Echo Dot (5th generation, 2022 release) | Big vibrant sound Wi-Fi and Bluetooth smart speaker with Alexa | Charcoal

Product Information

The other option for a diminutive smart speaker — the Nest Mini — doesn’t come close in terms of sound quality. Echo Dot + Fire TV - Watch TV with immersive sound when you set up Alexa Home Cinema with compatible devices. The Echo Dot 5th Gen is one of the most popular smart speakers for several reasons: It's compact, it sounds decent, and it's affordable. Hearst UK is the trading name of the National Magazine Company Ltd, 30 Panton Street, Leicester Square, London, SW1Y 4AJ.

All in all, the Alexa is a nice help in everyday life, you speak to it and it answers all your questions or plays music. The speaker itself has been massively upgraded, The sound is leaps and bounds better than the previous model, with thumpier bass and louder volume.We also appreciate that the top of the speaker has tap functionality, so we can snooze our alarm in the morning without having to mumble “Alexa, snooze” whilst half-asleep. It’s supposed to be the central hub for all families, and looks like a 15in picture frame intended to be placed on the wall (that does it all). Just ask Alexa to dim the lights, adjust the room temperature, or turn on a compatible smart-plug-connected appliance. This isn't something I can say about the latest Echos, as the Echo Studio, Echo (4th Gen) and, to a much lesser extent, the Dot (5th Gen) are all quite capable as music speakers. Apart from the lack of an LED display, the Echo Dot (5th Gen) is identical to the Echo Dot With Clock, and we expect similar performance.

The Dot can also get pretty loud, although not quite as loud as Google’s Home Mini, and the audio starts to distort in high-energy tracks at maximum volume.The weather forecast readout, with the temperature and a little cloud, sun, or rain icon, is more useful and slightly faster than listening to Alexa say the forecast.

The huge selection of how-to videos is super handy though if you can plug it in close by, especially in the kitchen. To help you out, here’s everything you need to know if you’re deciding between the Echo and the Echo Dot. My other preferred bedside table smart speaker is the second-gen Google Nest Hub (the one without a camera). You can bring it anywhere you go and you can also connect it with various kinds of devices using Bluetooth technology.

In the past, according to what reporter Jack Morse wrote for Mashable a few years back, "Alexa has been known to record people and rooms even when there's no wake word spoken intentionally — or spoken at all.

The improvement to sound quality is noticeable, but only if you have it and the previous-gen model next to one another. Our bass test track, The Knife’s “Silent Shout,” sounds weak on the speaker, with little low-frequency response. I plan to test this again with a different network configuration when more Echo devices have the feature). The speakers are housed on its base on the rear and deliver surprisingly clear and vibrant sound, with a good, rich sense of bass. It comes with a smaller five-inch screen than the other Echo Show deals in this list, but if you're after something for a bedside table display, or you simply don't need another intrusive screen in your living room, the Echo Show 5 sit perfectly.The 2021 Echo Show 5 is now made entirely of post-consumer recycled fabric and comes in charcoal, glacier white, and a new deep sea blue color. Task help: There are times we wish that we had a personal assistant for little things, including making lists and scheduling calendars. Enjoy hands-free communication with loved ones and make announcements via Drop-In to keep everyone in touch at home. If you don’t want to fork over a lot of cash for a smart speaker, the Echo Dot is a great pick — especially considering it's newer than the 4th Gen Echo. It features an upgraded processor, so runs more smoothly and snappily in comparison to the first-generation model, and it has a better 13MP camera (a huge boost over the 1MP on the 1st gen).