Echo Dot (4th Gen, 2020 release) | Smart speaker with Alexa | Charcoal

I got a Dot with clock to try out the new shaped Echos and really enjoy it. I enjoy it so much I decided to buy a second , without clock , to make a stereo effect when using Alexa for music. Little did I know I can incorporate my full size Echo to enhance the bass , like is a sub woofer. Does it rattle the windows ? No. Does it sound very nice ? YesAbout this particular Dot .I got black because of where it'll be located so it would basically disappear but if you're not trying to hide one the other colors are really nice as well. The white isn't bright white but isn't bordering cream either. I really liked the sky blue color of my first one (until I discovered a black Sharpie worked well to make it black while not blocking out the clock ) so it's a nice way to go as well. My last full size Echo was the blue and it is a nice color choice for just about any color scheme room , unlike the white and black that can really become an unwanted drawing of the eyes point but I digress.The buttons on the unit are easy to find and work well . Set up was darn near automatic , much much better than Echo devices just a year ago.The volume can easily fill a room by itself but at a cost of sound quality if its trying to do things by itself. For a large room a big brother Echo will have a lot more oomph and punch whether music or vocal . This Dot will work but sound cheap and Tinny at higher volumes . The 3rd gen Dot doesn't get as loud as this one but was really a little too much in my daughters bedroom when she set it above 5 (50% volume ) . For that size room the 2nd gen Dot was just right. She has a smaller (15'x 15' ) room by far than my 28'x30' den .This one , just like the other 4th gen devices have the microphones near the volume buttons and work very well unless trying to compete with my sound bar they sit on top of . Then they just ignore my attempts to talk with Alexa. At that point I can just talk to the full size Echo by my sofa (across the room ) . You ask any smart device to discern my voice from a tv voice when the tv is inches away and I'm yards away isn't fair so I won't give it a knock but when the sound bar isn't on the Dot can hear me easily even if I speak just above a whisper and the one closest to my den door can hear commands when I first enter the house so by the time I get to the den my lights are lit and I can have music playing if I so choose . Alexa software has really come a long way in 2020 from clunky and not able to discern me from my dog to being able to understand what my 4 year old granddaughter is trying to get to happen and myself practically having a 2 way conversation with it.Catching it on sale and using the interest free 5 payment plan made this one an easy choice that is very budget friendly. The only Echo device cheaper is the Flex but I'd recommend that one only for using Alexa features and routines. The sound and volume on it are not room filling and rich at all . Fine for voice searches and such but not so much even for audio books. For that the Dot more than suffices .If I had to choose 1 Echo device and only 1 it'd be a Dot for it's value and usability . Since I could choose more than 1 ,my most used is the full size 4th gen Echo but I really like the new Dots shape , sound quality , light bar on the bottom , button user friendliness and color choices .If you want a great value , don't need a clock and oomph in your music /audio books listening isn't a must you can't go wrong with this one unless you don't like a device the size of a baseball sitting on your furniture or shelf .

I love this little Echo Dot! The sound is surprisingly good for how small it is, and the round design looks great on my shelf. Alexa hears me even when music's playing, which is awesome. It's perfect for setting timers, checking the weather, or just playing my favorite playlist.

My echo says its busy and try a little bit later whats the issue

PROS:+ Faster response than my older Dots+ Better microphone than my older Dots+ Sound quality as good or better than my older Dots+ I love using these for streaming music and control my Kasa products+ I like the available emergency features (more on this in my review)CONS:- The lights on the bottom are hard to see from a distance- Amazon is starting to annoy me with new features I don't want- Using these as intercoms has never worked for me. The sound quality (volume) has always been too low to be usable- "dropping in" has never worked well either due to poor audio quality- I have never been able to create a group of these for multi-room audio because they can't handle enterprise grade wifi (where more than one WAP has the same SSID and uses multiple bands)- Privacy will always be a concern with these units. Who is listening?Review:I now have at least 15 dots. I have everything from the first generation to this latest 4th generation in use. I think for me, the 3rd gen devices are a better design. The lights on these 4th gen devices are on the bottom and are hard to see from across the room. On the 3rd gen the lights are on the top and much easier to see. Otherwise they are mostly the same at the moment. As time goes on the 3rd gen units will no doubt become slower by design just like my 1st and 2nd gen units are now.My primary uses are control of my smart switches (Kasa) and to listen to music (DeadLive skill). I also like the integration with my Weather station (Ambient Weather) and the ability to make announcements across all the devices (like when dinner is ready). I also find the unit in the kitchen gets used to set timers for everything all the time.Another use that is not immediately obvious is the use of these units for elder care. Let me explain how i have used them. I have an elderly mother who lives by herself. I purchased a Show and a Dot for her apartment and connected them to my account. The Show device is in her kitchen and the way I have it setup I can see the kitchen and her recliner from the built in camera. The Dot is in her bathroom. If she is not answering the phone or emails I can use the app on my phone to "drop in" on the Show unit and view the camera to see if she is in the kitchen or watching TV with her headphones on. Of course she knows about this setup and is OK with it. I can talk to her via the Show device or the Dot using the APP on my phone when I want to check to see if she is OK. Also, if she needs to contact me or 911 during an emergency she can do so with her devices. So if she were to slip in the bathroom or have a problem in the kitchen she can call 911 with the help of Alexa. It should also be noted that you must correctly set the physical address of the devices in the Alexa app if you want this to work as intended. I feel much better knowing that she has this system available to her. A friend of hers fell and broke a hip and was alone in her apartment for 3 days on the floor unable to get up before she finally remember she could call her daughter using the Alexa device she had. Doing so saved her life. That's what gave me the idea to set this up for my mom.Aside from the above, there is the issue of the new features being introduced by Amazon that are becoming more annoying. One example of this is the unit waking me up to ask me if I want to write a product review for something I purchased. That is just a terrible idea. If I want to write a review, I will do so on my own. I don't need Alexa waking me up on a Saturday morning asking me about it. Work on that Amazon.

I've been using the Echo Dot 4th Gen with Alexa for over two years now, and I can confidently say it's one of my best purchases. The sleek design in charcoal fits perfectly with my home decor, and the sound quality is surprisingly rich for such a compact speaker.Alexa has become my go-to for everything—from playing my favorite playlists and podcasts to providing quick updates on weather and news. The voice recognition is impressive, even when there’s background noise. I love how it seamlessly integrates with my smart home devices, allowing me to control lights and thermostats with just my voice.Setting up routines has made my daily life so much easier; waking up to gentle music and having my coffee maker turn on automatically is a game-changer. Plus, the added features like reminders and timers have streamlined my cooking and home management.Overall, the Echo Dot 4th Gen has exceeded my expectations. It’s reliable, functional, and has truly become an indispensable part of my daily routine. Highly recommend it to anyone considering a smart speaker!