Amazon Echo Dot (1st gen. 2016)

764 reviews

Dec, 2024

Positive
usability (203)
price (76)
size (67)
design (27)
sound (7)

Negative
reliability (5)
treble quality (1)

General overview
Price comparison

alaTest has collected and analyzed 764 reviews of Amazon Echo Dot (1st gen. 2016). The average rating for this product is 4.3/5, compared to an average rating of 4.5/5 for other products in the same category for all reviews. People really like the sound and design. The size and price also get good views. Many are less positive about the treble quality and reliability, and comments are divided on the bass quality.

usability, price, size, design, sound

reliability, treble quality

We analyzed user and expert ratings, product age and more factors. Compared to other products in the same category the Amazon Echo Dot (1st gen. 2016) is awarded an overall alaScore™ of 91/100 = Excellent quality.

Review analysis

(Based on 764 reviews)

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Showing 1 - 10 of 753 Show Reviews: in English | in other languages (8)

Expert review by (engadget.com)

Amazon Echo Dot review (2016): Forget the Echo. Buy this instead.

The Dot is a smaller yet just as powerful version of the Amazon Echo. What it lacks in an internal speaker system it makes up for with an audio-out port and Bluetooth connectivity. While the app and inability to route queries to a single Alexa device...

Access to thousands of Alexa “Skills” ; Audio-out port and Bluetooth speaker support ; At $50, it's $150 cheaper than the full-size Echo

Alexa app can be buggy ; Two Alexa devices in adjoining rooms will both try to answer queries ; Anemic sound from the built-in speaker

Even with multiple wake words, the inability to stream to multiple devices and an app that sometimes fails, the Amazon Dot is an incredible value at $50 a pop. Dropping one in the kitchen and one in the living room seems like a no-brainer. I've used...

Oct, 2016

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Expert review by (engadget.com)

Amazon's Echo Dot is a great way to bring Alexa to more rooms

The Echo Dot is a great secondary Alexa device for households that already own the larger Amazon Echo. It sounds great, though we wish it had smarter speaker switching. For now, it's mainly something for people addicted to Alexa.

Brings Alexa to any speaker system ; Just as fast and accurate as the larger Alexa ; Easy to set up

You can only buy it through an Echo or Fire TV ; Needs intelligent speaker switching ; No optical audio output

Jun, 2016

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Expert review by : Kim Wetzel Caleb Denison (digitaltrends.com)

Amazon Echo Dot review

Compact and unobtrusive ; Connects to any audio system ; Far-field voice recognition ; Constantly evolving functionality

On-board sound is weak

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Expert review by : Cameron Faulkner (theverge.com)

Amazon Echo Dot with clock review: time is on its side

It's a $59 clock that also comes with a pretty good speaker.

Powerful sound for the price ; You’ll no longer have to ask for the time ; Can also display weather info and timers

The clock adds $10 to the price ; Can’t be mounted without additional accessories like the Nest Mini ; Display could use a scheduling tool

Amazon’s new Echo Dot with clock changes almost nothing about 2018’s third-generation smart speaker, except it added a clock to the side. This saves you from having to ask Alexa for the time, temperature, or whether you set an alarm.

Oct, 2019

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Expert review by : Sascha Segan (pcmag.com)

Amazon Echo Dot

The second-generation Amazon Echo Dot brings Alexa voice assistance to your home for just $50, and you can connect it to your favorite home speaker.

Adds Alexa to any room for only $50. Connects to Bluetooth and wired speakers.

Tinny sound quality.

Bottom Line: The second-generation Amazon Echo Dot brings Alexa voice assistance to your home for just $50, and you can connect it to your favorite home speaker.

Jun, 2018

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Expert review by : Ry Crist (cnet.com)

Amazon Echo Dot review: A good thing in a small package

This pint-size, puck-shaped follow-up to Amazon Echo can't fill a room with sound all on its own, but it's just as smart as before -- and twice as affordable.

The Amazon Echo Dot does everything that the original Echo does for half the price. Unlike the Echo, you can plug the Echo Dot into your own speakers, or connect to them over Bluetooth. Even if you don't, the Echo Dot's tiny built-in speakers do more...

The Echo Dot seems to be a little worse than the Echo at hearing its wake word during music playback, and you can't synchronize multiple units to play at the same time.

The future is here, and now it costs less than a hundred bucks. Amazon Echo Dot might currently be one of the best deals in tech.

Oct, 2017

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Expert review by : Dan Seifert (theverge.com)

Amazon Echo Dot review: here comes the Alexa army

Amazon's Echo is often referred to as a Trojan Horse. Slid into your home under the guise of a wireless speaker, the Echo has grown to become one of the best ways to control smart home devices,...

Half the price of Echo ; Much smaller than Echo ; Same Alexa experience as Echo

Can only buy with another Alexa device ; Speaker output is weak

Apr, 2016

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Expert review by : Ry Crist (cnet.com)

Amazon Echo Dot review

The cloud-connected, voice-activated Amazon Echo smart speaker was a bona fide sleeper hit last year , and Alexa, the virtual assistant housed within, is starting to give Siri a good run for her money. Now, in an effort to strike while the iron is...

The Echo Dot seems to be a little worse than the Echo at hearing its wake word during music playback, and you can't synchronize multiple units to play at the same time.

The future is here, and now it costs less than a hundred bucks. Amazon Echo Dot might currently be one of the best deals in tech.

Apr, 2016

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Expert review by : Deepak Rajawat (smartprix_com)

Amazon Echo Dot with Clock Review

The Smart speakers are now largely positioned as the epicenter of smart homes. While Google had an advantage until last year, Amazon seems to be doing really well in marketing its Alexa powered smart speakers in India. (Amazon Echo Dot with Clock...

The Echo Dot 3rd gen clock version is certainly a good addition to the Alexa smart speakers family. Since most of the things remain the same, Amazon is rightly not pushing it as the Echo Dot 4th generation.

Nov, 2019

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Expert review by : Deepak Rajawat (smartprix_com)

Amazon Echo Dot Review (3rd Generation): The Little Beast

The Amazon Echo Dot 3rd generation is part of the new Echo refresh lineup that also includes Echo Plus, Echo Sub, and Fire TV 4K Stick – all of which were recently introduced in India (almost simultaneously with the Global launch). Amidst all these...

Better design ; Significantly improved audio quality ; Price remains unchanged

No USB port ; Limited Indian streaming services support

Oct, 2018

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