Amazon has revamped the design of its most popular smart speaker, the Echo Dot. Now they take the shape of the Sun, soccer balls, and oranges, probably to make it sound better than the previous one, round but not spherical but flat. Do you want it? What places in the house is it designed for? In this review of the clock version of the device, we give you the answers, so you know if it’s worth buying or not.

Minor in your table, big in power

Inside, on the front, the Echo Dot integrates a 1.6-inch speaker. Putting on my favorite Spotify playlist, I was pleasantly surprised by its power and good sound with a ballad by Richard Hawley (Coles Corner). However, the 10 (even a little less, depending on the song) distorts at maximum volume. At level 5, it is perfect to be heard in a room with remarkable quality. In addition to Spotify, it is also compatible with Deezer, Apple Music, and Apple Podcasts (and Amazon Music and Audible, of course).

Alexa usually understands voice commands well, and it behaves as expected. However, sometimes it gets mixed up with some, and you must insist on another order for it to work correctly, as is often the case with intelligent voice assistants.

anywhere in the house

Due to its dimensions, the device can be placed in all house rooms, from the kitchen to the bedroom, in this last site, especially for the clock and alarm clock function and the possibility of configuring routines. But in my case, I had to remove it from there because the LED time indicator was too bright in the room at night. As an alarm clock, this Echo Dot with clock, like the Echo Dot and Echo, allows you to sleep the alarm simply by tapping on the top of the device.

Amazon’s smallest smart speaker is perfect to have on a work table if at any time you feel like playing music in the background, asking Alexia about the weather (or whatever), asking her to tell you a joke, knowing that You will receive a purchase from Amazon or take a break in the workday to meditate with one of the specific skills for it, among many other uses.

In a sentence: new hardware, same software. The design of the Echo Dot with clock, in addition to being more attractive for our taste than that of the previous generation, is also more practical to better direct and distribute the sound. The audio sounds good if you don’t turn the volume up too high. It is not a device to listen to music, but it is to wake up with it and play it from time to time, for example, while you get dressed to leave the house or prepare food, among other daily situations.

Put to order; it would be great if Amazon offered, in the app, the option to turn off the LED indicator to prevent it from lighting up at night and add a USB port to charge devices, such as Lenovo Smart Clock and Lenovo Smart. Clock Essential.

Its price in Spain is 69.99 euros, which seems high for what it is and the times. And also, when you compare it with the one in the United States ($59.99). In exchange, this price is much more affordable (the difference is 20 euros).

like a ball

Amazon’s best-selling speaker changes its look and adopts a spherical design, except for the base, which is flat, so it doesn’t roll off, of course. With a modern and current aesthetic, Echo Dot looks quality. This lower part that rests on a surface is made of rubber. Above it is the light ring, which turns on when you say the Alexa activation word (or the one you prefer, you can choose in the app), or whatever the same, the LED indicator lights up when you start listening. The lower half in a diagonal cut is hard plastic, and the rest is covered in the classic acoustic cloth found in many of today’s smart speakers (in our light gray test unit).

At the front, in the center, the digital clock tells the time continuously, except when it changes to show other data:

• The alarm.
• The volume level.
• The degrees when you ask for the outside temperature.
• The countdown when you activate the timer.

On the back, it has an input to plug into the electrical current (power port) and a 3.5 mm mini jack connector to connect other devices or headphones.

The four buttons to operate without the voice, located in the upper part, have a size and a rubber reinforcement that facilitate their handling. They allow you to raise and lower the volume, turn the microphone off (or on) so that it does not listen, and activate the device as if it were the wake word but without the need to use your voice.