Sound Quality and Specs
The Echo handily beats the Echo Dot in every category except for size and perhaps cuteness. If budget allows, or you can snag one for a great deal like Prime Day 2022, the Echo is the much better choice, and in my experience, offers greater value. Unless you’re only planning on using the speaker in a smaller space like on the desk of a small office, getting it for a spare room, or as a cheap stocking stuffer, then I’d say the bigger Echo is the way to go. The Echo Studio is a pretty nice upgrade over the Echo, however, from testing various speaker configurations, I much preferred having two Echos over one Echo Studio.
While the 4th Gen won’t necessarily blow you away when compared directly to its predecessor, it does bring some noticeable improvements and new features which make it a more capable device. Combined with its facelift, the 4th Gen also adds a second 0.8" tweeter that gives it stereo separation and more dynamic range. It has the same 3.0" upward-firing woofer as the previous model.
This second tweeter makes the Echo more directional, compared to the 360-degree sound that the 3rd Gen was known for. With the 3rd Gen, you could stick one in the middle of a room and get pretty good coverage all around it. While the new Echo is more capable and better sounding overall, it will require a little more thought with its placement (more likely in a corner now).
The Echo is deceivingly powerful for its size. For most of my tests, the Echo was located on one of my home’s floors which contains the kitchen, living room, and dining room. To say that the Echo gets loud enough is an understatement. Listening to Coldplay’s Birds, the speaker reproduces the vocals well and has good separation between the drums, guitar, and synth.
For casual sessions, I found 40-50% to be a great volume for the entire floor. If I was in the same room, anything over 70% felt too loud to me. For the sake of testing, I cranked this to 100%. While it was way too loud, the audio didn’t crackle, get muddy, or sound distorted at all. Perhaps the highs felt more overpowering at those levels and that’s where I noticed the bass performance to be trailing behind a bit. At louder volumes playing bass-heavy songs, it was enough to shake the table it was on and gradually move some of the other objects that lay atop the table toward the edge. It’s not going to give that immediate earth-shaking rumble, but again, for its size, it’s rather impressive.
Setup and Smart Features
Beyond the built-in Alexa assistant, the Echo (4th Gen) has some additional connectivity features. It now functions as a Zigbee hub, which can be handy if you have devices like lights, sensors, or thermostats that rely on this wireless technology. It’s becoming less common as newer devices transition to faster Wi-Fi and Bluetooth protocols, but it’s still nice to have.
The Echo also has a temperature sensor built-in, so it can tell you the average temperature of a space or use the data in routines. I honestly haven’t found much need for this.
Lastly, when enabled via the Alexa app, the Echo can be used as a security monitoring device. When set into guard mode, it’ll notify you if it detects any alarms going off, or even if hears glass break.
Alexa Shortcomings
In many ways, the Alexa ecosystem matches closely and even beats the Google assistant, but there have also been several ongoing quirks that have been less than fun. At this point, I’m willing to make the full switch over to Alexa as the speaker performance and Alexa assistant has been great. However, a big issue I continue to run into is the reliability of multi-device pairing and syncing audio. I go over many of these issues, which plague the entire Echo lineup, in my Echo Sub review.
To summarize, many of these issues come down to unreliable networking and horrible software. The Echo devices are very particular and finicky about how your WiFi network is configured. As such, when trying to play music to a group or all of your Echo speakers, you can frequently experience dropouts, music only playing to a few of the devices, or the music randomly stopping completely. Existing Echo users may be used to this or not have these issues. If you’re planning on using this as part of a multi-device setup, just be aware.
Design and Connectivity
The new sphere design is growing on me, but I’m sure some will prefer the older model’s cylinder shape. Other smart speakers, like the Apple Homepod, have similar designs, so it looks like the trend is here to stay, at least for now.
The new Echo opts for a more sustainable approach using recycled materials in the speaker and packaging too. It is offered in three colors, Charcoal, Glacier White, and Twilight Blue. Unlike the aluminum grille found on the Echo (3rd Gen), the newer model uses the same cloth material found on their other speakers including the Echo Show 10, Echo Studio, and Echo Sub.
On its top, you’ll find the usual buttons for Alexa/Action, Volume Up, Volume Down, and Mute.
