Echo Show 5 (2nd Gen, Various Colors) + Echo Auto (1st Gen) EXPIRED

Fyi same deal for the other two colors of the echo show 5 (white and black). Also, the 2nd gen echo auto hasn't been released yet (but had a product page, etc)

Is the Auto really any good? Does feel like clearing inventory as they do workforce cuts in Alexa.

Quote from dealjaeger : Is the Auto really any good? Does feel like clearing inventory as they do workforce cuts in Alexa.

It depends on your car.
If you have a newer car with Android Auto or CarPlay then this is trash. If you have a "higher value" car without Android Auto or CarPlay then it maybe worth investing few hundred to install a new head unit with AA or CP.
However if you have an older car where you don't want to spend more money, would like voice control of a few basic things then this is a game changer at these low prices.

The reason people talk trash about this in some reviews is because they fundamentally don't understand the product, the echo auto is basically a wireless Bluetooth voice remote control for a few functions you use your phone for. That's it. So it needs constant connection to your phone.
Control music, podcasts, some home automation stuff, check weather, answer voice calls that's all. This shouldn't be considered a standalone device like the regular echo's in the house as it doesn't have dedicated power or a SIM card.

So why not just use your phone? Depending on your phone mount situation, it may take 2 hands and some fiddling to place the phone in the mount. If you're going on a short drive you may not want to take your phone out of the pocket or leave it on the passenger seat so you can access it quicker for texting etc. The multiple mics make it so that voice calls and voice activation will always be better than your phone In loud environments.

Quote from dealjaeger : Is the Auto really any good? Does feel like clearing inventory as they do workforce cuts in Alexa.

I bought one back at release and to be honest it's not very useful to me -- I have it in my car but it's not even connected at the moment. If you like the Alexa ecosystem and want it everywhere you go then the Echo Auto is a good, relatively easy to use option for the car, but I find connecting my Google Assistant via Bluetooth is a much more efficient way to play music, access maps, or whatever else you'd do with Alexa. Since almost all of my commands are to play specific music/radio or get directions to where I need to go, the Echo Auto ends up being an unnecessary middleman.

Quote from dealjaeger : Is the Auto really any good? Does feel like clearing inventory as they do workforce cuts in Alexa.

I own 2 of them in separate cars, and they constantly disconnect or not respond to voice commands. I highly recommend you wait for second version (after its reviews)

Quote from dealjaeger : Is the Auto really any good? Does feel like clearing inventory as they do workforce cuts in Alexa.

I owned one since last year. Mainly used for music playing with Bluetooth. otherwise its useless. Making calls with it is terrible. One side can't hear me...!!!

I have had an echo auto for two years in a car (2017 Honda CR-V) with android auto and I would still recommend it if you are a prime member. I have both available while driving. One by holding the voice button and the other by simple saying "alexa". They both play nice together, but the phone is required to be plugged in with android auto enabled for the echo to work properly. So you can't just use echo auto alone. Android auto does not play well with Amazon music, which is what I use the most. Also being a separate unit from the car it actually responds better some times when the car electronic system takes forever to respond.

I have the old echo show, never even took it out of the box, want to trade it in for the new one but I Dont see any option in trade in that shows the old echo show 5 only the refurb version its not its brand new

Quote from lakerfanalways : I have the old echo show, never even took it out of the box, want to trade it in for the new one but I Dont see any option in trade in that shows the old echo show 5 only the refurb version its not its brand new

Old 1st gen echo show 5 has 3.5mm aux out. 2nd gen doesn't.

Quote from jjmai : Old 1st gen echo show 5 has 3.5mm aux out. 2nd gen doesn't.

so the old echo show 5 the 2019 model is actually better than the 2021 version if true I wont bother buying it then

Quote from lakerfanalways : so the old echo show 5 the 2019 model is actually better than the 2021 version if true I wont bother buying it then

Any new echo device release will no longer include an Aux port. I am also very disappointed. This was probably to get people to buy more expensive Echo rather than just getting a cheap dot and connecting it to good set of speakers.

Quote from dealjaeger : Is the Auto really any good? Does feel like clearing inventory as they do workforce cuts in Alexa.

I use mine daily. It's great for music, works decently for voice navigation as it'll send your request to Google maps for example. It's ok for calls, there's a lot of background noise. I usually pick up the receiver and hold it next to my mouth for calls so people can understand me better. Technically it's holding a phone that is illegal while driving, not holding a microphone.

The reason it's so cheap is that the echo auto 2 is coming out soon. I'm crossing my fingers they've fixed the background noise problem for calls and made it easier for multiple phones to connect to it.

Quote from dealjaeger : Is the Auto really any good? Does feel like clearing inventory as they do workforce cuts in Alexa.

I got one, but only use it for connecting my phone to my car to play music via Bluetooth. It can be useful as a connection device for the garage too... I've hooked it up to old stereo systems and used it for connecting my phone to the sound via Bluetooth... Otherwise, it never understood what I would say... So if you want it for the voice function I wouldn't get it.