Amazon Echo Dot 5 review: The Best Smart Speaker under $50/£55

Amazon’s vary of Alexa audio system is so massive it may be tough to work out which one to purchase. The thought, in fact, is that you just don’t have only one, however fill your property with them so you may hearken to music anyplace, ask Alexa stuff wherever you’re and management good dwelling units – akin to lights – in each room.

The Echo Dot, although, has at all times been a terrific place to begin and permits you to have a hands-free digital assistant with out breaking the financial institution.

With the 5^th-generation mannequin, nothing has modified in that respect, even when it’s a fiver dearer within the UK this time round.

Nevertheless, wherever you reside, the Echo Dot 5 is more likely to be the one to purchase due to a collection of small however helpful upgrades.

That’s except, in fact, you see a earlier era mannequin on sale for a really low worth. And since Amazon usually slashes 50% off its units in seasonal gross sales, that’s one thing value making an allowance for in case you can wait.

Options & design

• Similar design as 4^th era
• New faucet gestures
• Improved show on mannequin with clock

Jim Martin / Foundry

Other than the actual fact it now is available in new Cloud Blue color, pictured right here, the 5^th-gen Echo Dot is precisely the identical as its predecessor to take a look at.

It’s the identical measurement, has the identical cloth masking the entrance and prime, the identical 4 buttons and the identical gentle ring across the base.

On the again is a single connector for the facility cable and – as with the 4^th-gen Dot – there isn’t any 3.5mm minijack.

Jim Martin / Foundry

In case you spend an additional $10/£10 on “with clock” mannequin, and I extremely suggest that you just do, you’ll get a helpful dot-matrix show.

With 24 dots horizontally and 5 vertically, there are 120 in complete – significantly extra decision than the seven-segment LED show of the fourth gen, as seen under. (Word, too, the Cloud Blue color isn’t too vivid: it’s extra of a grey-blue.)

Jim Martin / Foundry

This permits the brand new Echo Dot to point out much more than simply the time. Artist and monitor names scroll as you hearken to music, extra detailed climate info is proven once you ask for a forecast and models or measurements are displayed once you ask Alexa to do calculations.

Just like the 4^th-gen Echo Dot with clock, it is going to additionally present the quantity (out of 10) and the time remaining on a countdown timer.

The show brightness adjusts mechanically based mostly on room brightness, however you may set it manually, too.

Word that Cloud Blue is unique to the Echo Dot with clock (which additionally is available in Glacier White). In case you go for the common Echo Dot 5, there’s a selection of Charcoal, Deep Sea Blue (a a lot darker blue) and Glacier White.

Whichever mannequin you decide, it is going to have a temperature sensor inbuilt, similar to the fourth-gen Echo. It’s the primary time Amazon has put one right into a Dot, and it means you may automate good heating / cooling methods based mostly on room temperature. Plus, you may ask Alexa “what’s the temperature within the eating room” or whichever room you have got your Dot in.

Maybe Amazon intends the Echo Dot for use in a bed room, although. One other new characteristic is a sensor that may detect a faucet. That is used to pause and resume music, finish calls, snooze alarms and dismiss timers.

One more new characteristic is the Echo Dot 5’s potential to grow to be an Eero vary extender. In case you have an Eero mesh Wi-Fi system and your Amazon account linked within the Eero app, it ought to mechanically detect your new Echo Dot and use its Wi-Fi so as to add round 1000 sq. ft of additional protection.

That’s nowhere close to the protection you’d get from shopping for an precise Eero node, nor does it provide superb speeds (you may anticipate as much as 100Mbps) and may solely deal with 10 units, nevertheless it’s a terrific use of the Echo Dot and an additional purpose to purchase it if you have already got Eero.

There’s one limitation: in case you do use it as an extender, you may’t additionally use the Echo Dot 5 as a part of a stereo pair. It’s one or the opposite.

Sound high quality

This brings us on to sound high quality. Amazon has upgraded the one speaker contained in the Echo Dot 5 to a barely bigger one with greater tour. That merely means the cone can transfer out and in extra, and it results in higher bass amongst different issues.

General, you’d most likely agree that the Dot 5 sounds fairly good for a small good speaker. The Dot 5 virtually suits within the palm of your hand, so listening to decent-sounding music coming from it with a little bit of bass is a commendable achievement.

Jim Martin / Foundry

You gained’t discover an enormous distinction in high quality between this and the Echo Dot 4, however there’s definitely extra bass.

At greater volumes issues start to distort, which is a disgrace, however at as much as round quantity 5 or 6 that doesn’t occur and it’s loud sufficient to fill a fairly sized room.

There’s extra bass nonetheless in case you go for an 4^th-gen Echo, however that’s double the value. And, naturally, it isn’t a patch on the Echo Studio which is twice the associated fee once more.

It might be a considerably irrelevant comparability as you’re unlikely to have each Alexa and Google Assistant audio system in your house, however the Echo Dot 5 sounds noticeably higher than the equally priced Nest Mini.

Because of built-in Bluetooth, you should use the Echo Dot 5 as a Bluetooth speaker to stream audio out of your cellphone, too.

Alexa

On the core of each Amazon Echo is Alexa. The voice-controlled assistant is at your beck and name and can do every part from answering normal questions and providing you with a climate forecast to switching good lights and plugs on and off.

Alexa can inform you when your native DIY retailer shuts, remind you of conferences, preserve a buying and to-do record and play music and radio on demand.

The nice factor is that Alexa is similar regardless of whether or not you purchase a reasonable Echo Dot or the flagship Echo Studio: there’s no distinction in functionality.

Jim Martin / Foundry

Utilizing Expertise, you may broaden Alexa’s usefulness. Within the Alexa app you’ll discover a big library of abilities together with every part from interactive video games and ambient sounds that ought to have huge enchantment to very particular issues just like the UK-based DVLA Car Enquiry that allows you to discover out when your automobile tax is due for renewal.

And in case you do have numerous Echo units dotted round your property, Alexa turns into much more helpful. Drop-in, for instance, lets you have got a fast chat with somebody in one other room with out having to rise up and go to them to ask, say, what they need for lunch.

With Bulletins, Alexa will broadcast messages to all units telling the family “Dinner’s prepared”, “time to go” or no matter your message is.

Though Matter – the latest good dwelling commonplace – is supported, the large advantage of going with Amazon’s good assistant over Google Assistant or Siri is that Alexa has the largest third-party help. This implies virtually each good dwelling gadget works with Alexa so you may management them together with your voice, and you are able to do this whether or not you’re at dwelling talking to the Echo Dot 5, or out and about utilizing the Alexa app in your cellphone.

This implies you may flip lights on and off, open and shut blinds (or storage doorways and sliding gates), lock doorways, arm alarms, alter thermostats and swap on and off good plugs.

Worth & availability

You should buy an Echo Dot 5 for $49.99 / £54.99 from Amazon.

This implies the value is unchanged within the US, nevertheless it’s now dearer for these within the UK  by £5.

It’s, although, effectively value getting the Echo Dot 5 with clock for $59.99 / £64.99. That $10 / £10 premium is well justified. In case you’re going for a stereo pair, get one common Dot 5 and one with clock: there’s no use for shows on each.

After all, earlier than you pull the set off on an Echo Dot 5, it’s value checking for present offers on the Echo Dot 4 and even the third-gen Dot.

Amazon has discontinued the fourth-gen, however you may decide up refurbished fashions from Amazon for lower than half the price of Dot 5, or pay the identical for a model new third-gen Echo Dot.

And a fast search on-line exhibits that different retailers are promoting off their shares of the fourth-gen Echo Dot so, in case you’re studying this near the Echo Dot 5’s launch in October 2022, it’s the best time to choose up the older mannequin at a cut price worth

Nevertheless, bear in mind as I mentioned in the beginning that Amazon usually reductions its {hardware} and despite the fact that it’s new, there’s an opportunity you may seize the Echo Dot 5 on Black Friday for lower than full worth.

Lastly, there’s a 3rd model of the Echo Dot 5, aimed toward youngsters. Referred to as the Echo Dot Children, it prices $59.99 / £64.99 and is available in both Personal or Dragon designs printed on the material. It’s the identical {hardware} because the common Dot 5, however has a child-friendly model of Alexa and comes with a one-year subscription to Amazon Children+ which incorporates interactive video games, instructional Alexa Expertise, Audible books and extra. And as with Amazon’s Children Version Fireplace tablets, this mannequin has the identical two-year guarantee, so it’s effectively value the additional price in case you’re shopping for for a kid.

Verdict

The design might not have modified, however behind the scenes there are a shocking variety of enhancements and additions that make this the perfect Echo Dot but.

The temperature sensor, accelerometer (for the faucet capabilities), improved sound and show are all value having.

I didn’t point out it earlier, however the Echo Dot 5 makes use of the identical AZ2 chip because the costly Echo Present 15, which means Alexa responds rapidly and will allow future updates as effectively.

Plus, the Dot 5 is made out of 55% recycled plastics, and 95% recycled cloth. The field it arrives in is make from 99% recycled cardboard, too.

In the end, it’s nice worth whether or not you purchase it in a sale or not. In case you’re nonetheless undecided about which Echo to purchase, then learn our information to the total Echo vary.