It’s been two years since Amazon launched Echo in the United States and the hype about its digital assistant Alexa is still on. This is largely because, during that period, the online retailer built a whole product line around its smash hit device. Apart from the original Amazon Echo, there is Dot, a smaller version, followed by Tap (even smaller, portable version), Echo Look (camera assistant) and Amazon Echo Show (basically an Echo with a screen). The first three speakers are all very similar with much of the same functions and some minor differences. Echo Look is almost exclusively for trendy people who value fashion more than the average Joe, while Echo Show is the true successor of the original Echo that adds a whole new level of interaction.
Hence, there is plenty of choices when it comes to Amazon alone, not to mention the competition. Google Home is a mighty fine device on its own, even if its sensibilities lie elsewhere for the most part. If Alexa is your selling point, there are third-party Alexa gadgets like Triby and Fabriq that will do the trick. Any minute now, we’re expecting an Echo-like Apple competitor powered by Siri (but that’s a whole another story). Given the circumstances, it would be prudent to ask yourself should you opt for Amazon Echo? Better yet, is it still worth buying? If you are looking to score Amazon’s smart speaker, here are the things you need to know.
The Amazon Echo is still a powerful device
A 9-inch speaker at heart, there is much more at play here than streaming music. Echo has a great voice recognition that, coupled with numerous integrated services through third-party Alexa Skills, allows it to perform random stuff. The scope is truly grand with well over 10,000 skills ranging from ordering a pizza to playing trivia games to locking and starting a car and everything in between. Alexa can answer questions, read audiobooks, update you on the traffic and weather and so on. Practically, it acts as your voice-activated servant. Granted, there is some filler but you can do so much with Echo, which is probably its biggest appeal.
Amazon Echo is great for smart home management
Next to its full plate of skills, Echo’s true usability best reflects in its ability to control smart home devices. It acts as a smart home controller for a variety of gadgets like Philips Hue, Samsung SmartThings, Nest, Belkin and practically any other device. It certainly helps that Echo had a head start to rack up the number of supported devices. Also, Amazon decision to open it for third-party development worked wonders. Thus, if you are intent on using the speaker to control your smart home ecosystem (for many, the defining point of smart devices), then Echo is definitely the way to go.
Amazon Echo Competitors and Other Options
Let’s not forget that Echo is a two-year-old, first gen product. While Amazon did everything to make it better along the way by improving Alexa and enabling the pairing of the device with external speakers with Bluetooth, it’s slowly falling behind. For instance, Amazon’s very own Echo Dot is a better fit when pairing with external speakers as it also has the ability of a Bluetooth connection, as well as a line-in jack. On top of that, it’s a much cheaper option for an audio setup while retaining full Alexa functionality. Looking outside Amazon’s line of offerings, you have a considerable amount of choices at lower prices. Google Home, a direct Echo rival, is $50 cheaper while being an equally good speaker. It has limited options regarding third-party apps and services, but better intelligence thanks to its huge knowledge base and better Google integrations (Gmail, Calendar, etc).
Triby, a portable smart speaker powered by Alexa is more cheaper, retailing for $79.99. It offers a wide range of services you’d come to expect from a smart speaker. Fabriq is even cheaper. We could go on and on like this, surely you get the point. Those just entering the smart home environment have a veritable pick of the litter of Echo-like devices. Echo, while still an important player in the market, is not so dominant as it once was.
Should You Buy An Amazon Echo?
It all depends on what you seek out of the device and what you hope to gain out of it. With Echo, you get a decent audio solution on its own and a total package for smart home control. One fly in the ointment would be the price. For a first-gen product, $180 might be too much, especially considering there are cheaper alternatives among Amazon’s ranks. Additionally, competitors we previously mentioned like Google Home are already considerably cheaper. This makes us think that Echo, for all the things it perfectly does, has more of a luxury price tag.
Perhaps a preferred option would be Echo Dot, a smaller speaker that does everything Echo does. On its own, it’s a last resort in terms of audio quality. However, pair it up with an existing audio setup and you get a pretty cheap (2nd gen device is only $49.99), yet highly effective solution.
Tap is a battery-powered portable solution that brings the majority of the same features the Echo has. If portability is important to you, by all means, go for Tap. You get a Bluetooth speaker that doubles as a personal assistant and get to keep $50 in your pocket, compared to Echo.
Echo Look is really a niche product and the odd one out here when looking at the big picture.
The only reason why we are still cautious about Echo Show is that it’s brand new and perhaps a bit pricey (it will retail at $229.99). There hasn’t been much hands-on info from the insiders about how well the screen has been integrated into the well-oiled machine that is Echo. Since its release date is June 28, 2017, at the moment we are still warming up to Echo. However, judging by everything we know about Amazon’s latest offering so far, it’s going to be a winner.
Of course, you can look elsewhere and see if other companies than Amazon offer the functionalities you are looking for at the price you can afford.
Conclusion
Considering all, Echo is still a great device. Thanks to Alexa, the smart speaker integrates with a plethora of different services and is ideal for smart home integration. However, the fact remains that its own siblings are throwing shade at it. Dot is an efficient, wallet-friendly solution while Tap is great for the people on the go. Both have pretty much the same capabilities as their older brother, which makes them equal for the most part. On top of that, Amazon recently announced a version of Echo with a built-in display, the one feature that improves the device instantly. Echo Show, identified by many as the 2nd gen Echo, will be able to make video calls, display video flash briefings and every update that Alexa previously read. Where Echo read things to you, Echo Show will, you guessed it – show them to you.
All of this make it hard for Echo to keep up. It will be rather interesting to see how cheap the device gets in the near future. At the current price point, we believe users would rather dish out additional 50 bucks to have a 7-inch display and previously mentioned added functionalities than buy a two-year-old product. Still, Echo has endured this long on top for a reason and being a great device doesn’t go away overnight. Now, it’s up to Amazon to find Echo a new place in its catalog.