Amazon Echo Dot (2022) Review: Well Rounded Small Speaker

Amazon Echo Dot (2022) in a nutshell

The smallest Amazon Echo Speaker is already in its 5th generation and is the most popular smart speaker with Alexa voice control. Not only it is the cheapest option in its segment with a recommended retail price (MSRP) of just under $50 ($60 with clock), it is occasionally offered at greatly reduced prices. Making the Wi-Fi and Bluetooth speaker the ideal entry into the smart home world.

With the latest update to the 5th generation (2022), the online retailer has made some improvements under the hood but also made some incomprehensible savings, such as removing the analog audio jack. Even though the sound quality is quite impressive considering its size, we cannot recommend the light ball for full-fledged music enjoyment. Other Amazon Echo products are more suitable for this.

Nevertheless, the Amazon Echo Dot is absolutely worth recommending as a smart home control center with Alexa voice control or as a secondary sound system during one of its many sales (sometimes cheaper than $30). The Echo Dot comes to you in a choice of fabric colors anthracite, white, or deep sea blue, and comes with a 15 W power supply unit.

Design & Setup

The Amazon Echo Dot is now in its fifth generation. Since the fourth generation, it has mutated from a flat housing design to a sphere, which clearly benefits the forward-radiating sound. With dimensions of 100 x 100 x 89 mm and a weight of 340 g, it has remained almost identical to its predecessor. But there are differences.

Pros:

• Small, round, and stylish.
• Easy to set up for the first time.

Cons:

In my opinion, the disadvantage is directly noticeable on the back: The online retailer has robbed the Echo Dot of its only port. While the fourth generation still had a 3.5 mm analog audio jack socket next to the power connection, the fifth generation has to make do without it. There is also no alternative in the form of a USB or other connection.

In addition to the multicolored LED light ring at the bottom, there are four buttons on the top for adjusting the volume and activating or deactivating the microphone. Furthermore, the latest Echo Dot can pause music, end calls or set the alarm clock to snooze mode by tapping on the housing. The remaining differences are noticeable in non-visible things, such as a larger speaker. But more on that later.

The Amazon Echo Dot can connect to the outside world via 2.4 or 5 GHz Wi-Fi (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac) and Bluetooth (A2DP & AVRCP). If you have your Wi-Fi password and Amazon account details ready, the initial setup takes just 5 minutes and is very straightforward.

Service and entertainment

Like its colleagues in the Echo family, the smallest Echo from Amazon is characterized by the same Alexa voice control and speaker functions-just without a display. This of course severely restricts operation. On the other hand, Echo display usage has always been rather unsatisfactory.

Pros:

• Amazon Kids.
• Responds quickly.
• Alexa voice control.
• Doesn’t sound too bad.
• Does exactly what you expect it to do.

Cons:

• Little bass.
• No display.
• No camera.

Let’s not kid ourselves: The Amazon Echo Dot (2022) is the smallest Amazon speaker in the Echo family. As a result, it does not offer the same range of features as the much larger devices, such as the Amazon Echo Show 8 reviewed in 2023. There is no display and, as a result, no camera for a drop-in. This means you don’t need to worry about the little ones watching Netflix movies or YouTube videos. Only a podcast or music from Apple Music, Spotify, Deezer, or Amazon Music are possible.

And this not only works with a second compatible Echo in stereo but also multi-room, which means simultaneous sound in all rooms. And even though the speaker has grown from 41 to 44 mm in diameter, the differences only become clear when you compare them directly. The contrast with the flat design compared to a sphere was much greater.

Despite its almost maximum 90 dB, the Echo Dot cannot be used as a party sound machine. It simply lacks the bass for that. However, the Echo Sub (review) provides powerful bass support.

The option of a control center for your smart home also disappears, at least haptically and visually. Well, it remains to be seen whether this is really a disadvantage. The fact remains that it limits the range of functions of the Echo Dot immensely, and you need to be aware of this when buying it.

What is possible—and quite quickly thanks to the new processor—is communication with Alexa. Speaking of which…

I don’t want to forget to mention the new “Amazon Kids” function. If the Dot is in the children’s room, for example, you can set child-friendly restrictions via the Amazon app.

Sensors and connectivity

The 5th generation of the Amazon Echo Dot also connects to your Wi-Fi in the 2.4 and 5 GHz networks. You can also connect via Bluetooth, which makes the Dot very versatile, especially when used as a typical BT speaker. The 2022 model also offers connectivity with Matter, Thread, and Zigbee-enabled devices.

Pros:

• Matter, Thread and Matter compatible.
• Temperature-dependent routines.

Cons:

• Not to be used as a control center.

However, the Echo Dot can neither be used as a Thread border router nor as a Matter hub. The company only introduced the Amazon Echo Hub, which we have just reviewed, this week. Nevertheless, it works with the standards mentioned without any problems so that you can control all your compatible devices such as lamps, sockets, thermostats, and other devices by voice.

Speaking of thermostats: The Amazon Echo Dot (2022) has a proximity and temperature sensor built in. So while temperature-dependent Alexa routines can control your radiator valves completely independently, the Echo Dot uses ultrasound technology to detect whether a person is approaching it.

Time-based routines, such as turning lights on or off, could also be used here. However, this did not work as reliably in our test. For the sake of completeness, I would also like to mention the built-in acceleration sensor, which processes tapping gestures. However, this function can also be switched off via the Alexa app.

Final verdict

The 5th generation Amazon Echo Dot is the best introduction to the world of Alexa voice control and smart Wi-Fi and Bluetooth speakers. However, we recommend waiting for the many sales it goes through the year. That’s when you can grab the small sound sphere for between 20 and 30 bucks instead of the regular $50—or $60 with a white LED clock.

The sound has improved from generation to generation. Nevertheless, general expectations of a 44 mm speaker should not be too high. The 10-centimeter sphere is perfectly adequate for background music in the bedroom or bathroom. This is where the Echo Dot comes up trumps with its multiroom function. On request, Alexa can read out recipes in the kitchen or answer everyday questions quickly and reliably.

In general, the smart speaker with Alexa can be used wonderfully for voice control of your smart home products such as Hue lamps, thermostats, or to call up your Spotify playlist. The Dot is also ideal as an extension to existing Echo products thanks to its Matter compatibility.

What we find incomprehensible is the omission of the analog audio jack socket, which the visually identical-looking 4th generation still had. On the other hand, the speaker is smaller and the touch gesture control and temperature sensor are welcome upgrades over its predecessor.

What do you think of the smallest Echo? Feel free to write your opinion down in the comments and let’s discuss.