In this post, we tried to list the best Amazon Alexa and Echo-compatible devices as on July 2019.
Since Amazon released the Echo smart speaker in 2014, Amazon has steadily become the hottest name in smart home products on the market. Every IoT company wants to integrate its products with Amazon's virtual assistant, Alexa.
Not only has Amazon built Alexa into other products, like the all new Echo Plus, Echo Spot, and the Fire HD 10 tablet, but the company has also allowed third-party hardware makers to build Alexa into their own devices, even letting Lexus build the assistant into its new cars.
Alexa Devices
Amazon Echo (Second Generation)
Announced in September 2017, the second-generation Echo offers all the same features of its predecessor in a smaller, more affordable package. This device is Bluetooth speaker–equipped with far-field, always-on microphones and internet-connected smarts. It can control smart home products, play music from your phone, Amazon Prime, and Spotify, and even order products off Amazon just by listening to your voice.
With the Alexa app, you can customize the virtual assistant to your liking, with hundreds of Alexa Skills for everything from delivering more accurate weather forecasts to playing trivia to ordering pizza.
The new Echo is about half as tall as the original and features a new way to keep your Echo compact. The case is interchangeable, allowing for each device to be tailored to the room it's in, and potentially leaving room for third-party options down the line.
The second-generation Echo includes Dolby Audio for a minor, but noticeable, boost in audio quality when you stream music through the device. It also has an auxiliary jack next to the power jack, giving you the option to connect your Echo to an external speaker, something the first-generation model lacked.
Amazon Echo Plus
Amazon's brand new Echo Plus features the same design as the original, but with a big upgrade in capabilities. In addition to all the features of Alexa, the Echo Plus also doubles as a smart home hub. Thanks to its new ZigBee hub, you can simply ask Alexa to discover existing devices in your home, and she'll do it all for you. If you want to build a smart home with Alexa, this is the place to start. This model also comes in silver, in addition to the white and black models we've seen in the past.
Amazon Echo Show
The 2018 Echo Show improves upon its predecessor by sporting a larger screen, better speakers, and a sleek, rounded design. The Show's touchscreen and camera allow you to make video calls, view security camera feeds, watch Amazon Prime Video and video flash briefings, buy things off Amazon (of course), and more. If you plan to use your smart speaker for video calls or streaming media, this is the Echo device for you.
Echo Show 10 (3rd generation) | HD smart display with motion and Alexa (Arabic or English) | Charcoal
Amazon Echo Spot
The Echo Spot, a hybrid of the Echo Show and Dot, is essentially a smaller version of the Echo Show. It's a more affordable alternative to the Show for anyone who likes the idea of a visual component in their smart speaker. Given the size and the default screen being a clock face, the Spot is especially perfect for bedside tables and desktops, but it would be right at home in a kitchen, living room, or den, too.
The Echo Spot allows you to make video calls to other Alexa Show and Spot owners (and recently added Skype calling as well), view weather updates, news briefings, and use skills like alarms and timers. It's small enough to fit in any room and features built-in Bluetooth as well as its own speaker and an audio-out to attach it to an external speaker. We're big fans of the space-saving Spot, and in our testing, it won an Editor's Choice award as one of the best Amazon Echo smart speakers.
Amazon Echo Dot
Take the Echo, slice off the top, and you've got the Echo Dot. The Dot ditches the high-quality built-in speaker to cut down on cost, while still giving you all of Alexa's smarts. A smaller built-in speaker does let you talk to Alexa, but it's not great speaker quality for streaming music. Instead, you can connect the Dot to speakers you already own via Bluetooth or an audio-out jack. It is interesting that Amazon offers a variety of bundles that package it with other smart home products such as light bulbs and plugs.
All-new Echo Dot (5th generation, 2022 release) smart speaker with Alexa (Arabic or English) | Charcoa
Amazon Echo Look
An early addition to the Echo family, the Echo Look is a camera with Alexa built-in that allows Alexa to act as your own personal fashion consultant. You can have Alexa take photos and videos of your outfits to build out a personal lookbook, have it use machine learning to tell you which outfit looks better on you, and (unsurprisingly) have it recommend new clothes to buy.
Amazon Echo Auto
The very first Echo product for your car, the $50 Echo Auto connects to Alexa through your phone and plays through your car’s speakers. With just your voice you can manage your car’s A/C, play music, check the news, open your garage and more. The eight-microphone system lets your voice be heard over everything from music to road noises.
Amazon Echo Input
Already have your own speaker and you just want to be able to control it with Alexa? Then the Echo Input is for you. It comes in black and white varieties and connects through a 3.5 mm audio cable or Bluetooth.
We have created this post to help you find all devices in one place. We'll be continuously updating it as new integrations are announced, in order to help you build the smart home that's right for you.
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