The 4 best Amazon Echo smart speakers and smart displays of 2021
- Amazon's Echo devices combine reliable Alexa capabilities and easy-to-use smart-home features.
- The fourth-generation Echo is Amazon's best smart speaker, with good audio quality and a new design.
Echo devices vary in size and price, but all have built-in support for Alexa, Amazon's digital assistant platform. Alexa generally works the same across these speakers, but some devices have screens and some boast better audio quality than others.
Alexa's capabilities have significantly improved since its debut. You can ask Alexa questions, play music, set timers, order products, control other compatible smart devices, and more just using your voice.
You can also listen to Amazon Prime Music, Spotify, and other services. Some Echo speakers sound better than others, so you'll want to pay attention if you're planning on using yours to play lots of music.
Echo devices with screens can stream movies and shows and make video calls. The screen can also help with certain tasks, like recipes.
While the newest Echo devices are Amazon's best so far, there are certain models that may be better suited for specific budgets and tasks. With that in mind, we've selected the best Echo devices for a variety of needs.
Buyers should keep in mind, however, that Prime Day 2021 will launch on June 21 and run through June 22. We expect many of our Echo picks to be on sale during the event.
Table of Contents: Masthead Sticky
Here are the best Echo devices you can buy:
- Best Echo overall: Echo (fourth-gen)
- Best budget Echo speaker: Echo Dot (third-gen)
- Best Echo with a big screen: Echo Show 10 (third-gen)
- Best Echo with a small screen: Echo Show 5 (first-gen)
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The newest Amazon Echo features an updated design, improved sound, and Amazon’s super-smart Alexa digital assistant built right into it.
Pros: Impressive sound quality, affordable, integrated Zigbee hub, 3.5mm port, attractive design
Cons: Amazon still saves your voice recordings by default, Google offers more color choices for its speakers
The fourth-generation Echo feels like a realization of everything Amazon has been building toward in previous models — a smart speaker that finds just the right balance between audio performance, price, and smart-home capabilities.
Unlike the cylindrical design of older models, the new Echo is shaped like a sphere with a flat bottom, making it look more like a glowing orb than a typical speaker.
Audio quality has been improved thanks to the addition of a second tweeter and new front-firing placement. Our reviewer notes that the fourth-generation Echo sounds better than its predecessor in every way, with louder, deeper, and more full-bodied audio.
The new Echo also features an integrated Zigbee hub, which was something previously included only in the more expensive Echo Plus. Zigbee is a smart-home standard that accessories use to pair with one another. A third-generation Echo would have to talk to a separate smart-home hub to access and adjust some devices, like light bulbs. The new Echo can create a direct link without another hub.
Alexa capabilities are built-in as well, enabling easy access to Amazon’s reliable digital assistant. A blue light glows on the bottom when Alexa is listening. Amazon also implemented its new, first-generation AZ1 neural edge processor to enable more responsive performance.
A handy microphone mute button is included for buyers concerned about privacy. On the downside, Amazon still uses your voice recordings by default to help improve Alexa’s functionality. Thankfully, you can disable this from the Alexa app, under the Alexa Privacy section in the settings menu.
The best budget Echo
Amazon
The Echo Dot may be the entry-level option on this list, but it’s still just as smart as its siblings. Plus, its small size is its biggest asset.
Pros: Small, smart, affordable, works just as well as all the others
Cons: Audio quality isn’t as good as the standard Echo
Though there’s a new fourth-generation Dot on the market, the third-generation Echo Dot is still the best entry-level Echo you can buy thanks to its lower price. For less than half the cost of the standard Echo, you get a hockey puck-sized gadget that can help you control your lights with your voice, answer questions about the universe, and connect to external speakers through a Bluetooth signal.
The Echo Dot’s best feature is definitely its small size. You can stick it just about anywhere, and because it has the same microphone array as its bigger siblings, it won’t have a problem hearing your requests. Whether you’re going for subtlety or want the best way to dip your toe into the smart-home ocean, this is your best choice.
Third-generation Echo Dots remain on sale at Amazon for a discounted price, but buyers should keep in mind that a fourth-generation model is available. The latest Dot features a spherical design and slightly improved sound quality, but overall performance is essentially the same. Since the third-generation Dot is less expensive, we still recommend it over the fourth-gen version. If you really prefer the new model’s orb-shaped look, however, the new model could be worth the extra money.
The best Echo with a big screen
Amazon
The Echo Show 10 can display information that its screenless siblings can only read to you, making it extra useful for timers and calendar events.
Pros: 10.1-inch screen, the ability to see Alexa’s responses to you, ability to follow you as you move in your home
Cons: Not entirely accurate in facing the right direction, higher price than the screenless options
To put it simply, this is an Echo with a screen, and this model has the biggest display Amazon offers. It can do anything a standard Echo can, but it shows the information visually, in addition to audibly.
For instance, if you set a timer you’ll be able to watch it count down. You’ll be able to see your calendar when you ask Alexa about your upcoming events, and you can even watch Prime Video, Hulu, and more.
In February 2021, Amazon released the third-generation Echo Show 10. The device is a step up from its predecessor as its screen now has the ability to turn toward you when you say the wake word or engage in an activity. Its 13-megapixel camera can also center you in its frame for any video calls you make. This new following feature, however, is not always the most accurate and it takes some getting used to.
Other than the screen, the Echo Show offers a number of ways to assist you, and it’s a particularly handy companion in the kitchen. If it’d help to see a measurement conversion instead of just hearing it said out loud (there are 16 tablespoons in a cup, by the way), the Echo Show is a really good option. You can also visually follow recipes, which is sometimes easier than audio. Its speakers are also better than the ones found in the original Echo.
The best Echo with a small screen
The Echo Show 5 has a smaller, 5-inch screen than the original model, making it perfect for use as a smart alarm clock on your bedside table.
Pros: 5-inch screen, the ability to see Alexa’s responses to you
Cons: Camera is low resolution, screen isn’t HD
The Show 5 is a smaller version of the original Echo Show. It has a 5-inch screen, so it can display video content, the time, and visual representations of Alexa’s answers.
Just like the original Echo Show, you can watch Prime Video, view security camera footage, and other video content.
It can also display the time, and you can use it to set alarms to wake you up in the morning, making it a great smart alarm clock for your bedside table.
If you love the idea of seeing Alexa’s responses to your questions and requests, but you want a smaller device, the Echo Show is a great option.
Keep in mind, however, that a second-generation Echo Show 5 launched in June 2021. Not much has changed except for its camera.
The new device has a 2-megapixel camera, a step up from the older model’s 1-megapixel camera. But, since the older model is so similar and it’s on sale, we think it remains the better buy.
What else we considered
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Echo Dot (fourth generation): Like the standard Echo speaker, the new Echo Dot swaps out its old puck-shaped design for a new spherical shape. Despite the updated look, however, the new Echo Dot still uses a single 1.6-inch speaker driver.
Though the new Dot is an impressive compact smart speaker in its own right, the less expensive third-generation model sounds very similar and is actually easier to wall mount. With that in mind, we still recommend the older Echo Dot as our top budget pick.
Amazon also has a new fourth-generation Echo Dot with Clock. As the name implies, this version adds a built-in digital clock, enabling customers to easily see the time or temperature.
Read our Amazon Echo Dot (fourth generation) review here.
The best deals on Amazon Echo smart speakers from this guide
Amazon’s Echo smart speakers are some of the most affordable and most widely-compatible smart gadgets on the market. As with all of Amazon’s products, Echo speakers see discounts of $10 to $20 regularly and can sometimes be bundled with other smart home gadgets. The best deals crop up during Prime Day, Amazon’s yearly sales holiday. Last Prime Day, the 4th Gen Echo was down to $70, an all-time low.
Here, we’ve gathered up the best deals on Echo products. Before any deal is featured here, we check the historical listing price on Amazon, the prices offered by competitors, and consult our in-house tracking spreadsheet.
Here are the best deals we found on our Amazon Echo smart speaker picks.
Echo (4th Gen) (medium, Preferred: Amazon)
Read more about how the Insider Reviews team evaluates deals and why you should trust us.