Amazon Echo Dot (3rd gen. 2018)

LED clock is useful and versatile ; Physical buttons are easy to use ; Tons of Alexa Skills to add ; Diverse compatibility with smart homes

Distortion at higher volumes ; Can't cast from apps directly

“If you're planning to build up your smart home, the Amazon Echo Dot with Clock is a smart choice that’ll get you up to speed.”

Impressive full sound quality ; Inexpensive introduction to smart home control ; Alexa smarter than ever ; Improved aesthetic befitting modern home design ; Better microphone sensitivity

With this much sound, the new Echo Dot is more like an exclamation point

Surprisingly strong audio quality ; Clock is handy if a bit superfluous ; 3.5mm audio output jack ; Alexa is a mature and powerful voice assistant ; Hardware buttons make it easy to use

Alexa app is still kind of confusing

Clear and loud audio ; 3.5mm and Bluetooth audio outputs ; Same price as old model ; Improved design

No longer USB-powered ; Not ideal for music

While the previous Echo Dots were cheap ways to extend smart home control all over your home, they weren't the most attractive devices and had weedy sounds. The Amazon Echo Dot (3rd Gen) as a vast improvement on the originals, even though it costs...

Adds significant bass to an existing Echo speaker setup ; Pairing with other speakers is straightforward

Expensive

But I don't imagine many people specifically buying pairs of the Echo Dot or Plus specifically for stereo music. Anyone thinking about that is likely considering better speakers than Amazon sells. This all makes the existence of the Echo Sub even more...

Clear, solid sound ; Improved Alexa capabilities ; Budget price

Alexa intelligence is limited

For not a lot of money you get a whole load of smart voice functionality and decent sound

Same performance and features as the Echo Dot. Bright, clear LED clock face.

Slightly weak high-frequency response. Alexa can be a little stilted compared with Google Assistant.

Bottom Line: The Amazon Echo Dot with Clock is simply an Echo Dot smart speaker with an LED clock on the front—and it's terrific.

Stylish design ; New LED display ; Good audio reproduction for its size ; Range of colours to choose from ; Physical mics off button ; Same best-selling Echo Dot core

More expensive than Amazon Echo Dot ; Not suitable for providing music to a large room