 | 2023 |
| Voice Assistant | Alexa+ — Amazon's own FAQ states there is no free Alexa+ tier on Echo hardware: it needs Prime or a $19.99/mo Standard plan | Alexa+ — Amazon's own FAQ states there is no free Alexa+ tier on Echo hardware: it needs Prime or a $19.99/mo Standard plan |
| Screen Size (in) | 8.7✓ | 5.5 |
| Resolution | Sources conflict: PCMag's spec sheet lists 1,340 x 800, while Amazon publishes only 'over a million pixels' | 960 x 480 |
| Touchscreen | Yes | Yes |
| Camera | 13 MP with auto-framing, 3.3x zoom and ambient noise reduction | 2 MP fixed front camera |
| Physical Camera Shutter | NO physical shutter — the 2025 redesign removed it; only an on-device button that electronically disables camera and mics | Yes — physical sliding shutter, plus a combined mic/camera off button |
| Speakers | Two front-firing full-range drivers plus one custom woofer, tuned for spatial audio | One 1.75-inch full-range driver (mono) |
| Smart Home Hub Radios | Zigbee hub + Matter controller + Thread — Amazon's press material confirms all three radios on this generation | Matter over Wi-Fi and Bluetooth LE Mesh only — no Zigbee radio and NOT a Thread border router |
| Subscriptions Required | Alexa+ requires Prime or $19.99/mo; Ring event summaries shown in Amazon's marketing require a Ring subscription; Oura integration requires an Oura account and its subscription | Alexa+ requires Prime or $19.99/mo; Amazon Music Unlimited / Spotify etc. billed separately |
| Home-Screen Ads | Sponsored cards appear on the home screen; Amazon's own help page says these ads cannot be turned off, only swiped away | Sponsored cards appear on the home screen; Amazon's own help page says these ads cannot be turned off, only swiped away |
| Video Calling | Alexa calling and Drop In within the Alexa ecosystem; no Meet, no FaceTime, and Skype ended in May 2025 | Alexa-to-Alexa calling and Drop In only; Skype support died with Skype itself in May 2025 |
| Wall Mountable | No | No |
| Warranty | 12 months | 12 months |
| Colors | Graphite, Glacier White | Charcoal, Glacier White, Cloud Blue |
Category Scores
Display Quality
The Amazon Echo Show 8 (4th Gen, 2025) leads clearly here, 7.5 against 4.5 — a 3.0-point margin on size, resolution and pixel density for the money. If that is what you are buying for, the Amazon Echo Show 5 (3rd Gen, 2023) does not close the gap elsewhere.
Sound
The Amazon Echo Show 8 (4th Gen, 2025) leads clearly here, 7.5 against 5.0 — a 2.5-point margin on whether it is honestly a music speaker or just a voice speaker with a screen. If that is what you are buying for, the Amazon Echo Show 5 (3rd Gen, 2023) does not close the gap elsewhere.
Assistant
The Amazon Echo Show 8 (4th Gen, 2025) leads clearly here, 8.0 against 7.0 — a 1.0-point margin on how capable and responsive the built-in assistant actually is on this hardware. If that is what you are buying for, the Amazon Echo Show 5 (3rd Gen, 2023) does not close the gap elsewhere.
Smart Home Hub
The Amazon Echo Show 8 (4th Gen, 2025) leads clearly here, 8.5 against 3.0 — a 5.5-point margin on zigbee, Matter and Thread border-router support — often the real reason to buy the bigger model. If that is what you are buying for, the Amazon Echo Show 5 (3rd Gen, 2023) does not close the gap elsewhere.
Ecosystem Freedom
The Amazon Echo Show 8 (4th Gen, 2025) leads clearly here, 4.5 against 4.0 — a 0.5-point margin on how much of a rival ecosystem's gear, apps and calling networks it will still talk to. If that is what you are buying for, the Amazon Echo Show 5 (3rd Gen, 2023) does not close the gap elsewhere.
Privacy Hardware
The Amazon Echo Show 5 (3rd Gen, 2023) leads clearly here, 8.0 against 4.5 — a 3.5-point margin on physical camera shutters, hardware mic cut-offs and how much sensing runs by default. If that is what you are buying for, the Amazon Echo Show 8 (4th Gen, 2025) does not close the gap elsewhere.
Ad Freedom
The Amazon Echo Show 5 (3rd Gen, 2023) leads clearly here, 4.0 against 3.5 — a 0.5-point margin on how much of the screen you paid for the vendor sells back to you, and whether you can turn it off. If that is what you are buying for, the Amazon Echo Show 8 (4th Gen, 2025) does not close the gap elsewhere.
Value
The Amazon Echo Show 8 (4th Gen, 2025) and Amazon Echo Show 5 (3rd Gen, 2023) are level here, at 7.5/10 each. hardware and features relative to price, including accessories that are not in the box is not what separates these two — look to the categories where the scores diverge.
Best For
Choose the Amazon Echo Show 8 (4th Gen, 2025) if…
- • Smart Home Hub matters most to you — the Amazon Echo Show 8 (4th Gen, 2025) scores 8.5/10 here (zigbee, Matter and Thread border-router support — often the real reason to buy the bigger model).
- • Display Quality matters most to you — the Amazon Echo Show 8 (4th Gen, 2025) scores 7.5/10 here (size, resolution and pixel density for the money).
- • Sound matters most to you — the Amazon Echo Show 8 (4th Gen, 2025) scores 7.5/10 here (whether it is honestly a music speaker or just a voice speaker with a screen).
- • Assistant matters most to you — the Amazon Echo Show 8 (4th Gen, 2025) scores 8.0/10 here (how capable and responsive the built-in assistant actually is on this hardware).
- • Your main use case is video-calling.
Choose the Amazon Echo Show 5 (3rd Gen, 2023) if…
- • Privacy Hardware matters most to you — the Amazon Echo Show 5 (3rd Gen, 2023) scores 8.0/10 here (physical camera shutters, hardware mic cut-offs and how much sensing runs by default).
- • You want to spend less — it's $90 cheaper.
- • Your main use case is bedside.
Pros & Cons
Amazon Echo Show 8 (4th Gen, 2025)
Pros
- +Best sound-per-dollar in the category — a real woofer, not a single full-range cone
- +Zigbee, Thread and Matter in a $179.99 tabletop display
- +13 MP auto-framing camera is a serious upgrade over the 2 MP Show 5
- +AZ3 Pro makes it the most responsive Echo Show yet, by a wide margin
Cons
- −Amazon deleted the physical camera shutter in this generation — a software toggle is all you get now
- −Sponsored home-screen content cannot be turned off, per Amazon's own help pages
- −Alexa+, the entire pitch of the device, is gated behind Prime or $19.99/mo
- −Amazon publishes no resolution figure; the only numbers available come from third parties
- −Omnisense presence sensing means the device is always modelling who is in the room
Amazon Echo Show 5 (3rd Gen, 2023)
Pros
- +Keeps the physical camera shutter that the 2025 Echo Show 8 and 11 dropped
- +$89.99 buys a real touchscreen, a camera and a clock radio
- +Small enough for a nightstand, unlike every Echo Show above it
- +Genuinely better bass than the 2nd-gen Show 5 it replaced
Cons
- −No Zigbee and no Thread border router — the cheap Shows are not smart-home hubs
- −960 x 480 across 5.5 inches looks soft next to the 2025 models
- −Three-year-old hardware still sold at near-launch price outside sale events
- −2 MP fixed camera has no auto-framing; video calls are Alexa-ecosystem-only
- −Sponsored home-screen content cannot be switched off
Shop by Need
FAQs
Is the Amazon Echo Show 8 (4th Gen, 2025) or Amazon Echo Show 5 (3rd Gen, 2023) better overall?+
Based on our 8-category scoring, the Amazon Echo Show 8 (4th Gen, 2025) comes out ahead overall. See the full breakdown in the scores section above — the right pick still depends on which categories matter most for your use case.
Which is better for Smart Home Hub, the Amazon Echo Show 8 (4th Gen, 2025) or the Amazon Echo Show 5 (3rd Gen, 2023)?+
The Amazon Echo Show 8 (4th Gen, 2025) scores higher on Smart Home Hub (8.5/10 vs 3.0/10) — zigbee, Matter and Thread border-router support — often the real reason to buy the bigger model.
Which is better for Privacy Hardware, the Amazon Echo Show 8 (4th Gen, 2025) or the Amazon Echo Show 5 (3rd Gen, 2023)?+
The Amazon Echo Show 5 (3rd Gen, 2023) scores higher on Privacy Hardware (8.0/10 vs 4.5/10) — physical camera shutters, hardware mic cut-offs and how much sensing runs by default.
Which is better for Display Quality, the Amazon Echo Show 8 (4th Gen, 2025) or the Amazon Echo Show 5 (3rd Gen, 2023)?+
The Amazon Echo Show 8 (4th Gen, 2025) scores higher on Display Quality (7.5/10 vs 4.5/10) — size, resolution and pixel density for the money.
Which is better for Sound, the Amazon Echo Show 8 (4th Gen, 2025) or the Amazon Echo Show 5 (3rd Gen, 2023)?+
The Amazon Echo Show 8 (4th Gen, 2025) scores higher on Sound (7.5/10 vs 5.0/10) — whether it is honestly a music speaker or just a voice speaker with a screen.
Is the Amazon Echo Show 8 (4th Gen, 2025) worth the price difference over the Amazon Echo Show 5 (3rd Gen, 2023)?+
The Amazon Echo Show 5 (3rd Gen, 2023) is the cheaper option at $89.99 versus $179.99. Whether the pricier model is "worth it" depends on how much you value its lead in Smart Home Hub.
Which is better suited to my use case?+
The Amazon Echo Show 8 (4th Gen, 2025) is the better fit if you mainly care about video-calling. The Amazon Echo Show 5 (3rd Gen, 2023) is the better fit for bedside.
What's the warranty on the Amazon Echo Show 8 (4th Gen, 2025) vs the Amazon Echo Show 5 (3rd Gen, 2023)?+
The Amazon Echo Show 8 (4th Gen, 2025) ships with a 12-month warranty; the Amazon Echo Show 5 (3rd Gen, 2023) ships with a 12-month warranty. Always confirm current terms on the manufacturer's site before buying.
Should I wait for the next model instead of buying either of these?+
If either model is more than two years old, a successor may be close — check the "Latest Model" link on each product page. Otherwise, both are current, well-supported options and there's no strong reason to wait.
Cheaper Option
Amazon Echo Spot (2024 release) — $79.99
Premium Option
Amazon Echo Show 11 (2025) — $219.99
Specifications and prices for both products last verified . Scores are calculated from published specifications — see how we compare products.