Amazon’s range of Alexa speakers is so vast, it can be hard to decide which one to buy.
The idea, of course, isn’t to have just one, but to fill your home with several so you can listen to music anywhere, ask Alexa questions on the go, and control home devices. smart (like lights) in every room.
The Echo Dot, however, has always been a great starting point and lets you have a hands-free virtual assistant without breaking the bank.
With the 5th generation model, nothing has changed in this regard, although in some markets this time it is more expensive than its predecessor.
However, wherever you live, the Echo Dot 5 will likely be the one you end up buying thanks to its selection of small but handy upgrades.
Unless, of course, you see a previous generation model on sale at a very low price. And, since Amazon often discounts its devices during sales, it’s worth considering if you can wait.
Features and design
- Same design as the 4th generation model
- New touch gestures
- Improved display on model with clock
Aside from the fact that it’s now available in the new Bluish Gray color (as pictured), at first glance the 5th Gen Echo Dot looks exactly like its predecessor.
It has the same size, the same fabric that covers the front and the top, the same four buttons and the same luminous ring around the base.
On the back, there’s a single connector for the power cord, and like the 4th-gen Dot, there’s no mini-port.jack the 3.5mm.
If you spend an extra $10 / MXN$250 for the “with clock” model, and I highly recommend it, you’ll get a useful dot-matrix display.
With 24 horizontal and five vertical dots, there are 120 in total, considerably higher resolution than the fourth-generation seven-segment LED display, as shown below.
This allows the new Echo Dot to display much more than the time. Artist and song names scroll when you play music, more detailed weather information is displayed, and units or measurements are displayed when you ask Alexa to do calculations.
Like the 4th Gen Echo Dot with clock, it also displays volume (over 10) and time remaining in a countdown.
The screen brightness adjusts automatically according to the brightness of the room, but you can also adjust it manually.
Note that the blue-gray color is exclusive to the Echo Dot with clock (also available in white). If you opt for the standard Echo Dot 5, you’ll be able to choose between Charcoal (black), Navy (a much darker blue) and White again.
Whichever model you choose, it will have a built-in temperature sensor, just like the 4th Gen Echo. It’s the first time Amazon has put one in a dot, and it means you can automate smart heating/cooling systems based on room temperature.
Plus, you can ask Alexa “what’s the temperature in the dining room” or any room where you have your Dot.
Maybe Amazon designed the Echo Dot for use in a bedroom. Another novelty is a sensor capable of detecting a touch. This is used to pause and resume music, end calls, snooze alarms and end timers.
Another novelty is the ability of the Echo Dot 5 to become an Eero range extender. If you have an Eero mesh Wi-Fi system and your Amazon account linked in the Eero app, it should automatically detect your new Echo Dot and use Wi-Fi to add approximately 90 m2 additional coverage.
It’s a far cry from the coverage you’d get buying a real Eero node, it also doesn’t offer blazing speeds (up to 100Mbps) and can only handle 10 devices, but it’s a great use of the Echo Dot and an extra reason to buy if you already have Eero. .
There’s a limitation: if you’re using it as an extender, you can’t also use the Echo Dot 5 as part of a stereo pair. It’s one thing or another.
Sound quality
This brings us to the sound quality. Amazon has upgraded the Echo Dot 5’s single speaker to a slightly larger speaker. It just means that the cone can move in and out more, which improves bass, among other things.
Overall, you’ll probably agree that the Dot 5 sounds pretty good for a small smart speaker. The Dot 5 almost fits in the palm of your hand, so listening to music with decent sound and a bit of bass is quite the feat.
You won’t notice a huge difference in quality between this and the Echo Dot 4, but the bass is definitely more present.
At higher volumes the audio starts to distort which is a shame but this only happens when you hit volume 5 or 6 which doesn’t happen and it’s loud enough to fill a room with reasonable size.
There’s even more bass if you opt for a 4th Gen Echo, but it’s double the price. And naturally, it’s not quite on par with the Echo Studio, which is twice as expensive as the Echo 4.
It might be a somewhat irrelevant comparison, as you’re unlikely to have speakers with Alexa and Google Assistant in your home, but the Echo Dot 5 sounds noticeably better than the Nest Mini at the price. similar.
With built-in Bluetooth, you can also use the Echo Dot 5 as a Bluetooth speaker to stream audio from your phone.
Alexa
The heart of every Amazon Echo is Alexa. The voice-activated assistant is there for you and will do everything from answer general questions, give you the weather forecast, or turn lights and smart plugs on and off.
Alexa can tell you when your local hardware store is closing, remind you of meetings, keep a shopping and to-do list, and play music and radio on demand.
The best part is that Alexa is the same whether you buy a budget Echo Dot or the flagship Echo Studio: there are no differences in its capabilities.
If you use the Skills, you can extend the usefulness of Alexa. In the Alexa app, you’ll find a huge library of skills ranging from interactive games and ambient sounds to very specific things.
And if you have multiple Echo devices scattered around your home, Alexa is even more useful. Drop-infor example, allows you to quickly chat with someone in another room without having to get up and go and ask them, for example, what they want to eat.
Con AdvertisementAlexa will broadcast messages to all devices to tell the house that “dinner is ready”, “time to go” or any other message.
Although it supports Matter, the latest smart home standard, the big advantage of using Amazon’s smart assistant over Google Assistant or Siri is that Alexa has the most compatibility.
This means that almost all gadgets All smart home devices work with Alexa so you can control them with your voice, and you can do this whether you’re at home talking to the Echo Dot 5 or on the go using the Alexa app on your telephone.
That means you can turn lights on and off, open and close shutters (or garage doors and sliding gates), lock doors, set alarms, adjust thermostats, and turn smart plugs on and off.
Price and availability
You can buy an Echo Dot 5 from $59.99 / MXN$1,200 on the Amazon website.
However, the Echo Dot 5 with clock is worth picking up for $69.99 / MXN$1,549. That extra $10 / MXN$250 is easily justified. If you want to use them in stereo, you can buy a standard Dot 5 and one with a clock: both don’t need to have a screen.
Now, before buying an Echo Dot 5, it’s worth checking out current deals on previous generations, like the Echo Dot 4 or even the Echo Dot 3.
Remember that, as I said at the beginning, Amazon usually offers discounts on its Material And even though it’s brand new, there’s a chance you could pick up the Echo Dot 5 for Black Friday for less than full price.
verdict
The design may not have changed, but behind the scenes there are a surprising number of improvements and additions that make it the best Echo Dot yet.
The temperature sensor, accelerometer (for touch functions), sound enhancement and screen are all nice features.
I haven’t mentioned it before, but the Echo Dot 5 uses the same AZ2 chip as the more expensive Echo Show 15, which means Alexa responds quickly and could allow for future updates as well.
Additionally, the Dot 5 is made from 55% recycled plastics and 95% recycled fabrics. The box it comes in is also made from 99% recycled cardboard.
In short, it offers excellent value for money, whether you buy it on sale or not. If you’re still unsure which Echo to buy, read our guide to the entire Echo range.
Original article published in Tech Advisor.
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