Amazon Echo (4th Gen) Smart Speaker - Review

(Image: © Amazon)

Amazon's smart speaker is back with a brand new look and more power. The fourth generation Echo finds Amazon distributing the platform roots of a more rounded architectural design. More importantly, it is releasing the $ 150 Echo Plus by incorporating all of its audio and other features, such as the built-in home harp, into the new Echo. So for just $ 99.99, the fourth-generation Echo offers better audio performance than ever before, Zigbee device control capabilities, and, of course, Alexa voice support. This is more than what you will get from any other smart speaker at this price, you easily win the Echo our Editors' Choice award.

Design and features

The fourth-generation Echo is a nearby sphere, measuring 5.2 inches long and 5.7 inches wide, available in black, blue, or white. Amazon notes that the fabric and aluminum it uses in its Echo speakers are 100 percent recycled. The new design is fun, and it looks similar to Apple's upcoming ApplePod mini.

The light ring has been moved from the top of the speaker to the base, providing a slightly brighter light that is still visible with a blue glow when you speak your chosen wake name. The top panel holds Alexa buttons, volume up, volume down, and mute microphone. At the back is a 3.5mm power adapter and audio output connector.

Underneath the fabric sits a 3-inch woofer with 0.8-inch front tweeters, where the Echo supports Dolby audio (but not Dolby Atmos surround sound like the Echo Studio, which has four drivers, including a woofer 5.3-inch). They are drivers of the same size as the Echo Plus and third-generation Echo, but with two tweeters instead of one. And like the Echo Plus, the Echo fourth gen includes a built-in home harp. It is a Zigbee site, and has support for Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) and Amazon Sidewalk, which helps expand the range of low-bandwidth devices.

Alexa

Well, the fourth-generation Echo also offers access to Amazon's Alexa Voice Assistant. After naming the helper with the wake-up call "Alexa" (or a few other options), simply ask you to complete the task you want. Alexa can provide general information like sports schools and weather; play music on Amazon Music, Apple Music, Spotify, or SiriusXM; control various smart home devices (including Zigbee devices due to the built-in hub); and make voice calls to other Alexa devices in your home, as well as to calls.

The Echo features 

Amazon's AZ1 Neural Edge processor, a chip designed for machine learning. According to Amazon, the processor enables new features that work on the edge of the cloud (by processing something on the device, rather than Amazon servers), such as responsive speech recognition. This is important, because while Alexa is a skilled voice assistant, its natural language recognition is rather robust and requires a certain syntax of specific commands. We hope the AZ1 processor will make Alexa speak more easily over time, or at the moment Google Assistant still offers flexible language recognition, making it easier to speak casually. But that doesn’t contradict the fact that Alexa is an awesome voice assistant with a larger library of third-party skills than the competition.

Audio performance

While the Echo is physically smaller than Google Nest Audio, its woofer and tweeters are larger, which means it can emit more power. You won't find the bass rocking the wall in this little speaker, but the low waves sound pretty round and full, as can be heard in our bass test track, The Knife's "Silent Shout." The kick drum beat has a good sense of humor that doesn't reach deep enough to be physically affected, but still avoids sounding excessive or punchy.

Crystal Method's "Born Too Slow" also sounds great on the new Echo. The backbeat does not have the presence of a low enough frequency to sound awesome (rarely done on size speakers), but it does provide enough thumbs up to drive the track, while guitar riffs and vocals stand out in the mix.

The sound performance here easily leaves you with what you get with the $ 50 fourth-generation Echo Dot, which is a cosmetic upgrade only from the previous model and extends far beyond the Echo in the bass department. The $ 200 Echo Studio still offers the strongest audio experience, but also the most expensive. For $ 100, the standard Echo is amazing.

The Best Echo

The fourth generation Amazon Echo is firmly following the previous model, with more power and control over Zigbee’s smart home devices. It’s not enough to upgrade to make excuses for dumping your third-generation Echo, but if you’re looking to upgrade from Echo Dot, or just want a smart new speaker to provide sound to fill the room in a small pocket, this is a finding model. We also love Google's Nest Audio with its easy-to-use voice assistant, but the Echo surpasses it in sound quality and the ability to control smart home devices, gaining the speaker's choice of editors.