Amazon Echo (2nd gen. 2017)

2608 reviews

Nov, 2024

Positive
usability (233)
sound (108)
price (81)
design (61)
size (53)

Negative
reliability (4)

General overview
Price comparison

alaTest has collected and analyzed 2608 reviews of Amazon Echo (2nd gen. 2017). The average rating for this product is 4.6/5, compared to an average rating of 4.5/5 for other products in the same category for all reviews. Opinions about the size and design are overall positive. The price and sound also get good comments, whereas some have doubts about the reliability.

usability, sound, price, design, size

reliability

We analyzed user and expert ratings, product age and more factors. Compared to other products in the same category the Amazon Echo (2nd gen. 2017) is awarded an overall alaScore™ of 94/100 = Excellent quality.

Review analysis

(Based on 2608 reviews)

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Showing 1 - 10 of 2565 Show Reviews: in English | in other languages (40)

Expert review by (engadget.com)

Amazon Echo review (2017): Good price, bad sound

The best thing about the new Amazon Echo? Its price. At $100, it's cheaper than the original, Google Home and Sonos One. But it also sounds worse than those devices, delivering somewhat flat audio that emphasizes the high end and vocals at the expense...

Cheaper than predecessor ; Attractive, interchangeable shells ; Powerful microphones ; Alexa keeps getting smarter

Subpar audio quality

Cherlynn is reviews editor of Engadget. She led a mostly unexciting life in Singapore, her home country, until she came to New York in 2012. Since then, she's earned her master's in journalism from Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism...

Oct, 2017

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Expert review by : Kim Wetzel (digitaltrends.com)

Amazon Echo review

The new Amazon Echo is cuter, smarter, and cheaper, and with a firmware update, now has improved acoustics.

Interchangeable shell allows you to mix up design ; Updated Alexa features include individual voice recognition and routines ; Compact ; Audio output Jack

Sound on calling feature was more muffled than with original Echo ; Acoustics better with firmware upgrade, still hoped for bigger sound

We’re glad the Echo is more affordable and more compact than before, but a little disappointed sound quality took a turn for the worse. Overall, the new Echo is more approachable and will likely be extremely popular.

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Expert review by : Sascha Segan (pcmag.com)

Amazon Echo (2nd Generation)

The Amazon Echo is a great-looking, affordable smart speaker with the best voice assistant technology.

Less expensive and better-looking than previous Echo. Alexa is the best voice assistant ecosystem. Adds 3.5mm out. Loud.

Not much bass.

Alexa and Google Assistant are neck-and-neck among our favorite voice assistants, with Alexa getting a bit of an edge especially for its wider smart home support but Google Assistant edging it out in natural langauge recognition. Apple's Siri has some...

Jul, 2019

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Expert review by : Tauren Dyson (cnet.com)

4 reasons to get an Amazon Echo for your grandparents

Young or old, Alexa is a great companion for anyone.

Feb, 2019

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Expert review by : Brian Bennett (cnet.com)

Use your Amazon Echo to buy your holiday gifts

Let your smart speaker help you shop.

Dec, 2018

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Expert review by : Ry Crist (cnet.com)

The new Amazon Echo is better than the first -- and a lot less expensive

Alexa's new flagship smart speaker is better than the first one -- and it costs a lot less, too.

With a variety of new designs, the new Amazon Echo is better-looking than the original, just as smart and a lot less expensive. The addition of an aux-out jack lets you connect it with your existing audio setup. It's also a slightly better listener...

Though fine for casual listening and strong enough to fill a room with music, the Echo still doesn't sound as good as premium, high-fidelity speakers. The volume ring of the original is gone, replaced with the cheaper volume buttons of the Echo Dot.

Alexa is still the most compelling voice control platform, and the new and improved Echo should only boost her momentum. It's well worth $100.

May, 2018

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Expert review by : Sascha Segan (pcmag.com)

Amazon Echo Connect

Using your Amazon Echo speaker as landline phone is a great idea, but the company's Echo Connect, which lets you do just this, works poorly.

Lets you use an Amazon Echo speaker as a land-line speakerphone.

Buggy. No hold function. Lacks call logs. No way to enter DTMF tones.

Bottom Line: Using your Amazon Echo speaker as landline phone is a great idea, but the company's Echo Connect, which lets you do just this, works poorly.

Feb, 2018

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Expert review by : Ry Crist David Carnoy (cnet.com)

Amazon Echo: The speaker of the house

Amazon's smart speaker was arguably the breakout product of 2015. Two years later, Alexa is still going strong.

Amazon's voice-activated smart home speaker is undeniably futuristic, but it's also practical and accessible. With a rapidly growing slate of features, integrations and use cases, it's easy to get excited about the Echo's potential.

The Echo's sound quality is slightly uneven at times, with weak bass at high volumes. It also can't distinguish between different voices like the Google Home smart speaker can.

More than two years after its debut, the smarter-than-ever Amazon Echo remains one of the best connected home products money can currently buy.

Oct, 2017

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Expert review by : Dan Seifert (theverge.com)

Amazon Echo (2nd gen) review: smaller and cheaper, but mostly the same

Lower cost ; Smaller, more attractive design ; Customizable appearance

Below average audio quality for music ; Decorative shells don’t look great

The new Echo’s best feature is its price

Oct, 2017

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Expert review by : Alex Colon, Will Greenwald (pcmag.com)

Amazon Echo

The Amazon Echo is so much more than a wireless speaker. It's part voice assistant, part home automation hub, and its abilities continue to expand steadily. And it's a blast to use.

Excellent voice recognition. Works with many third-party devices and services. Regularly expanding support for new features. Fun to use. Solid speaker sound quality.

Speaker distorts at highest volumes. No access to email and messages.

If you're just looking for a speaker, chances are you wouldn't have read this far. Sure, there's really nothing you can do with the Amazon Echo that you can't do with the smartphone in your pocket. Yet there's something here that feels infinitely more...

Jul, 2017

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