Amazon Echo (4th Generation) Review

 

    

Amazon's original smart speaker is back with a brand-new look and a bit more power. The fourth-generation Echo finds Amazon ditching the speaker's cylindrical origins for a more whimsical spherical design. More importantly, it's phasing out the $150 Echo Plus by putting all of its audio power and additional features, like a built-in smart home hub, into the new Echo. So for just $99.99, the fourth-generation Echo offers better audio performance than ever, the ability to control Zigbee devices, and, of course, Alexa voice assistance. That's more than you'll get from any other smart speaker at this price, easily earning the Echo our Editors' Choice award.

The fourth-generation Echo is a near-sphere, measuring 5.2 inches tall and 5.7 inches wide, available in black, blue, or white. Amazon notes that the fabric and aluminum it uses in its Echo speakers are 100-percent recycled materials. It's a fun new design, and looks similar to Apple's forthcoming HomePod mini.

The light ring has been moved from the top of the speaker to the base, providing a less direct glow that’s still recognizable by lighting up blue when you speak your chosen wake word for Alexa. The top panel holds buttons for Alexa, volume up, volume down, and mic mute. The back is home to the connector for the power adapter and a 3.5mm audio output. 

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Underneath the fabric sits a 3-inch woofer and dual 0.8-inch front-firing tweeters, through which the Echo supports Dolby audio (but not Dolby Atmos surround sound like the Echo Studio, which features four drivers, including a 5.3-inch woofer). They’re the same size drivers as in the Echo Plus and the third-generation Echo, but with two tweeters instead of one. Also like the Echo Plus, the fourth-gen Echo incorporates a built-in smart home hub. It’s a Zigbee hub, plus it has support for Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) and Amazon Sidewalk, which helps extend the range of low-bandwidth devices.