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Grab a free Amazon Echo Show 5 when you buy an Echo Studio at Best Buy

Get your smart home started quickly.

Billy Steele/Engadget

Best Buy might be your ticket if you’re looking to get started on a smart home and want better sound than you usually get from smart speakers. The retailer is running a promo that gives Echo Studio buyers a free Echo Show 5 for the same $200 it normally costs to get the Studio alone. That’s on top of a Philips Hue white bulb, too. This could give you a superb-sounding Alexa speaker in the living room while providing a connected alarm clock for the bedroom or kitchen.

Buy Echo Studio with free Echo Show 5 on Amazon - $200

The Echo Studio is relatively large and benefits the most if you use a high-resolution streaming service like Amazon Music HD, but it’s a bargain as far as premium smart speakers go. It produces a balanced, rich sound if you use the Stereo Spatial Enhancement feature. And like all Amazon speakers, the Alexa ecosystem is a distinct advantage. You can play services ranging from Spotify to Apple Music, use a wide variety of Alexa skills and control many (if not most) smart home devices.

The Echo Show 5 won’t compete with the Studio on audio quality, but it still sounds better than you might think for its size. Of course, its real strong suit is its display. We found it ideal as a bedside device that can serve as your clock, a daily news briefing device and a communicator thanks to the built-in camera. Don’t worry about potential camera hijacks, though — there’s a physical privacy shutter if you’re concerned. It’s already a solid value at its usual $90 price, and it’s almost a steal as a free bundle item.

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