Echo Dot (2nd Generation) - Smart Speaker With Alexa - White Review

avril 18, 2022 Enregistrer un commentaire

Amazon'southward fourth-generation Echo Dot has evolved from its predecessors' puck-like appearance into a small ball, shaking up the idea of what a modest smart speaker can expect like.

The new Repeat Dot is priced the same as the last one, costing from £50, although it volition be frequently available at a discount at diverse retailers, and looks like the full-sized £80 Echo hit with a compress ray.

It has a fabric elevation and front, hard plastic sides and back, and Amazon'south traditional four-button array for turning the volume up and downward, muting the microphones and an activity push button.

amazon echo dot review — The fourth-generation Echo Dot (left) next to the tertiary-generation (correct). Photograph: Samuel Gibbs/The Guardian

It is a cute petty brawl that doesn't wait like a speaker or its competition. But while it takes up the same footprint as its puck-shaped predecessor, it is about twice its tiptop which makes it slightly less discreet in your home.

The power cable plugs in the back next to a 3.5mm analogue audio socket for connecting external speakers merely the Echo Dot has Bluetooth besides.

The lite ring lights up at the bottom making it look similar the speaker is glowing when Alexa is active or to show alerts or when adjusting the volume.

Specifications

Dimensions: 100 10 100 x 89mm
Weight: 338g
Connectivity: wifi 5 (ac), Bluetooth, 3.5mm analogue audio
Controls: voice, superlative-mounted volume, action and mic mute
Speakers: single 1.6in speaker

Small ball of sound

The Dot is larger and produces slightly fuller and wider audio because of it, despite having the same sized speaker equally the tertiary-generation model.

Information technology sounds surprisingly good for its size and price. The Dot lacks real bass, but it is otherwise pleasant to listen to music, the radio and Alexa's voice with plenty volume to fill a pocket-sized room. Ii can be paired for stereo sound and the Dot can be grouped with other Alexa-enabled speakers for multi-room audio.

Alexa natively supports music streaming services from Spotify, Apple tree, Deezer or Amazon, or y'all tin stream tunes to information technology via Bluetooth. Radio services are handled by TuneIn, or using BBC Sounds and other individual station "skills" you lot can install like apps using the Alexa app on your phone.

Just like any other Alexa speaker it will read the news headlines, tell you lot the conditions, answer questions, fix alarms, timers and command smart home devices, besides.

Clock or not?

The Dot comes in two versions: a regular Echo Dot and an Echo Dot with Clock for £10 more, which as the proper name suggests has an LED time display hidden behind the mesh at the front.

They are functionally identical autonomously from the display, which shows the time, the outside temperature when asked, timers, the volume when adjusting it and the time of the alert when setting it. A trivial white dot next to the time shows when an alarm has been set or a timer is active.

Equally with its predecessor, the clock turns the Dot into a expert bedside accessory. The brightness of the display automatically adjusts based on ambient light, but you tin can customise how bright that adjustment is. On its most dim setting it is slightly brighter than the outgoing model and produced plenty light to create shadows on the wall at nighttime. Yous can plough the display on and off with the Alexa app or via voice.

Sustainability

The speaker is generally repairable. It contains 100% mail service-consumer recycled cloth, 100% recycled die-cast aluminium and l% postal service-consumer recycled plastic. Amazon has also pledged to showtime the electricity used by Echo devices with renewable energy. Amazon as well offers trade-in and recycling schemes.

Observations

You tin can tap the superlative to snooze an alarm, but I wish you lot could do it to simply dismiss information technology too.
You lot can modify the wakeword from Alexa to Amazon, Echo or computer, just yous all the same tin't change the gender of its voice, dissimilar competitors.

Cost

The fourth-generation Amazon Repeat Dot costs £49.99 or £59.99 with the LED clock.

For comparison, the third-gen Echo Dot has been reduced to £39.99, the standard Echo costs £79.99, Google'southward Nest Mini costs £49 and Apple tree's HomePod mini costs £99.

Verdict

The 4th-generation Echo Dot is a cute, ball-similar redesign that breaks the mould of the traditional puck or pincushion-similar speakers.

Bought with or without an LED display, the Dot continues to sound better than you lot'd look – platonic for pocket-sized rooms or groundwork listening – and provide all of Alexa's features in a adept-value parcel costing £50 or less in Amazon'south frequent sales.

Information technology may expect more than interesting, but it is slightly harder to place at dwelling house than the previous lower-profile design. The Dot with Clock's screen is a petty brighter at its dimmest setting, which some may discover irritating.

Pros: Good value, Alexa, loud enough for small rooms, Bluetooth, 3.5mm socket, can be paired, frequently discounted, good mics, can exist bought with or without LED clock, fresh design.

Cons: no real bass, less unimposing shape, clock display brighter than predecessor, potential privacy implications of having mics.