

Doesn't support Siri voice controls via Apple HomeKitĪmazon's voice assistant makes it easier to control the devices in your home, set timers and find out how long your commute to the office will take.Doesn't dim as much as some competitors.


Improved sound quality and powerful bass.That means you can use the Echo itself as a hub to play music among other things, without the need for an additional piece of hardware to get those devices online. The Zigbee receiver lets the new Echo function as a smart home connectivity point for compatible smart lights, plugs, and other Zigbee-based accessories. On the smart home front, the fourth-gen Echo also gets a built-in Zigbee receiver, carrying over a feature from the now-defunct Amazon Echo Plus. Where the third-gen Echo offered a barely noticeable sound quality improvement over its predecessor, the ball-shaped fourth-gen version has noticeably better audio output, including respectable bass for a speaker in its price range. This smart device's shape sets Amazon's newer Echo speaker apart. At $100, the spheroidal speaker is more expensive than the $50 fourth-generation Amazon Echo Dot, though the improvements in sound quality and some intriguing smart home features justify the additional cost. Amazon's third-gen Echo Dot with Clock was our previous favorite Alexa speaker, but since the 2020 product line, the flagship fourth-generation Echo speaker has got the nod.
