Round-up of Alexa’s smart new speakers
Does that sound better?
Amazon has revamped its Echo smartspeaker range. The second-generation Echo (£90, see our review, Issue 517) remains, as does the bedside Echo Spot (£120, see Issue 521). But there are new versions of the Echo Plus, Echo Show and Echo Dot, and now an Echo Sub, which can be added wirelessly to pump up the bass.
The Echo Show (£220) is completely redesigned, with a bigger, brighter 10in screen and an angular fabric-covered case. As before, a camera lets you videochat with friends who have a Show or Spot, or the Alexa app, and ‘drop in’ on your own Echos in other rooms, creating an intercom. The Show is also much improved as a speaker, though it doesn’t go party loud, and we turned down the bass a bit for clarity.
The Show isn’t bad value, but you’re paying for the whole package. As a touchscreen device, its features are limited compared with an all-purpose tablet like the Amazon Fire 8 HD, available with Show Mode Charging Dock (£110 in total from www.snipca. com/29340, see Issue 539). You can watch videos from Amazon Prime or Youtube, but not Netflix, for example.
Beyond that, the screen just lists Alexa results and controls smart-home products. Google’s upcoming Home Hub (£139 from www.snipca.com/29442) isn’t a direct competitor, because it lacks the camera, but Lenovo’s Smart Display (£230 with 10in screen or £160 with 8in, www.snipca.com/29443) works with Google Assistant and Google Duo hands-free video chat.
Like the Echo, the Echo Plus (£140) now has a fabric shell with plastic buttons on top. The line-out jack doubles as line-in. A bigger woofer gives the sound more oomph. It still gets screechy if you turn it up too loud, but it’s good for the price.
The audio of the Echo Sub (£120) reaches down to 30Hz – bass purists would want 20 – to help it sound richer. You can buy two Echo Plus units and a Sub for £300, creating a stereo system for less than one Apple Homepod or Google Home Max.
Finally, the third-generation Echo Dot (£50) looks like the top of a new Echo instead of an old one, has a bigger speaker that’s now actually usable, and retains the output jack so you can plug it into a better speaker (or hi-fi system) of your choice. It’s an excellent introduction to Echo.
The Echo Show’s features are limited compared with an allpurpose Fire 8 HD