See what Alexa can do
People have such high expectations these days. I bought the echo dot (never having had one over privacy issues) and I am chuffed to bits. It’s so much more than Siri, my last flirtation with voice AI. I bought it to listen to a bit of music, to ask about news and weather and for it to read my kindle (not audible.com) books. For this the speaker is great. How anyone can expect it to compete with a home sound system for its size and price is anyone’s guess. But I can move it around from kitchen to bedroom and it’s a fun little companion when I’m washing up. I used to use my smart phone connected to a Bluetooth speaker and this is way more convenient. Spotify is great and the voice recognition is superb. Took no time to set up and I like the fact it is powered by a proper plug because I am likely to leave it on a lot. I bought it also to help me sleep, I like the fact that I can listen to ambient sounds such as rainfall and have it switch itself off after a period of time. I could got on that it can be used a phone too but I don’t use use that. Frankly it’s worth the money alone for the little things it does.
I’ve now had this a few weeks and these are my thoughts. With a Spotify account you can ask for most songs. If you didn’t, it automatically accessed Amazon music. Now I don’t have Amazon Music Unlimited and so a part of me is wondering whether I would get charged to listen to songs or whether it would automatically click onto the Amazon Prime Music service. Who knows? But I instantly deactivated the Voice Purchasing function through the Alexa app so I hope not. But be wary and maybe keep an eye on your Amazon bills for a couple of weeks just in case. You can adjust the volume by asking it higher or lower or even giving a number between 1 (lowest) and 10 (highest). It will still hear you say Alexa at the top volume but you kind of have to pick your moments in a quieter section of song. I can hear the Dot when I am upstairs and it is downstairs. Beware you could develop a mild strain of your voice if you keep asking Alexa questions (I am thinking of those buying it for elderly relatives). Speaking of which, the ability for them to call you just by voice if, say, they had a fall and could not reach the phone is a pretty reassuring feature. I’ve played some of the quizzes and they are fun. I still like the device and how solid it feels.
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Echo Dot is a voice-controlled smart speaker with Alexa that's perfect for any room. Just ask for music, news, information and more. You can also call almost anyone, and control compatible smart home devices with your voice. |
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Use your voice to play a song, artist or genre through Amazon Music, Apple Music, Spotify, TuneIn and others. With compatible Echo devices in different rooms, you can fill your whole home with music. Also listen to Audible and radio stations, or pair with Fire TV to voice-control films and entertainment. |
Make your life easier at home. Use your voice to set timers, add items to lists, or create calendar events and reminders. You can also check the news, weather or traffic, or ask for sports scores, cinema listings, restaurant hours or information.
Switch on the lamp before getting out of bed or dim the lights from the sofa to watch a film—all without lifting a finger. Control multiple devices with a single voice command, like locking the doors and turning off the lights at night.
Learn more about hundreds of compatible smart home devices, including lights, thermostats, TVs, and more.
Instantly drop in on other rooms in your home or make an announcement to every room that has a compatible Echo device. Let everyone know dinner is ready, or remind the children that it’s bedtime. You can also stay in touch with friends and family with hands-free calling. Learn more about making calls with Alexa.
When you are running low on household essentials, Alexa makes it easy to refill your fridge or replenish your pantry. You can add everything from AA batteries to zucchini noodles to your shopping list, reorder favourite products from Amazon, or ask Alexa the status of your recent orders.
Alexa has tens of thousands of skills and counting. Skills are like apps and help you do more, such as playing True or False, tracking your fitness with Fitbit or falling asleep to rain sounds. Create your own personal skills and custom responses with Alexa Skill Blueprints. Just say “Alexa, help me get started with skills”.
New skills are being added all the time. Discover skills in the Skills section of the Alexa App or visit the Skills Store.
Alexa for children and family
Alexa can help children learn and grow—while having fun along the way. And with free parental controls from Amazon Kids, Alexa will automatically give child-friendly responses, filter explicit songs and block shopping. Children’s privacy is important to us. Discover how kids can use Alexa.
Haven’t tried Amazon Kids+? Click here to start your 1-month free trial. Amazon Kids+ is an all-in-one subscription that unlocks thousands of hours of child-friendly videos, interactive games, educational skills, and Audible books starting at £3.99/month.
Compare Echo devices
| Price | From: £24.99 | From: £34.99 | From: £39.99 | From: £89.99 | From: £189.99 |
| Ratings | (17,066) | (526,995) | (200,108) | (33,852) | (12,194) |
| Alexa built in | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Speakers | 0.6" mini speaker | 1.6" speaker | 1.6" front-firing speaker | 3.0” woofer and dual 0.8" tweeters | 1" tweeter, three 2" mid-range speakers, and 5.25" woofer |
| Audio line in/out | 3.5 mm audio line out | 3.5 mm audio line out | 3.5 mm audio line out | 3.5 mm audio line in/out | 3.5 mm or mini-optical Toslink line in |
| Dolby technology | Dolby audio | Dolby Atmos | |||
| Built-in Zigbee smart home hub | Yes | Yes | |||
| LED clock display | Featured on Echo Dot with clock |
Technical Details
Echo Dot
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Size |
43 x 99 x 99 mm |
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Weight |
300 grams. Actual size and weight may vary by manufacturing process |
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Wi-Fi Connectivity |
Dual-band Wi-Fi supports 802.11 a/b/g/n (2.4 and 5 GHz) networks. Does not support connecting to ad-hoc (or peer-to-peer) Wi-Fi networks. WiFi 6 (802.11ax) is not currently supported. |
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Bluetooth Connectivity |
Advanced Audio Distribution Profile (A2DP) support for audio streaming from your mobile device to Echo Dot or from Echo Dot to your Bluetooth speaker. Audio/Video Remote Control Profile (AVRCP) for voice control of connected mobile devices. Hands-free voice control is not supported for Mac OS X devices. Bluetooth speakers requiring PIN codes are not supported. |
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Audio |
Built-in speaker for voice feedback when not connected to external speakers. 3.5 mm stereo audio output for use with external speakers (audio cable not included). |
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System Requirements |
Echo Dot comes ready to connect to your Wi-Fi. The Alexa App is compatible with Fire OS, Android and iOS devices, and also accessible via your web browser. Certain services are subject to change or withdrawal at any time, may not be available in all areas and languages, and may require separate subscriptions. |
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Warranty and Service |
Amazon Echo Dot (3rd Generation) is sold with a limited warranty of one year provided by the manufacturer. If you are a consumer, the limited warranty is in addition to your consumer rights, and does not jeopardise these rights in any way. This means you may still have additional rights at law even after the limited warranty has expired (for further information on your consumer rights, click here). Use of Amazon Echo Dot is subject to the terms found here. |
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Accessibility Features |
The Alexa App and Alexa-enabled products include several features for customers with accessibility needs related to vision, hearing, mobility and speech. Learn more about Alexa accessibility. |
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Included in the Box |
Echo Dot, power adaptor (15.0W) and Quick Start Guide. |
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Privacy Features |
Wake word technology, streaming indicators, Microphone Off button, the ability to view and delete your voice recordings and more. Visit the Alexa Privacy Hub to explore how Alexa and Echo devices are designed to protect your privacy. |
Customer reviews
I've been curious about the echo devices for a while and when I saw this available for £25 as part of the black Friday deal I thought why not.Received it today via prime delivery. I've only had it a few hours but I love it!Super easy to set up. Just download the Alexa app on any smart phone or tablet and follow the instructions.I've also added my hive which was simple so can now control the heating from my sofa, lazy or what!!!As a prime customer I can play virtually any music I like including playlists I have on my phone. I find theres so much on prime music i doubt i will need to buy downloads or cds again! A new update means you can use it to play Apple music if you have it. Ask it to turn the volume up, skip a track and it does. Ask it to play radio two, ask for the latest news headlines and it does. I even asked what is on itv tonight and it gave me a schedule of programmes. You can set an alarm; timer, reminders, ask it anything really. If you go to the Alexa app you can enable 'skills', much like apps really. There are things like tv guides, quizzes, weather, news. The more you use it the more it will do for you.We have quite a large room with open staircase and the sound is pretty good. I dare say it will not be the only echo device that ends up in our house.A couple of advantages it gives over just buying a Bluetooth speaker for music, even if music is all you want it for, is that you don't have to pair it to Bluetooth everytime you want to listen to music nor do you even have to have your phone or tablet switched on to ask it anything. Though you can just use it as a blue tooth speaker if you want too, pair it with your phone and it will play any music you have stored, just ask it to pair blue tooth. Plus being permanently connected to the mains rather than having to keep rechargeing it is a major bonus. As you can probably tell I'm a fan!Update: I just attached this to my sound bar via a 3.5 to 3.5mm Jack. The sound is unbelievable, loads of base and my sound bar is just a cheap one!Update May 2019: Just bought a second dot in white for the bedroom. As I already had the Alexa app this took literally seconds to set up. Love the fact I can ask it to play my audio book at bedtime. Also great alarm for the morning. Really love these little smart speakers.
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