The best Amazon Echo devices to upgrade your smart home
Dot or Spot? Show or Studio? Regardless, they all use voice control, so just start shouting
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Amazon's Echo devices are about as smart as they come, with Alexa, your friendly and helpful voice assistant ready and willing to help you in all sorts of tasks, from shifting that optician's appointment into next week, to figuring out what else Kate Bush has actually created or booking an Uber into town. Simply bark your demands and they shall be met, and what's more, all the devices speak to each other seamlessly, so you can get surround-sound music in multiple rooms or always have your digital butler on hand to help out.
With new designs, built-in clock displays, large screens that follow you around the room (yes, really), and faster innards, there’s a whole host of different devices to suit your needs. Whether you’re after an Echo in the kitchen to help you with tricky culinary timings, a more powerful device for blasting out music, or a home for Alexa by your bed, there’s an Echo out there for everyone.
We’ve rounded up everything you need to know below, to help you easily choose the best Amazon Echo for your needs.
What's the best Amazon Echo device?
The best bang-for-buck Echo device has plenty of bass despite its small size, and a built-in display for showing the time, weather, and song names.
With a funky design and kid-friendly filtering options, this is the ultimate bedside entertainment gadget for little ones.
A stylish design, Alexa smarts, and fabulous colour options (all paired with a very palatable price tag) make the Pop a budget winner in our eyes.
- Best overall Amazon Echo device: Amazon Echo Dot (5th gen) with clock, £64.99 at amazon.co.uk
- Best budget Amazon Echo device: Amazon Echo Pop, £44.99 at amazon.co.uk
- Best Amazon Echo device for kids: Amazon Echo Dot (3rd gen),
£99.99£54.99 at amazon.co.uk - Best plug-in Echo device: Amazon Echo Flex,
£24.99£9.99 at amazon.co.uk - Best-sounding Amazon Echo device: Amazon Studio, £219.99 at amazon.co.uk
What is Amazon Prime Day 2024?
Amazon Prime Day 2024 is a deal-tastic shopping extravaganza where prices on thousands of products — including Amazon's own Echo devices — are significantly reduced. It's an event that's become a key fixture in the tech shopping calendar, often outperforming traditional sales periods like Black Friday. It's an ideal time to enhance your smart home setup with Echo devices at competitive prices, and the deals extend well beyond smart speakers. In fact, prices are slashed across thousands of products, ranging from alcohol, dumbbells, 4K TVs and air fryers, to BBQs, moisturisers, and a whole lot more. Keep an eye out for any Amazon discounts below, and we'll keep this article updated with the latest deals as they come in.
When is Amazon Prime Day 2024?
Feel free to mark your calendars for 16-17 July, but you won't have to wait till then to take advantage of any savings. Early deals on some products are already emerging, and we'll update this page consistently before, during, and after Prime Day, so you can stay informed about the latest offers.
How we test the best Amazon Echo devices 2023
Having tested and used Alexa and Echo devices since their inception, we're well-versed in all the Echo devices on offer, which is why we've curated the list of the best Echo devices below.
Plus, which unlocks plenty of child-friendly games and stories for them to enjoy for a monthly fee.
What's the difference between Alexa and Echo?
Often mixed up or used interchangeably, Alexa and Echo are actually two different things. Alexa is the name of Amazon’s smart assistant and is the equivalent of Apple’s Siri. Echo, on the other hand, is the name given to all of the physical Amazon-made devices that Alexa lives in, so to speak. To put it another way, Echo devices are the lamps, and Alexa is the genie that lives inside them.
Is there a monthly charge for Alexa?
There’s no monthly charge for Alexa, meaning you can take full advantage of its feature-packed skills which include anything from setting timers or alarms to checking the weather, turning off your lights, asking for sports results, and much, much more.
Certain features like controlling your heating, seeing who’s at the door or controlling your lightbulbs will obviously require additional hardware purchases, but they’ll all clearly state whether or not they’re Alexa-compatible.
Is music free on Alexa?
If you’ve got music saved on a device like your phone, you can stream music to an Echo for free via Bluetooth. If you’re an avid music listener, however, then you’ll more than likely want to pay for a music subscription service like Spotify or Amazon Music Unlimited, if you're not already doing so.
Amazon Prime members have Prime Music included in their subscription, which serves up around two million songs. It’s not a bad amount by any means, but it’s still a long way off of the 35-40 million songs offered by Spotify and Amazon Music Unlimited.
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Check out GQ's pick of the best Amazon Echo devices in 2023…
- 1/7
Amazon Echo Dot (5th gen) with clock
The new Echo Dot with clock is slightly pricier than the clockless version, but you might as well squeeze out an extra bit of functionality from your smart device. Time-telling skills aside, it has twice the bass of the previous model, and can also provide visual updates on things like the weather and currently playing song, using its under-speaker display. Clever stuff at a reasonable price. £64. At amazon.co.uk
- 2/7
Amazon Echo Flex
If you’ve already got a few Echo devices and simply want to make a room smarter without adding another speaker then the Echo Flex is a clever little device which does just that. Essentially a smart plug with Alexa powers, it’ll let you ask Alexa questions, set timers, control your lights and more. It can also be connected to any regular speakers with a 3.5mm headphone jack, for bigger sound.
£25£10. At amazon.co.uk - 3/7
All-new Echo Show 5 (3rd gen)
The third version of the Amazon Echo Show 5 has a slightly more rounded design, but the biggest change comes from within. With twice the bass compared to its predecessor, your tunes should be noticeably oomphier for an extra hit of low-end goodness. A 2MP camera takes care of video calls, while Amazon's AZ2 Neural Edge processor (the same one found in its larger, more expensive siblings), is also present and accounted for. £89. At amazon.co.uk
- 4/7
All-new Echo Show 5 (3rd gen) Kids
The child-friendly version of the Echo Show 5 is identical to its more grown-up brother in terms of hardware. The key difference is immediately obvious, and comes in the form of an eye-catching space/galaxy-themed paint job. Naturally, given its target audience, there's also a selection of kid-friendly content filtering settings thrown in as well. £100. At amazon.co.uk
- 5/7
Amazon Echo Pop
Despite its fancy looks and swanky styling, the Echo Pop is actually the most affordable speaker in the Amazon Echo range. Available in an eye-pleasing collection of hues which include charcoal, lavender, white and teal, it should comfortably blend into (or stick out from) its surroundings with ease. Capable of all the usual Alexa voice commands and music playback, it can also be bundled with a battery base for portable Alexa shenanigans. £45. At amazon.co.uk
- 6/7
All-new Echo Show 8 (2nd gen)
The newest version of the Echo Show 8 might lack the swivelling screen of its bigger brother, but if you'd rather do without spending more on a feature you might not want or use, this is the sweet spot for screen size and functionality. Ideal for the kitchen where you can watch videos and read recipes, it has 13MP camera for video calls, along with built-in speakers for listening to your favourite tunes. As with the other Echo Show devices, there's a built-in sliding camera cover for peace of mind too. £120. At amazon.co.uk
- 7/7
Amazon Echo Studio
The Echo Studio is an ideal choice for music fans. What it lacks in the screen department is more than made up by its powerful innards, which boast a total of five speakers for thumping bass, dynamic midrange, and crisp highs, with Dolby Atmos tech thrown in for good measure. Pair it up with a Fire TV Cube or Fire Stick 4K, and you can use it for watching movies too. £220. At amazon.co.uk