Amazon Echo Dot (2nd gen. 2016)

1743 reviews

Apr, 2024

Positive
price (11)
usability (10)
size (8)
design (6)
reliability (1)

Negative
sound (6)
bass quality (1)

General overview
Price comparison

alaTest has collected and analyzed 1743 reviews of Amazon Echo Dot (2nd gen. 2016). The average rating for this product is 4.7/5, compared to an average rating of 4.5/5 for other products in the same category for all reviews. Reviews about the reliability and design are overall positive. The size and price are also mentioned favorably, but there are some critical reviews about the bass quality and sound.

usability, price, size, design, reliability

sound, bass quality

We analyzed user and expert ratings, product age and more factors. Compared to other products in the same category the Amazon Echo Dot (2nd gen. 2016) is awarded an overall alaScore™ of 87/100 = Very good quality.

Review analysis

(Based on 1743 reviews)

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Showing 1 - 10 of 1599 Show Reviews: in English | in other languages (143)

Expert review by : Kim Wetzel (digitaltrends.com)

Amazon Echo Dot Kids Edition review

The Echo Dot Kids Edition is a child's -- and a parents' -- dream.

Comprehensive parental controls ; Kid-centric features, stories, and functionality ; More durable than original Echo Dot ; FreeTime unlimited is a great value

More expensive than regular Echo Dot ; Privacy problems could be an issue for some

If you’re already weary of having a smart speaker in your home for privacy reasons, though, you’re not going to buy an Echo Dot Kids Edition anyway. If you are invested in Amazon Alexa and have children who are interacting with Alexa on a regular...

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Expert review by : Ry Crist (cnet.com)

Amazon's Echo Dot: Still a crown jewel of the modern smart home

It's locked in a virtual tie with the Google Home Mini, but the Amazon Echo Dot remains one of the best values in tech, and a worthy way of bringing AI assistance into your home.

The second-gen, mini-size Amazon Echo Dot smart speaker is just as smart as the full-size Echo at half the cost. It boasts more skills and third-party integrations than its rival, the Google Home Mini, and it also includes an aux-out jack for quick,...

The Home Mini offers noticeably better sound quality out of the box, and Google Assistant is better at pulling from the internet to answer a wide variety of questions.

The Echo Dot takes Amazon's popular smart home speaker and wraps it in an ultra-affordable package -- but the Google Home Mini is a very worthy competitor.

May, 2018

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Expert review by : Chris Davies (slashgear.com)

Amazon Echo Dot (2nd Gen) Review: Alexa goes everywhere

Amazon may have all-but stumbled onto its hit Echo speaker and the smart Alexa assistant that powers it, but the new $49.99 Echo Dot proves the retailer has no intention of letting that momentum slip. Resembling a hockey puck rather than the column of...

Most affordable way to get Alexa functionality ; Fast, accurate voice recognition ; Aggressive roll-out of new skills

No digital audio output ; Audio cable not included ; Multi-zone audio support not supported

Oct, 2016

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Expert review by : Michael Brown (techhive.com)

Amazon Echo Dot (2nd generation) review: This is the Echo most people should buy

The least-expensive Echo does everything its pricier siblings do, but you should spring for an outboard speaker if you want it to play music.

Very inexpensive ; Works with a broad range of smart-home products and services ; Compact in size

Alexa is less sophisticated than Google Assistant ; Microphones don't cope well in environments with loud ambient noise ; Lousy speaker (add your own)

I predict that Google Home will be the better digital assistant for the smart home—eventually. Google has better speech recognition and a stronger AI effort. And you can ask contextual follow-up questions without having to say “Okay Google” again. But...

Nov, 2016

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Expert review by : Martyn Williams (techhive.com)

Amazon Echo Dot vs. Google Home Mini

Amazon and Google are both trying to get a foot in your door with their smart speakers. Here's what you need to consider before buying one.

Once you’re accustomed to your digital assistant answering questions and carrying out orders, you’ll probably want to use it to control things around your home.

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Expert review by (techaeris.com)

Amazon Echo Dot 2nd Gen review: I’m addicted to Alexa!

Amazon Echo Dot 2nd Gen review: I'm addicted to Alexa!

Easy to use, minimal design so it'll save space, fun to ask or say stuff and get a response

Some minor latency, but can be fixed

For the price of $49.99USD you really can't go wrong if you don't mind getting a smaller version of the Amazon Echo.

Nov, 2016

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Expert review by : Kyle Funk (techaeris.com)

Amazon Echo Dot 2nd Gen review: I'm addicted to Alexa!

Amazon has released the second generation of their smaller Echo, and our Echo Dot review takes a look at this reasonably priced AI device.

Easy to use, minimal design so it'll save space, fun to ask or say stuff and get a response.

Some minor latency, but can be fixed.

If you’re not really into the whole AI concept, that’s definitely not a problem at all as it’s not really mainstream, but you can’t help but think it’s cool. For the price of $49.99 you really can’t go wrong if you don’t mind getting a smaller version...

Nov, 2016

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Expert review by : Susie Ochs (tomsguide.com)

Echo Dot Kids Edition Review: The Best Alexa for Kids

FreeTime Unlimited was already a good value for families who use it on a Fire tablet or Android device, and adding the Echo Dot to the party makes it even more fun. I was glad to replace some of my son's screen time with Alexa time, which encouraged us...

FreeTime Unlimited is a good value ; Lots of kid-friendly content ; Strong parental controls, per kid, across devices ; Easy setup

No FreeTime Unlimited app for iOS ; Not always easy to discover content

Kid-friendly Alexa and Amazon's FreeTime Unlimited is a hoot on the Echo Dot Kids Edition, with age-appropriate answers, skills, music and audiobooks, plus solid controls to empower good parenting.

Jun, 2019

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Expert review by : Jason Million (gstylemag.com)

Vaux Portable Speaker for Amazon Echo Dot Review

Since the original release of the Amazon Echo a couple of years back they have expanded the brand greatly. You have the now considered OG Echo, the more portable Tap and the extremely small Dot. She the Echo packs the most punch it is also the most...

Giving the Vaux some play with the Dot I will say it surprisingly comes in handy. I don’t have to yell across the room or have Echos all over the place (not saying that’s a problem). I’m not a big fan of yelling so the convenience of moving Alexa from...

Jul, 2017

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Expert review by (t3.com)