Echo AI lets you connect many other home appliances and devices with Alex’s voice control. With each update, Echo adds new features. Best Amazon echoes devices 2021.
While Amazon has launched plenty of numbers of other Alexa-enabled devices. It has not touched the original, until now.
The Second generation Echo is not only less than the first-generation Echo, but it looks and sounds better as well.
6 Best Amazon Echo Devices 2024
What it lacks in an internal speaker system it makes up for with an audio-out port and Bluetooth connectivity.
While the application and inability to route query to a single Alexa device within proximity of each other can be annoying.
You can interact with Alexa anywhere in your home with the Amazon Echo Dot voice-controlled device. The compact sizes are a perfect fit in any room. The built-in speaker lets you set an alarm or stream music.
Amazon Echo (2nd Generation)
Amazon Echo. This is a brand of smart speakers developed by Amazon. Image source: here
Features
- This flagship smart speaker connects to Alexa to play music, set alarms, and timers. It also answers some of our questions.
- Controls smart home devices and more. Fits best in communal spaces, like living rooms and family rooms.
- It has a room-filling sound. You can enjoy crisp vocals and dynamic bass response with Dolby processing.
- Voice control your music. You can easily stream songs from Amazon Music, Apple Music, Spotify, Sirius XM, and other streaming platforms as well.
- These are always ready for your help and services. Ask Alexa to play music, answer questions, read the news for you. It can check the weather, set alarms, and control compatible smart home devices for you, and many more.
- Do you have a smart home? You can turn on lights, adjust thermostats, lock doors, and more with the help of Alexa and compatible connected devices.
- It also helps you connect with others. Call almost anyone hands-free. Instantly drop in on other rooms in your home. Announce to every room with the same compatible Echo device.
- Alexa is very skillful. With tens of thousands of skills and counting… Alexa is always getting smarter and adding new skills like tracking fitness, playing games, and many more to come on the way.
- This Echo device is designed to protect your privacy.
- These are built with multiple layers of privacy protections and controls, including a microphone off button that electronically disconnects the microphone.
This smart speaker, Amazon’s Echo has an enhanced speaker that now features Dolby processing for improved immersive sound.
It has installed within it seven microphones and beamforming technology so it can hear you from across the room.
No matter even if the music is playing, you will hear it. You just have to say the wake-up word of Echo that is “Alexa” and Echo will respond to you instantly without any break.
This model Echo 2nd Generation is much shorter than the original version of it. This one is 5.8 inches tall and 3.4 inches in diameter.
With this, you have the option of choosing different body designs for it. There are six original variations of designs for the second-generation Echo. Try them out and tell me which one you loved.
Echo Plus (2nd Generation)
The new Echo Plus is a huge upgrade from its predecessor. It comes with great audio quality and a convenient built-in smart home hub. I would recommend you to buy it without thinking about another option.
Echo Plus delivers a smart home hub and robust smart speaker, all in one device. Offering significantly better sound than its predecessor.
This Echo Plus from Amazon is known to be ‘Less a smart speaker, but more a speaker with smarts.’
Amazon has long offered one of the best sets with the smart feature in its speaker’s line. But the Echo Plus backs that up with splendid sonic performance and features.
Until this date, the term smart speakers have been indicating and putting Amazon’s priorities approaching its Echo smart speaker products.
While its speakers have been accepted in acceptance of being sonic. The focus appears to have been on features before the performance.
Features
- If you have smart bulbs and smart devices in your home. Just plugin and set up your Echo plus and ask, “Alexa, discover my devices.”
- Echo Plus has a built-in Zigbee hub. That can help you to easily set up and control your compatible smart home devices.
- Improved sound for streaming music.
- New premium speakers powered by Dolby play 360-degree audio with crisp vocals and dynamic bass response.
- You can also use your voice to adjust equalizer settings.
- Ask Alexa to play music, answer questions for you, read the news. As well as check weather, set alarms, control compatible smart home devices. You can even call anyone anytime with Alexa. That’s why would like the best amazon echo devices for now.
- Set up your smart home without a separate hub. Ask Alexa to control compatible smart lights, switches, sensors, door locks, and more.
- A built-in temperature sensor is included in Echo Plus.
- Ask Alexa for a song, artist, or genre from Amazon Music, Spotify, Pandora, and more. Multi-room music, play music on compatible Echo devices in different rooms.
- Call or message almost anyone hands-free. Instantly drop in on other rooms in your home and announce to every room. The compatible echo device is used for multi-room music.
- With seven microphones installed in this Echo Plus. Beamforming technology and noise cancellation are easy to use. Echo Plus hears you from any direction you talk with a nice range. No matter if music is playing, it will surely hear you.
- Works best and fits best in communal spaces like living rooms and family rooms.
The Echo Plus looks much more like the regular Amazon Echo. Echo Plus is the same height as its little brother, only a little fatter.
Echo Dot (2nd Generation)
The Echo Dot is a smaller yet just as powerful version of the Amazon Echo.
This Amazon’s Echo dot is a great product. Despite shrinking in size and price, it maintains almost everything that made the original Echo so great.
The Amazon Echo Dot voice-controlled device plugs into your home stereo speakers. Or you can connect wirelessly through Bluetooth. The price of $50 and Alexa’s usefulness make the Dot a solid option for anyone who wants to start building a connected home on the cheap.
Features
- Made for any room:
- You can place Echo Dot in the bedroom and use it as a smart alarm clock that can also turn off your lights. Or use Echo Dot in the kitchen to easily set timers and shop using just your voice.
- Voice Control Your Music:
- Provides hands-free voice control for Amazon Music, Apple Music, Spotify, Pandora, Sirius XM, TuneIn, and iHeartRadio.
- Multi-Room Music support:
- It helps you play music across multiple Echo devices simultaneously (Spotify and Sirius XM coming soon. Bluetooth is not supported for multi-room music).
- Voice Control your Smart Home:
- Switch on the lamp before getting out of bed. Turn up the thermostat while reading in your favorite chair, or dim the lights from the couch to watch a movie.
- Far-field Voice Recognition:
- The array of seven microphones with enhanced noise cancellation. With a more powerful processor, improved wake-word performance to hear you ask a question from any direction. Even in noisy environments or while playing music.
- Bring Alexa to an Existing Speaker:
- Bring voice control to an existing speaker by connecting it to Echo Dot using a standard audio cable or Bluetooth.
- Alexa Calling and Messaging:
- Hands-free calling and messaging to almost everyone. Plus, now the Skype call you can stay in touch with your friends and family in over 150 countries.
- Alexa Always Getting Smarter:
- The more you use Echo Dot, the more it adapts to your speech patterns. It also adapts and gets used to your vocabulary and personal references. And because Echo Dot is always connected, updates are delivered automatically.
- Alexa Application:
- With the free Alexa Application on Fire OS, Android, iOS, and desktop browsers. You can easily set up and manage your Echo Dot.
Echo Spot
You can just ask to see the weather, get the news with a video flash briefing.
Also, you can set a music alarm, using the services of Amazon Music, Apple Music, Spotify, and TuneIn support. Also, you can see your calendar, browse and listen to Audible audiobooks, and more.
You get to personalize your Echo Spot with many features. You get a collection of clock faces to suit your style, or you can set a photo background from Prime Photos.
Plus, you can make calls to almost everyone, or make video calls to compatible Echo devices. If there is no compatible Echo device, you can make video calls to Skype as well.
Features
- Echo Spot is designed to fit anywhere in your home. You can use 2nd generation far-field voice recognition to watch video flash briefings and listen to music. You can access weather forecasts, access, and manage to-do lists and shopping lists. Browse and listen to Audible audiobooks and more.
- Echo Spot connects to Alexa, a cloud-based voice service to play music. Read the news, answer your questions, set your alarms, control your smartphone, and many more.
- Just ask to play a song, artist, or genre with Amazon Music. You can also stream music and books from Apple Music, Spotify, TuneIn, and Audible.
- Use the built-in speaker or connect to speakers through Bluetooth or a 3.5 mm stereo cable.
- With multi-room music, you can play music on your Echo devices in different rooms. (Available for Amazon Music, TuneIn, and Spotify. But the Bluetooth is not supported.
- Control your compatible smart home devices. Ask Alexa to turn on your lights, show baby monitors, and front door cameras. It can lock your doors and also control your thermostat, plugs, and more.
- You can call anyone hands-free. You can call on other Echo devices and Skype too. Link your Vodafone account or whatever services you use. It is to make and receive mobile calls. You can make video calls as well, to other Echo devices with a screen, the Alexa application, or Skype. Instantly drop in on other rooms in your home.
- Designed to protect your privacy always.
These are a real departure from the designs of the other Echo devices. And one that makes the Spot seem somewhat friendlier.
Echo Input
This Echo Input is designed to be connected to an external speaker, the Echo Input is a cheap and easy way to make an existing dumb or useless system a smart one.
As well as a 3.5mm input, the Echo Input can also connect to a speaker via Bluetooth for a completely wire-free experience.
However, Bluetooth connections are limited, and you miss out on the drop-in or call features you get a 3.5mm connection.
For those who haven’t ever used a smart speaker solo, the Echo Input is a great choice for pairing with another speaker. However, if there’s a chance you might want a standalone device then you should go for the Echo Dot (3rd Gen) instead.
Essentially these are an Echo Dot without the speaker, the Echo Speaker is the perfect partner for your dumb Hi-Fi or home cinema receiver.
Although Amazon’s Alexa still has some work to do to become the perfect voice-activated smart home assistant, in our point of view it still holds the title for the most reliable, accessible, and versatile.
It also works well alongside many third-party connected gadgets and web-reliant services, meaning you can still get the benefits of Alexa, even if you have not invested in an Echo device and that is where the Echo Input comes in.
Features:
The Amazon Echo Input is a dinky little thing like a squashed wheel of cheese or an oversized jacket button, it’s 80mm across and 14mm tall.
A button on the top surface mutes the four far-field microphones used to pick up your Alexa words and voice commands, while another can be used to manually trigger the assistant. A small blue LED in the center lightens up when Alexa is active and listening.
With a micro USB power port and a 3.5mm output, it’s about as simple as this one can be in terms of cabling. One goes into a power supply, the other goes into your stereo of choice. You don’t need to play with the buttons very often thanks to the joy of hands-free voice control.
Plug it into a wall, download the Alexa app on your phone to connect the Echo Input to your home Wi-Fi, and your all set to go! With a choice between that 3.5mm jack and a Bluetooth connection, you have just brought your stereo into the connected, smart-assistant-equipped world.
It’s simple and effective then, though arguably a little too simple for some users.
The lack of an RCA or optical output could be a problem for some systems, but 3.5 mm and Bluetooth usually come as standard, and anything else you may require could be retrofitted with which niche converter necessary.
The Echo Input is capable of doing anything an Amazon Echo speaker can do, from playing back music via streaming services such as Spotify and Amazon Music to answering general knowledge questions and setting timers and alarms.
It will also control Alexa-compatible smart home devices, too. Your existing Hi-Fi system delivers the audio on its behalf.
Echo Show 2nd Gen
Amazon Echo Show 2nd Gen is better in every way. It is a huge improvement over the first one. The voice assistants are not just about “voice” anymore.
Amazon proved that last year with the launch of its Echo Show, the first-ever Alexa speaker with a screen. The second generation of this is snazzier, sleeker, and better than its predecessor in every way.
Many of the new Show’s most exciting features are still in the works, but its display, audio, and design are way above and superior to its first generation.
It’s a handy smart-home assistant that can act as a tablet or even a miniature TV.
When it came to designing, the first Echo Show was nothing flashy, it was all sharp edges, black plastic that attracted fingerprints like flies, and generally boasted a utilitarian, uninspired look.
The fabric backing and the shorter, longer wedge shape of the second-generation Echo Show is a definite improvement. The new Show has round edges which made it more comfortable to hold in lap while browsing or watching videos and stuff – it was always uncomfortable with the old Show.
Features:
Amazon has a huge app store full of Alexa Skills, which lets you extend the assistant’s capabilities. There’s some real drivel in there (as is the case with most app stores), but there are plenty of quality skills to expand what Alexa can do. With the best amazon echo devices makes some sense.
There’s no YouTube support directly, although you can launch the Firefox browser and tap the thumbnail. Using YouTube, that way isn’t particularly easy. Also, the web browser does not work with all sites for example Netflix.
Amazon Prime Video programs can be played on the Echo Show using your voice to search for them. The interface does not let you refine a search very easily.
Search for a TV show, and you get a single thumbnail on-screen. Tap and the Echo Show will play the next episode you have not watched, rather than expanding to let you choose what you want to watch. Visit more: AmazeInvent
