The new Echo Speaker by Amazon has been one of the best smart home devices in this day and age, alongside the Google Home Mini. But few can match Alexa’s intuitive design, not even Google Assistant. For those looking for the best speakers, one that can also act as a smart home device and be an anchor for other smart devices, the Amazon Echo Dot Speaker is where it’s at.
Why We Like It – Amazon Echo Dot Speaker
It looks like a regular speaker at first glance, but underneath the hood is more than a good-sounding speaker, but is a fully integrated voice assistant, capable of connecting to a laundry list of smart devices. It’s one of the top smart speakers out there now.
- Supports a wide range of music apps
- Voice assistant is smart
- Very affordable
- Average sound quality
Performance
Controlling your smart devices with the third-generation Amazon Echo Dot is what the Bluetooth speaker was built for. The new Dot does that beautifully, even more so with other Alexa devices such as the Echo Show. Its voice assistant, Alexa, is quick to carry out your commands at the moment’s notice. And she’s easy to get set up through the Alexa app.
While the third-generation Echo Dot is much better as a smart home device, it also doubles as a speaker. To get started, simply say Alexa Play Music and she’ll connect to Amazon Music, Spotify, Apple Music, and so on. Unfortunately, its sound quality is pretty average. It’s plenty good when you’re making dinner or relaxing. If quality is a concern, consider the Echo Plus; it has way better sound than the Echo Speaker. For a normal universal wireless speaker with a cool design, check out our Altec Lansing inMotion Air IMW725 review.
Design
Everything the new Amazon Echo Dot is and does fits within a very small dimension of 3.9” x 3.9” x 1.7”. At the top of the smart speakers are buttons for Volume Up, Volume Down, Mic Off button, and the Action button. Surrounding the top is a blue ring, which indicates various functions such as proper connection to Wi-Fi and so on. In the back is a 3.5mm Audio Output jack and a power port. It’s a rather high-quality speaker for such a small price. Another small speaker with high quality is the BoseSoundlink Mini II. But, for a compact speaker with an integrated amp and a high-quality headphone amp, read our Audioengine N22 desktop Amplifier P4 passive bookshelf speaker review.
Value
There’s so much value the Amazon Echo Dot Speaker has to offer. This is because the new Echo Dot Speaker is more than just an audio device. It can act as a mic when someone calls, has smart home controls available, and has a very intuitive voice assistant (Alexa). It’s trying to accomplish as many things as possible while still being affordable, and we can see the merit in that. If audio quality is a concern, the Anker Soundcore Speaker is a solid choice. For a durable speaker, the Oontz Angle 3 Speaker is cheap, or a JBL Charge 3 Speaker if you can spare the cash.
Alternatively, for a smart soundbar with android and wireless capabilities, you’ll want to read our Sceptre SB301524W smart speaker & soundbar 2.1 with subwoofer.
Amazon Echo Dot Speaker Wrap Up
The Amazon Echo Dot Speaker has pretty average sound quality, but it’s meant to be an anchor for your smart home devices, not a stand-alone speaker. That’s only one facet of its design. Alexa is smart and capable of handling complex commands while carrying out simple tasks such as launching its wide range of music apps or setting timers, and so on.
