Amazon has defined the smart speaker space with its range of Echo devices which serve as speakers of varying size and quality and also work as conduits to smart home systems, entertainment, online search and news and music playback.

The Spot is the fifth speaker in Amazon's Echo range - and arguably the cutest. That's not normally a metric we use to rate products, but I'll make an exception here because the Spot is simply gorgeous.

great wireless speaker. Does all my home automation. Very useful in your daily life. Wifi is also great

Most people can safely skip the Echo Spot if they want and get another smartspeaker. There are better-sounding options, and if you want its alarm functions any screenless Echo will do, so long as you're prepared to say "Alexa, stop" before leaving for work.

Amazon Echo Spot is a unique looking, ball-shaped touchscreen smart speaker. Here is our detailed review of the latest Echo speaker in the Indian market.

We're still not 100% sold on a screen being a critical part of the Echo experience, but the Echo Spot feels significantly more focused and purpose-driven than the slightly aimless Echo Show – especially with a £80 difference in price. The smaller sized screen feels more useful here, but it also doesn't need to do as much to justify its presence. It's an effective bedside clock and ideal for alarms, timers, or playing music, and while Alexa still doesn't have a lot of critical skills that have visual components, that doesn't sting here as much as it does with the larger, pricier Echo Show. If you're new to Alexa, you're probably better off starting with the cheap Echo Dot or the baseline 2nd-generation Echo. But if you're looking to add another Echo to your home, especially one away from your main living area, or you really think you'll the most use from an Echo in your bedroom, then the Spot is well worth considering. It's shipping today in the UK, directly from Amazon.

Sleek, compact design; Alexa with all her powers; Great as a bedside clock;

Only modest sound quality; Not many useful visual skills yet; Bedroom camera can be unsettling;

Amazon invented the ideal smart alarm clock two years ago in the Echo Spot, a perfect bedside companion for anyone interested in an Alexa-powered home. While expensive at $129.99, it was far better than using an Echo Dot or a traditional alarm clock to wake up to, with plenty of additional usefulness as a kitchen clock or a monitor for various smart home devices. It was one of the first smart displays we were really enthusiastic about, and remains high on our list of recommendations in the category, as well an Editors' Choice. However, the introduction of the $89.99 Echo Show 5 means the Spot has some very strong competition, and both are worthy of your attention. Design, Audio, and Skills The Echo Spot is a tiny globe with a flat edge that comes in black or white. It measures 4.1 by 3.8 by 3.6 inches (HWD) and weighs 14.8 ounces. It has a reasonably sharp 2.5-inch, 480-by-480 circular color touch screen on the front, and a 1.4-inch speaker that radiates out through a grille arou...

The tiny, Alexa-powered, touch-screen Amazon Echo Spot makes a perfect smart bedside or desk clock.

Super cute design; Useful display; Supports all Alexa features; 3.5mm output

Not a powerful speaker; No non-camera option

Sleek, compact design; Alexa with all her powers; Great as a bedside clock;

Only modest sound quality; Not many useful visual skills yet; Bedroom camera can be unsettling;

Gaze into the abyss, and the abyss gazes back. That's what's running through my head on my first night testing the Amazon Echo Spot. I'm lying in bed struggling to fall asleep as I sometimes do, and it's sitting there displaying the time on my nightstand with its camera aimed straight at my face.

The Echo Spot is a well-made device with a good-looking design, and it's handy for quick, voice-activated video calls; Sound quality was better than we expected, and noticeably better than the Echo Dot's

The Echo Spot doesn't currently support YouTube, nor does it offer many video sources for your flash briefings; The touchscreen adds less than it should to the Alexa experience, and it's too small to be helpful unless you're within a few feet of the device

Of all Alexa's various enclosures, the Amazon Echo Spot is undoubtedly the cutest. Its body is spherical – larger than a baseball, but much smaller than an Echo Show – and fronted with a 2.5-inch circular touchscreen.

Most attractive Echo device so-far; Alexa is as capable as ever; Speaker is loud and mic-array works well; Cheaper than Echo Show; 3.5mm and Bluetooth audio options

Alexa Skills can look awkward on circular screen; No YouTube support (currently; Price difference with Echo Show is (currently) small; Circular display isn't ideal for video