
Most of the same smart capabilities are on display here, too, including Sonos's own voice control and integrated Amazon Alexa (but not Google Assistant). Released alongside the superb Era 300 (below), the Era 100 keeps up with its bigger, more expensive brother by delivering a host of streaming playback features within another excellent-sounding speaker. Rival Apple HomePod 2 is more natural with voices

#Alexa speaker price full
Read the full review: Amazon Echo Dot (5th Generation)

Amazon's so-called “best-sounding Echo Dot yet” lives up to its billing thanks to a single 44mm front-firing speaker (4mm larger than the previous gen’s 40mm), offering sound that feels, for the size, weighty, listenable and surprisingly versatile. We weren't hugely keen on the sound of Amazon's early Echo models, but the trajectory has been very much one of continual improvement courtesy of Jeff Bezos' tireless team of audio tinkerers. Whereas once Alexa was a one-note performer capable of answering basic questions about the weather and or what the capital of France is, now she's as filled to the brim with skills and knowledge as Keanu Reeves after he's been uploaded with various handy computer programs (although she doesn't, as of yet, "know Kung fu"). The Dot's cybernetic assistant is more helpful than ever before, stuffed with so many tricks and quirks that you will often find yourself falling into the trap of speaking to Alexa as though it, or rather she, were a real person.Īudio has come a long way, too.
#Alexa speaker price series
The latest addition to this wildly popular series of affordable smart speakers is the Echo Dot (5th Generation), a tempting performer that practically gives itself away thanks to its meagre asking price and five-star quality. From budget brilliance to superb spatial audio, there's an Alexa speaker for everyone these days.Īmazon's smart speaker range has become big business in the past decade or so, with Alexa becoming almost synonymous with the whole concept of integrated, domestic AI. Here to help you pick the right option for your specific needs and budget, we have created this guide detailing the best-performing Alexa-equipped speakers to pass through our testing rooms.

On top of that, based on our experience testing them, not every Alexa speaker is worth your hard-earned cash. It means there is an almost paralysing amount of choice on the market, as Alexa is integrated into not only Amazon's own wide range of speakers but also in various other audio brands' products. Amazon's Alexa has led the way for smart products, finding its way cheaply and effectively into a vast array of speakers and smart devices, making it one of the best choices to control multiple devices around your home vocally (unless you're an avid Apple user, in which case you might want to read our Amazon Echo vs Apple HomePod Mini head-to-head to decide which is the best smart speaker for you).īut Alexa's popularity is a double-edged sword.
