Amazon Echo Dot (3rd gen) review: enhanced looks, enhanced sound, same fee

IoE News

October 12, 2018

I’m going to reduce correct to the chase: the brand new Echo Dot smart speaker is so tons more advantageous than its predecessor that it will be smart to replace an entire houseful of ancient Echo Dots with new ones. the brand new Echo Dot appears more advantageous, works enhanced, and, most importantly, sounds plenty superior than the prior model. And it nevertheless prices the identical $ forty nine.99.

Amazon has upgraded the sound pleasant on all of its new Echo contraptions popping out this 12 months, however the advancements are most major on the Dot quite simply as a result of how poor the prior mannequin changed into. It’s not often that there’s this a good deal of a bounce from one era of a product to the subsequent — most advancements are incremental — however the new Echo Dot sounds like a very different speaker than its predecessor. It’s now not ideal, but it’s easily the foremost low priced sensible speaker that you may buy presently.

The cause the new Echo Dot is so a lot greater comes all the way down to its new design. It’s rather higher, which potential that Amazon turned into able to put a bigger, louder, extra potent speaker interior of it. where the ultimate Echo Dot seemed like a can of tuna full of indignant bees, the new mannequin is particularly loud, full, and clear. whether you’re taking note of Alexa examine out the newest climate file, an audiobook, or cranking a Spotify playlist at full quantity, every little thing sounds enhanced on the brand new Dot. no longer handiest is the new Dot a long way more advantageous than the old Dot, however it’s markedly more suitable than Google’s domestic Mini as well. It’s richer, fuller, and simply more fulfilling to take heed to.

the new Dot has a 1.6-inch speaker, which is a half-inch higher than the prior model. It’s additionally tremendously extra powerful: the historic Dot used a small 9-watt vigour adapter and a Micro USB cable; the new one has a beefy 15-watt vigour brick with a proprietary barrel connector. That’s a bit disturbing given that the energy brick takes up lots extra space on a wall outlet and you’ll’t just use a phone charger (or in-wall USB port) to vigour the new Dot, however the boost in audio power makes up for the nuisance.

The historic Dot become incredible for getting entry to Alexa in each room of your home with little effort, but I’d on no account have advised it for being attentive to track. (youngsters, according to the incontrovertible fact that Amazon has bought many millions of Dots and tune listening is the #1 factor people do with sensible audio system, that’s exactly what most individuals use it for.) the new Dot is a different beast: it in reality does justice to the tune you’re taking note of. It’s clear, crisp, not ever receives muddy, and doesn’t distort, even at full extent.

For a much bigger room, you’ll need to take capabilities of the ability to pair the brand new Dot with a second unit to create a real stereo pair. do that, and you can comfortably fill a medium to tremendous room with sound. Amazon can even provide you with a reduction in case you purchase two Echo Dots at the same time. Two Echo Dots in stereo don’t have the identical quantity of punch as a Sonos One, however they aren’t far off. they’ve real stereo separation and value vastly less.

that you could now alter the bass, midrange, and treble of the speaker with voice instructions, but the change within the sound if you do is tough to be aware. Bass is what’s missing the most: although the Echo Dot’s new speaker is tons greater, it’s nonetheless relatively small and it just can’t deal with low frequencies that smartly. To get the bass back, which you can add Amazon’s new $ 129.ninety nine Echo Sub to the mix, so as to fix all of the lacking thump the Dot lacks. however whereas I’d completely advocate getting two Echo Dots for a stereo pair, I don’t think the Sub is worth the rate or hassle for many individuals who buy the Dot. still, two Echo Dots and an Echo Sub can produce some dazzling output for no longer plenty greater cash than a single, mono Sonos One sells for.

It’s nonetheless feasible to output the Dot’s audio to a larger speaker, both over Bluetooth or via a 3.5mm audio cable. however given how a great deal enhanced the new Dot sounds by itself, I don’t think most people will find the need to achieve this. Amazon’s new Echo input is a far better machine for that intention in view that it’s cheaper and doesn’t even bother with a speaker of its personal.

Amazon swapped out the historical Dot’s seven-microphone array for a less complicated 4-mic equipment to hear your voice instructions, but I haven’t noticed any change in efficiency consequently. the brand new Dot can hear my voice commands simply as easily as the older one, whether I’m close to the device or standing on the different facet of the room. When the Dot is playing song at extent, I do should carry my voice to trigger voice control, however that’s no longer abnormal for smart speakers. The voice controls nevertheless work in case you pair two Dots in stereo, though only 1 will reply to your queries (whichever one is closer to you).

along with the boost in measurement and larger speaker, Amazon also traded the old Dot’s vibrant plastic conclude for a material cowl that appears a lot nicer. that you can get the new Dot in charcoal, heather grey, or sandstone, which can be all truly different ranges of gray. It’s a bit boring, however all the color options are understated and great searching. You received’t discover any Google domestic Mini-like enjoyable shades here, nor is Amazon selling covers for the brand new Dot such as you have been in a position to get for the historic model. but, on the plus facet, the large Amazon brand on the entrance has additionally been jettisoned.

other than the new potential to pair two Dots in stereo and alter the equalizer, the new Dot doesn’t necessarily do the rest more than the ancient model. It’s nevertheless the most cost-effective and most effortless manner for many americans to access Alexa, which can be used for timers, climate studies, wise home control, audiobooks, tune, podcasts, alarms, and numerous different things. the brand new Dot doesn’t add to the event; it just improves some key features of it.

it could seem like I’m overstating the brand new Dot’s sound exceptional, however that’s generally since the prior model set any such low bar. the new Dot is not on the identical stage as a excessive-conclusion bookshelf speaker, however’s definitely respectable adequate for many individuals. A single Dot is additionally no longer as loud or full-sounding as a larger Echo or Google smart speaker, nevertheless it’s shut adequate that almost all people might be happy saving the funds or putting the can charge difference towards purchasing a couple of Dot for distinctive rooms.

Amazon did the glaring thing right here: the historic Dot gave the impression of crap, and the no 1 issue sensible speakers are used for is to take heed to song, so improving the sound great become the right circulation. And when you aspect within the Dot’s price, as a way to possible dip even lower all over break promotions, it’s hard to find fault with Amazon’s new entry-level Echo speaker.

photography by way of Dan Seifert / The Verge

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