Amazon Echo Dot: Everything You Need to Know
Many of those who have not embraced smart speaker technology have not done so for its relatively high cost since they were first announced in 2014 by Amazon; Since then, other companies, such as Apple and Google, have launched their own versions of the device and prices have been dropping.
In this article, we'll look at the more affordable version of the Amazon Echo smart speakers, the 3rd Generation Echo Dot, following our reviews of Echo Show 5, Amazon Echo and the comparison of the three, which are the only traded in our country.
1. Body and Construction
The 3rd Generation Amazon Echo Dot is the newest version of the line's compact model; He looks very similar to his big sister, Amazon Echo, only flat. Compared to previous generations, it is slightly larger, but in practice it does not affect anything.
Their materials follow the standard of being of the highest quality, leaving nothing to be desired. It is lined with the same fabric as the other two in the line and comes in three colors: white, gray and black.
The biggest external change was the removal of the plastic coating, which was replaced by the aforementioned fabric, which gives the device a more premium appearance.
At its top, the user will find a model color panel with four buttons, two to control the volume up or down, one to mute the microphone and one to talk to Alexa in the do not disturb mode.
This panel is surrounded by a translucent plastic ring that emits light in different colors to indicate what it is doing or what is happening. The colors are blue, violet, orange, red, green, yellow and purple.
The blue, if it is stopped, indicates that Alexa is listening to you and when it goes around the ring will indicate that your assistant is processing what you heard, preparing your answer. The violet light is there exclusively to alert the user that there was a problem with the WiFi setup.
Orange indicates that your Echo Dot is ready to set up; red will only appear when the mute button is pressed, indicating that it is off. If blue with purple light appears, you will know that the do not disturb mode is active.
The green light serves as an indicator of phone calls, pulsing if you are receiving one and circling if you have answered and are speaking. Finally, yellow serves to indicate that the user has unread messages in their inbox.
Finally, at the back, there are two inputs: one is for the charging source and the other is for headphones and auxiliary cables – which is not included with the product – which is always good, especially considering that the largest Part of today's electronic devices are taking off, fashion started on the iPhone 7.
2. Features and Alexa
The innovations that were made in the 3rd Generation Echo Dot are, for the most part, just aesthetic. However, there have been certain improvements in its performance in both the audio and Alexa sectors.
This device is designed for anyone who wants a smart speaker with Alexa but doesn't want to make a heavy investment on it. It offers, in its greatly reduced price and size, almost everything that Amazon Echo has, as the main difference in capabilities, has a reduced sound quality, though still quite good.
The process of setting up and installing Echo Dot is quite simple, especially if you have other line products in your home, in which case all you have to do is open the Alexa app on your smartphone and click the add icon.
Otherwise, you need to download the wizard app and log in with your Amazon account, then just follow the previous steps to complete the installation.
Alexa is, as it has always been, a very reasonable assistant, but to be missed in some areas, especially in understanding what the user is saying and being able to follow the same topic with the user asking several questions.
It allows you to control your smart home, listen to music from supported apps, perform searches of all kinds, including curiosities about movies or famous, weather, weather, forecasts, game scores, and more.
Conclusion
The Echo Dot is a very capable device, with almost all the same features as Amazon Echo, but only in sound quality. However, its much lower price, costing half the other, makes it very worth considering.
For a user who is curious about devices like this but has never had one, this is a great place to start. If you are an expert in the field and have multiple devices with Alexa, it is also good to consider this as it is easily integrated with others and offers all controls in a smaller body.
So what did you think about our review of Echo Dot?
We hope that you have been able to take advantage of our evaluation of the new version of the dwarf of the line and that we have helped to answer all your doubts as to whether or not it is worthwhile for you to purchase. Leave your comments on it in the comments and also say if we have forgotten any important point.
Also remember to check out our comparisons of several other smart speakers such as Echo Dot vs Apple Home, Echo Dot vs Google Home Mini and Alexa vs Google Home.
