Amazon Echo (3rd Gen, 2019)

Great sound quality ; Responsive microphones ; Affordable price ; Widely support Alexa ecosystem

No major microphone upgrades

Good volume and bass response ; Microphones are excellent at picking up voice commands ; Costs less than high-end smart speakers

You can get the basics done for half the price with an Echo Dot ; Sound can be muddy at times

Amazon’s latest Echo speaker sounds better than ever, but has a lot of competition within Amazon’s own lineup, not to mention from other smart speakers.

Powerful, well-balanced sound for the size and price.

Alexa can be a little awkward compared with Google Assistant.

Bottom Line: The third-generation Amazon Echo smart speaker is basically just a more affordable Echo Plus, thanks to some minor compromises you're unlikely to notice.

is still the pick for audiophiles, but for $100 the Echo is the best you can get.

You can emulate many of the Echo's voice functions by using Siri or Google Now, but having the speaker always ready to respond is more convenient. And Alexa, while not as witty as Siri, understood me better than Apple's virtual assistant did. Add in...

Powerful, well-balanced sound for the size and price.

Alexa can be a little awkward compared with Google Assistant.

The third-generation Amazon Echo smart speaker is basically just a more affordable Echo Plus, thanks to some minor compromises you're unlikely to notice.

Nice-looking ; Easy set-up ; Versatile with ever-growing Skills selection ; Good voice recognition that gets better over time ; Voice control over smart home

Poor sound compared to speakers in price range ; Must remain connected to the mains ; Limited choice of music streaming services

Beefed-up sound Hands-free voice commands Personalized voice profiles Alexa!

Not much is new Basically the Echo Plus No Zigbee

The Amazon Echo (2019) doesn’t feel particular new, given both its form and function is modeled on the existing Echo Plus – but it's still an excellent smart speaker that offers better sound quality than the second-generation Echo.

Balanced and relatively detailed ; Sonic step up on its predecessor ; Full Amazon Alexa compatibility

Soundstage can get busy ; Mediocre timing and organisation ; Dynamically lacking

The new Echo has loads of features and sounds quite good, but the Echo Plus had given us hopes of even more

Great music and list making ; You can shop through it ; Best. Kitchen timer. Ever.

Very middling as a speaker ; Lots of clonky apps ; Echo Dot is better value