See what Alexa can do
This was my first smart speaker purchase. Initially, I only wanted a portable Bluetooth speaker to move between my office and garage. I didn’t find anything with decent sound for under $100, so I started looking at smart speakers compatible with Amazon and Google. Per the many reviews I read, both the Amazon Echo and the Google Nest have good sound, but the Echo has better sound than the Nest. The Echo also has a 3.5mm jack while the Nest does not, so I chose the Echo. I wanted that jack as a way to connect my Walkman and listen to my playlists instead of using Bluetooth and draining Walkman battery.
My Echo arrived a few days ago and here is my review. Other smart speaker brands like Sonos, Bose, and Sony were way too expensive for my application and many were not fully compatible with all of the Alexa and Google features. That was a surprise. Plus, they were still mono speakers like the Echo and Nest.
Amazon immediately sent a link so I could start the setup process before receiving the Echo. That also gave me time to download and take a good look at the Alexa app on my Android phone. This initial setup process only took a few minutes. When the Echo arrived, I read the documentation, then plugged it in and finished the setup process using the app. There are a lot of possible settings, but many didn’t apply to me because I am not using any smart devices. This process also was easy.
I plugged my Walkman into the 3.5 mm jack and didn’t hear any audio. Later, I figured out that the jack can be configured as an output to another speaker or as an input from devices like my Walkman and the default is as an output. Problem solved.
The buttons on top of the Echo are clearly marked and are raised, so they are easy to identify and operate. The Echo has some weight to it that makes it stable when placed on my desk or workbench. It is light enough to make it portable. The Echo is not considered as a portable device because it must be plugged in, so I added a power supply ($15 on Amazon) in my garage and now I do consider it portable. The ring at the bottom turns blue when Alexa is connected. There is a button to turn the microphone off if desired. The sound is pretty decent; not Hi-Fi but certainly good enough for my purposes and better than the portable Bluetooth speakers I initially looked at. The Bluetooth connection between the Echo and my Walkman took less than a minute to create. That’s great because my Walkman has had issues trying to connect to external speakers in the past. The Echo also recognized a Bluetooth signal from other devices in my house, but I didn’t need to connect any of them.
I had not planned to use the Echo as a smart device, but found it so easy and convenient that I am using it fairly often for weather forecasts, to find out what channel a game is on, for current news, and other things. It’s fun and Alexa answers almost immediately. Some reviewers complained that they have to repeat requests or speak loudly to get a response from their Echo. I have not had any issues at all, even with Amazon Music playing and the volume up.
The best thing is that Amazon was selling the Echo for half price when I purchased it. I neglected to choose a color so my order defaulted to blue. It’s a soft blue and I like it. The only thing I don’t like, and other reviews have commented on this, is that regardless of the Echo color the power supply and cable are white. They should be same color as the Echo.
So far, I am thrilled with my purchase. Easy to setup, easy to use, responsive, sounds good, portable, and looks good. I can operate the Echo either directly through the speaker and buttons or through the Alexa app on my phone. Both work well. I started with my phone during setup, but now only use the speaker.
Update: Amazon replaced my Echo with a new one. The hum problem is now resolved. It is just as responsive and sounds just as good as the original echo that I returned had has no issues. Now that I have spent some time with the Echo I am glad I chose it over the Google Nest.
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Sustainability features
This product has sustainability features recognized by trusted certifications.
Carbon impact
Carbon emissions from the lifecycle of this product were reduced compared to similar products or previous models.
As certified by
Reducing CO2 The Reducing CO2 label applies to products certified by the Carbon Trust, that are lowering their carbon emissions year after year for the full lifecycle of the product. The Carbon Trust was formed in 2001 and introduced the world’s first carbon label in 2007. It produces its certifications to global leading and independently verified standards. The Carbon Trust has a mission to accelerate the move to a sustainable, low carbon economy.
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Reducing CO2 products reduce their carbon footprint year after year. Certified by the Carbon Trust.
Climate Pledge FriendlyProducts with trusted sustainability certification(s). Learn morePRODUCT CERTIFICATION (1)
Reducing CO2 products reduce their carbon footprint year after year. Certified by the Carbon Trust.
Climate Pledge FriendlyProducts with trusted sustainability certification(s). Learn morePRODUCT CERTIFICATION (1)
Reducing CO2 products reduce their carbon footprint year after year. Certified by the Carbon Trust.
More music in more rooms
Use your voice to play a song, artist, or genre through Amazon Music, Apple Music, Spotify, Pandora, and others. With multi-room music, you can fill your whole home with music, radio stations, podcasts, and Audible using compatible Echo devices in different rooms. You can even pair your Echo with compatible Fire TV devices to feel scenes come to life with home theater audio.
Designed to protect your privacy
Alexa and Echo devices are built with multiple layers of privacy protection. Echo smart speakers have a microphone off button that electronically disconnects the microphones. You also have control over your voice recordings and can view, hear, or delete them at any time. Alexa uses ultrasound motion detection with select features, such as Occupancy Routines. Ultrasound does not emit on your device unless a feature is enabled that uses motion detection to properly function. You can turn motion detection off at any time. Learn more about motion detection.
Simple to set up and use
1. Plug in Echo and connect to the internet with the Alexa app.
2. Just ask Alexa for music, weather, news, and more.
3. For simple setup with compatible smart home devices, say, “Alexa, discover my devices.”
Every day is an earth day
You don’t have to be an environmental scientist to make sustainable choices. We considered sustainability in the design of this device. Here’s how:
Materials
50% post-consumer recycled plastics
100% post-consumer recycled fabric
100% recycled die-cast aluminum
Device, cable and adapter included
Clean Energy
Amazon is building new wind and solar farms to produce clean energy equivalent to the electricity used by this device.
Low Power Mode
To reduce its energy consumption, this device will enter Low Power Mode when it is idle. Low Power Mode is not available for certain user configurations. To learn more, see Low Power Mode Restrictions.
Compare Echo devices
| Price | From: $17.99 | From: $22.99 | From: $44.99 | From: $54.99 | From: $199.99 |
| Ratings | (65,310) | (126,837) | (10,661) | (147,618) | (42,251) |
| Audio Quality | Full Sound | Big Vibrant Sound | Big Vibrant Sound | Premium Room-Filling Sound | Our Best-Sounding Smart Speaker |
| Speakers | 1.95” front-firing speaker | 1.73" front-firing speaker | 1.73" front-firing speaker | 3.0" neodymium woofer and dual front-firing 0.8" tweeters | Three 2" midrange speakers, one 20 mm front-firing tweeter, and one 5.25" woofer |
| Audio support | Lossless High Definition | Lossless High Definition | Lossless High Definition | Lossless High Definition, Dolby Audio | Lossless High Definition, Dolby Atmos |
| Line in/out | - | - | - | 3.5 mm line in/out | 3.5 mm line in |
| Screen | - | - | 2.83” with 320x240 resolution | - | - |
| Ideal room placement | Small spaces | Bedrooms and small spaces | Bedrooms and small spaces | Communal spaces like the living or family room | Living rooms and large spaces |
| Release Year | 2023 | 2022 | 2024 | 2020 | 2019 |
| Hands-free with Alexa |
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| Motion Detection | - |
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| Temperature Sensor | - |
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| Built-in Zigbee smart home hub | - | - | - |
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| eero Built-in |
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| Camera | - | - | - | - | - |
| Privacy Controls | Built-in microphone off button and in-app privacy controls | Built-in microphone off button and in-app privacy controls | Built-in microphone off button and in-app privacy controls | Built-in microphone off button and in-app privacy controls | Built-in microphone off button and in-app privacy controls |
| Dimensions | 3.9”W x 3.3”D x 3.6”H | 3.9”W x 3.9”D x 3.5”H | 4.5"W x 4.1"D x 4.4"H | 5.7”W x 5.7”D x 5.2”H | 6.9”W x 6.9”D x 8.1”H |
Technical details
Echo (4th Gen)
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Size |
5.7” x 5.7” x 5.2” (144 x 144 x 133 mm) |
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Weight |
34.2 oz (970 g) Actual size and weight may vary by manufacturing process. |
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Wifi connectivity |
Dual-band wifi supports 802.11a/b/g/n/ac (2.4 and 5 GHz) networks. Does not support connecting to ad-hoc (or peer-to-peer) wifi networks. |
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Amazon Sidewalk |
A shared network that helps compatible devices work better at home and beyond the front door. If wifi is lost, Sidewalk enables certain devices to stay connected. Also, Sidewalk helps devices like water sprinklers and pet locators work over longer distances. Sidewalk uses a small portion of your internet bandwidth to provide these benefits to you and your neighbors via Sidewalk Bridges (participating Echo and Ring devices), and is turned on for your device unless you have previously turned off the setting. You can turn off Sidewalk at any time. Learn more about Sidewalk. |
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Smart home hub |
Zigbee + Sidewalk + Matter + Thread Border Router |
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eero Built-in |
Your wifi network must use a compatible eero router and your Echo device must stay in range of a compatible eero device. You will need to link your eero and Amazon accounts and manage eero Built-in from the eero mobile application to use this feature. eero Built-in compatible Echo devices support up to 1,000 sq. ft. of additional coverage, speeds up to 100 Mbps, and 10 or fewer connected devices. Actual performance can vary and certain eero, Echo, or Alexa features may be incompatible with eero Built-in. Learn more about eero Built-in performance, availability and compatibility. Use of eero and eero-related products and services, including eero Built-in, requires creation of an eero account and agreement to eero’s Terms of Service. Review eero’s Privacy Notice. |
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Bluetooth connectivity |
Advanced Audio Distribution Profile (A2DP) support for audio streaming from your mobile device to Echo or from Echo to your Bluetooth speaker. Audio/Video Remote Control Profile (AVRCP) for voice control of connected mobile devices. Hands-free voice control is not supported for Mac OS X devices. Direct control of BLE Mesh. Bluetooth speakers requiring PIN codes are not supported. |
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Audio |
3.0” (76.2 mm) neodymium woofer and two 0.8” (20 mm) tweeters. |
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Alexa app |
The Alexa app is compatible with Fire OS, Android, and iOS devices. Supported operating systems. |
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Accessibility features |
To enable features that personalize Alexa to your abilities, go to Settings → Accessibility in the Alexa App. |
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Warranty and service |
1-year limited warranty and service included. Optional 1-year, 2-year, and 3-year extended warranty available for U.S. customers sold separately. Use of Echo is subject to these terms. |
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Setup technology |
Amazon wifi simple setup enables customers to connect smart devices to their wifi network in a few easy steps. Wifi simple setup is another way Alexa is always getting smarter. Learn more about wifi simple setup. |
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Included in the box |
Echo (4th Gen), glacier white power adapter (30W), and Quick Start Guide. |
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Generation |
Echo (4th Gen) - 2020 release |
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Privacy features |
Wake word technology, streaming indicators, microphone off button, the ability to view and delete your voice recordings, and more. Visit the Alexa Privacy Hub to explore how Alexa and Echo devices are designed to protect your privacy. |
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Language |
Alexa speaks English and Spanish |
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Alexa Skills & Features |
Alexa makes your life easier, more meaningful, and more fun by letting you voice control your world. Alexa can help you get more out of the things you already love and discover new possibilities you've never imagined. Discover and learn what Alexa can do. |
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Software Security Updates |
This device receives guaranteed software security updates until at least four years after the device is last available for purchase as a new unit on our websites. Learn more about these software security updates. If you already own an Amazon Echo, visit Manage Your Content and Devices for information specific to your device. |
Sustainability features
This product has sustainability features recognized by trusted certifications.
Carbon impact
Carbon emissions from the lifecycle of this product were reduced compared to similar products or previous models.
As certified by
Reducing CO2
Reducing CO2 The Reducing CO2 label applies to products certified by the Carbon Trust, that are lowering their carbon emissions year after year for the full lifecycle of the product. The Carbon Trust was formed in 2001 and introduced the world’s first carbon label in 2007. It produces its certifications to global leading and independently verified standards. The Carbon Trust has a mission to accelerate the move to a sustainable, low carbon economy.
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Amazon Echo Comparison: 4th Gen vs Dot vs Pop
JUST A DAD
Impressive again!
This is my third Echo device and second kind of. First two, Echo Pops, were purchased for my daughter. Actually, after I got one for her, she loved it so much that I decided to get another one for stereo and better sound overall. So she is happy! But the thing is after playing with Alexa while setting up my daughters Pops, I kind of fell in love with this device myself lol. So I bought a 4th generation Echo (thank you for Amazon Prime day and better price lol) and I’m very happy now. So as you can see on one of my pics the Echo is definitely larger than Echo pop, therefore takes a bit of more room which might be Cons for someone, it’s more than twice expensive and still has a white power cord lol. Those were Cons. And other ten thousand reasons to buy it will be Pros. Well the first main advantage over the Pop for me is a noticeable sound quality improvement (which is understandable since the Echo is a way larger therefore a speaker itself is definitely larger). No, I’m not trying to say Pop isn’t good. It’s a great speaker for its size and price, I’m just talking about my preferences now. So for its size and price Echo is an amazing speaker, sound quality is more than just decent, has pretty nice bass, especially on lower volumes, excellent quality built, has a tripod thread (or wall mount or any standard mount screw hole I believe) and has different color choices. Alexa does its job exactly the same way as on Pops (no surprise lol). I’ve got the one you see on my pics (something like blue I believe) just in case, because I’m still dreaming about its larger brother/sister (whatever lol) - Echo Studio. So “just in case” means our kitchen cabinets color surprisingly matches my new Echo so I’m thinking to move this useful companion to our kitchen in the future. I still feel I’m a beginner in Alexa universe so she can’t stop surprising me with my smart devices. With my new Echo I also ordered a smart bulb to see how it works together and of course I’m pleasantly surprised - I don’t have to lift my lazy bottom out of bed anymore, my bedroom nightstand light is voice operated now. Alexa turns it on or off, Alexa dims it to my desired preferences, Alexa turns it on in the mornings thanks to my routine group setting. Love the feature how easy to listen to my favorite music around our apartment now - I just asked Alexa to play music everywhere and my playlist started to sound on all 3 Echo devices we have (had to create an “everywhere” group before by the way). Just Amazing! I’m not talking about thousands of other features Alexa offers like weather, news, history, songs etc… etc… etc… After my little experience with both Pop and Echo and all the features Alexa offers my point of view about Echo devices changes, and not to Alexa or AI side, they are not perfect yet, but definitely improving, and Alexa works equally on both devices, so here is a matter of future software updates. It changes towards the Echo devices now. I can clearly hear the sound difference, both, in my opinion, perfect for its size as I mentioned above, and especially its price range. Sorry for comparison, but my $200+ Bose speaker sound exactly the same as my new Echo (and Bose doesn’t have Alexa living inside lol (or who knows maybe there is something I’m not aware of yet, but Bose still can’t beat the price). So after my first Echo Pop purchase, I’m impressed again, now with even better sound quality. Even now, during my finger gymnastics writing this review I’m thinking again to buy a next Echo for our bedroom and then Echo Studio for our living room. Oh, then garage, laundry………etc. So pleasant to have that amazing feeling of satisfaction of spending money the right way lol. Hope someone will find my review helpful.
Top reviews from the United States
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Reviewed in the United States on August 18, 2023
Color: Twilight BlueConfiguration: EchoVerified Purchase
Reviewed in the United States on August 2, 2024
Color: Twilight BlueConfiguration: EchoVerified Purchase
This is my third Echo device and second kind of. First two, Echo Pops, were purchased for my daughter. Actually, after I got one for her, she loved it so much that I decided to get another one for stereo and better sound overall. So she is happy! But the thing is after playing with Alexa while setting up my daughters Pops, I kind of fell in love with this device myself lol. So I bought a 4th generation Echo (thank you for Amazon Prime day and better price lol) and I’m very happy now. So as you can see on one of my pics the Echo is definitely larger than Echo pop, therefore takes a bit of more room which might be Cons for someone, it’s more than twice expensive and still has a white power cord lol. Those were Cons. And other ten thousand reasons to buy it will be Pros. Well the first main advantage over the Pop for me is a noticeable sound quality improvement (which is understandable since the Echo is a way larger therefore a speaker itself is definitely larger). No, I’m not trying to say Pop isn’t good. It’s a great speaker for its size and price, I’m just talking about my preferences now. So for its size and price Echo is an amazing speaker, sound quality is more than just decent, has pretty nice bass, especially on lower volumes, excellent quality built, has a tripod thread (or wall mount or any standard mount screw hole I believe) and has different color choices. Alexa does its job exactly the same way as on Pops (no surprise lol). I’ve got the one you see on my pics (something like blue I believe) just in case, because I’m still dreaming about its larger brother/sister (whatever lol) - Echo Studio. So “just in case” means our kitchen cabinets color surprisingly matches my new Echo so I’m thinking to move this useful companion to our kitchen in the future. I still feel I’m a beginner in Alexa universe so she can’t stop surprising me with my smart devices. With my new Echo I also ordered a smart bulb to see how it works together and of course I’m pleasantly surprised - I don’t have to lift my lazy bottom out of bed anymore, my bedroom nightstand light is voice operated now. Alexa turns it on or off, Alexa dims it to my desired preferences, Alexa turns it on in the mornings thanks to my routine group setting. Love the feature how easy to listen to my favorite music around our apartment now - I just asked Alexa to play music everywhere and my playlist started to sound on all 3 Echo devices we have (had to create an “everywhere” group before by the way). Just Amazing! I’m not talking about thousands of other features Alexa offers like weather, news, history, songs etc… etc… etc… After my little experience with both Pop and Echo and all the features Alexa offers my point of view about Echo devices changes, and not to Alexa or AI side, they are not perfect yet, but definitely improving, and Alexa works equally on both devices, so here is a matter of future software updates. It changes towards the Echo devices now. I can clearly hear the sound difference, both, in my opinion, perfect for its size as I mentioned above, and especially its price range. Sorry for comparison, but my $200+ Bose speaker sound exactly the same as my new Echo (and Bose doesn’t have Alexa living inside lol (or who knows maybe there is something I’m not aware of yet, but Bose still can’t beat the price). So after my first Echo Pop purchase, I’m impressed again, now with even better sound quality. Even now, during my finger gymnastics writing this review I’m thinking again to buy a next Echo for our bedroom and then Echo Studio for our living room. Oh, then garage, laundry………etc. So pleasant to have that amazing feeling of satisfaction of spending money the right way lol. Hope someone will find my review helpful.
Images in this review
Top reviews from other countries
peter cawthorne
Stylist and Sounds Very Good.
Reviewed in Canada on December 13, 2020
peter cawthorne
Reviewed in Canada on December 13, 2020
Images in this review
Highway420
I expected better. Get screen Echos
Reviewed in Canada on January 7, 2021
Arawnka Shkola
Good sound for the money
Reviewed in Canada on March 7, 2021
Arawnka Shkola
Reviewed in Canada on March 7, 2021
The voice recognition is poor, making me repeat Alexa often. Whisper mode works well, so I don’t understand why it does not wake when I say Alexa normal voice often.
It lost my Sengle smart light just after a month of working perfectly...also a mystery why. Now it will not recognize the light at all. I will have to talk to the nice amazon techies soon.
Images in this review
