While there are plenty of third-party Alexa speakers available, including some of the best smart speakers in the world, most people tend to start with Amazon’s Echo line. And for good reason: For the price, the sound quality is decent to excellent, which is a big plus for a speaker that’s the linchpin of your smart home. The money you save can be spent on other accessories, like lights, locks, plugs, and thermostats.
A few caveats before we get started. First, we’re focusing on pure speakers here. If you’re looking for an Alexa-enabled smart display, check out the Echo Show collection. Second, the best speaker for you will depend on how and where you’ll be using it, as well as your budget. For example, the Echo Studio is great for many rooms, but not for kids’ rooms or small bathrooms. Finally, if you don’t need a speaker right away, it might be worth waiting a few months. Amazon is long overdue for a refresh of its Echo lineup, and new devices could arrive as early as September 2024. They’ll likely add support for an enhanced Alexa with generative AI. If you don’t care about generative AI, the current Echo models should be supported for at least a few more years.
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Our picks for the best Amazon Echo speakers
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The best echo for most people
Amazon Echo (4th generation)
Amazon’s flagship Echo offers loud, pleasant audio without a big footprint or price tag, supports Matter and Thread, and even includes a thermometer for use with Alexa automations.
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The perfect echo for audiophiles
Amazon Echo Studio
If sound quality is your priority over budget, the Echo Studio is Amazon’s top-of-the-line product. Recent software updates have brought incredible improvements to sound quality, and it offers Dolby Atmos when you use compatible music and video services. It’s the only Echo we’d recommend for a home theater setup.
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Echo is perfect for small spaces
Amazon Echo Dot (5th Generation)
The Dot’s sound quality is better than you’d expect, but its main advantages are its size and price, plus built-in temperature and motion sensors that allow for better automation options, and there’s also a version with a built-in clock/status display.
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Best Echo for Basic Alexa Control
Amazon Echo Pop
While the Echo Pop is fine for music and podcasts, and if you value voice control over fidelity — an affordable way to add Alexa to a room — most shoppers should upgrade to the Echo Dot if possible.
What’s the best Amazon Echo speaker overall?
The best Echo speaker for most people is still the fourth-generation flagship Echo. It’s four years old, but it still offers clear (if unspectacular) sound and bass, has a small footprint so you can place it on most surfaces, comes with a built-in thermometer for Alexa routines, and acts as a hub for both Matter and Thread accessories (though those protocols were released later). Not bad for a sub-$100 product.
If you want great fidelity with deep bass and a wide soundstage, the Echo Studio is worth spending the extra money on. A software update has allowed it to compete with Sonos speakers, and it supports Dolby Atmos as a compatible music and video service, but you’ll need to pair it with a second one to get the full effect. In fact, if you want wireless speakers for your Fire TV device, the Studios are a great choice, as they can be linked via Alexa.
Why we picked the best Amazon Echo speakers
The team at Pocket-lint has a lot of experience in selecting and testing tech products. When choosing an Echo speaker, we primarily focus on sound quality, as all speakers made by Amazon offer core Alexa-based features like grouping and voice control. Extra features make a difference – Matter and Thread, for example, are essential to future-proof your smart home, while Dolby Atmos greatly enhances the immersion of movies and TV shows. All these factors need to be weighed against the cost, which is why products like the Echo Dot still exist.
FAQ
Q: What is Matter?
Matter is a universal protocol that allows accessories from one platform (for example, Apple HomeKit) to pair with another platform (for example, Alexa) without the hardware manufacturer having to code support for it directly. These accessories must be compatible with Matter, and for each platform you use, you will need a device that also acts as a Matter controller. Most modern Echo devices act as Matter controllers.
