The 4th-gen Amazon Echo is the most well-rounded smart speaker. The Amazon Echo is the most well-rounded smart speaker, and I’m not just talking about its looks. Yes, the spherical shape of the 4th-generation Amazon Echo makes it visually interesting, but the smart home networking tech and Amazon’s...

Sleek spherical design, Good audio for price, Great smart home skills, Audio in/out port

I wish it had a clock, Audio not as good as Sonos One

The Amazon Echo (4th gen.) is a great smart speaker for the price as long as you live in an Alexa world. If your smart home devices are all compatible (which most are) and you don't mind the new orb-like design of the speaker then you'll likely be very happy with what this has to offer.

Good build quality; Price; Strong bass for its size; Alexa is compatible with tons of smart home products; Quality built-in mic is good at picking up the wake word

Round design is nice; but not for everyone; Alexa app is confusing at first; No YouTube compatibility by default

The Amazon Echo (4th gen) continues to impress as a smart speaker thanks to Alexa, and this is the best-sounding, most capable design yet – thought we're not 100% sold on the new design.

Sounds really nice; Built-in Zigbee hub; Lots of audio options

Shape takes some getting used to; The cheaper Dot might suit you better; Very Amazon focused

Don’t be fooled by its playful design; the new Echo means business, delivering a weighty sound and full command of your smart home

Expansive bass in a small design; Lots of smart features; Classy build and finish

Slightly underwhelming treble; Not fully omnidirectional

The fourth-generation Amazon Echo speaker takes the sound quality and smart home hub capabilities of the Echo Plus and puts it in a new round package.

As powerful as the Echo Plus; Strong bass for the size; Built-in smart home hub

High frequencies don't get quite as much finesse as they could; Alexa can still be awkward to talk to

It’s six years since the first Amazon Echo arrived, igniting a whole new category of smart speakers and making the idea of talking to a disembodied voice a little less weird, and now Alexa is getting some new, spherical digs.

Impressive musical performance; Plenty of bass; Smart home hub built-in; Alexa wake-word almost never fails

Midrange is still the weak spot; Are you a Google household or an Amazon one?

“A charming new design paired with Alexa's smarts makes the Echo (4th Gen) a standout contender.”

Charming new spherical design; Dazzling LED light ring; Acts as an Amazon Sidewalk Bridge; Great sounding audio

Bass strains at highest volume

With its new spherical design, the Amazon Echo Dot (4th Generation) is a far more interesting-looking product than the old model, better able to slip into your home without standing out for the wrong reasons. While there's nothing new about what Alexa can do on this model, Amazon has boosted the audio quality so the occasional bit of music is pretty good and voice replies are really easy to understand. If you've got the previous model there's little reason to upgrade, but for those looking for a new small smart speaker, this is the model to buy.

Looks fantastic; New controls are easier to reach; Forward-firing speaker is clearer;

Low power mode has big restrictions; Not ideal for lots of music;

Amazon's flagship speaker gets better and smarter ... all round.

New design; ZigBee / Sidewalk radios; Stereo sound; Simple setup; New tap to snooze feature

ZigBee pairing hit or miss; Waiting on new features; Bass not much better

Although the same price as the old version, the Amazon Echo (4th Generation) gives you more features and a better design. This model has upgraded audio, so that you can happily listen to music without wishing you had a separate speaker.

Great sound; Excellent value; Zigbee hub included

Zigbee hub not compatible with all devices