Amazon Echo Spot (2024) review

We’ve come to expect a new Amazon Echo pretty much speaker every year. This year’s entry: a new Echo Spot. Does the latest addition to the Amazon smart speaker lineup have anything new to add? We put the speaker through its paces in this SoundGuys review of the Amazon Echo Spot (2024).

Editor’s note: this is the first version of the article. Updates will follow as the market changes.

What I like about the Amazon Echo Spot (2024)

The new Echo Spot slots into the Amazon Echo lineup in between the Echo Dot (5th Gen) and Echo Show (3rd Gen). That said, it actually shares a form factor with the much smaller and cheaper Echo Pop. In many ways, this is Amazon combining features of all of its Echo products into one. This makes the Echo Spot a jack of all trades, but master of none.

I found it best to consider the Echo Spot as a feature-heavy alarm clock. Its small design fits easily on a bookshelf or bedside table, and its minimalist look means it’s not an eyesore. You can select from three color options: Black, Glacier White, and Ocean Blue. You can also customize the clock on the display to your aesthetic of choice.

The 1.73-inch front firing speaker is loud enough for a small bedroom or office, but you’ll notice the sound quality distorts and deteriorates if you try to push the speaker beyond 50% volume. For its size, it has an impressive amount of bass. I was pleasantly surprised by the low-end output when listening to “Bad Guy” by Billie Eilish on the Echo Spot.

Of course, the Echo Spot has all of the Alexa functionality that you would expect from an Echo speaker. You can set up routines and automations with other smart devices in your house, have it read out your calendar events, or add things to your shopping list (among a plethora of other features).

What I don’t like about the Echo Spot

Beyond the clock, I found the display pretty much useless. You really can’t use a 2.8-inch display for much, and Amazon didn’t even bother putting any app support into the Echo Spot. You can’t stream any kind of video content. Besides the time, the display will show you the weather, and it has a fun graphic while you play music. That’s it.

The sound quality is tenable, but you can get much better for less. By sacrificing the display you can get much better sound quality with the Echo Dot, and even save some money along the way. In addition to distortion at loud volumes, I found the Echo Spot severely underemphasizes all high-frequency sounds such as cymbals. You can use an EQ in the Alexa app to boost the treble, which helps, but you can find much better speakers for less than $100. For example, Apple users are much better off with the Apple HomePod Mini.

In the age of ChatGPT, Gemini, and Apple Intelligence, Alexa doesn’t have the same appeal as it used to. Alexa will read out your calendar schedule and notifications, and you can give it simple commands like to play music, but that’s about it. You aren’t going to have any sort of sophisticated conversation with Alexa, at least in its current form.

Unlike the original Echo Spot, this version also doesn’t have a camera. This means you can’t use the Echo Spot for taking video calls.

Should you buy the Amazon Echo Spot (2024)?

The Echo Spot is nice to have, but you certainly do not need to buy it. If you want a fun alarm clock to add to your bedroom, the Echo Spot will do the trick. If you don’t need a visual clock, save your money and just buy the Echo Pop, $17.99 at Amazon. If you do want to see the time, you should get an Echo Dot with a built-in clock display, $49 at Amazon.

Ultimately, the Echo Spot tries to cram both a display and speaker into a small package. The end result is unsurprising – it doesn’t excel as either.

Amazon Echo Spot review: FAQs