- Table of Contents
- Intro
- Our Verdict
- Test Results
- Differences
- Compared To Others
- Deals
- Discussions
The Amazon Echo Gen 4 is a small, spherical speaker with built-in Alexa capabilities. You can activate Alexa using your voice, and the speaker can understand you even if you're far away or in a noisy environment. It also has a built-in Zigbee hub you can use to control compatible smart home devices like lightbulbs and thermostats across your home. While its default sound profile is a bit boomy and veiled, you can adjust its bass and treble levels using the adjustments in the Amazon Alexa app. There's also a mute microphone button, so you can control when the speaker is listening to you. Unfortunately, because it's powered by AC, it isn't suitable to bring outdoors.
Our Verdict
The Amazon Echo is passable for music. Out-of-the-box, its sound profile is a bit boomy, and higher frequencies sound veiled and dark. It also lacks low-bass, so you don't feel the deep thump in bass-heavy music genres. There are bass and treble adjustments to help you customize its sound to your liking, which is nice. However, this speaker can't get very loud, which can be disappointing.
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Bass and treble adjustments.
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Doesn't get very loud.
The Amazon Echo is sub-par for videos and movies. This speaker's sound profile is a bit boomy and dark, and it lacks low-bass, so you don't feel the deep rumble in action-packed scenes. It doesn't get very loud, either. On the upside, its latency with Android and iOS devices is low. Some apps compensate for latency, so your experience can vary.
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Bass and treble adjustments.
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Doesn't get very loud.
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Lacks low-bass.
The Amazon Echo is acceptable for podcasts. Its balanced mid-range can reproduce voices clearly, though speech in higher frequencies can sound a bit veiled. It doesn't get very loud either, and there are some compression artifacts present when you play it at max volume. On the upside, it has a Multi-Room feature, so you can pair two Echo speakers together and bring your podcast with you from one room to the next.
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Bass and treble adjustments.
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Doesn't get very loud.
The Amazon Echo is amazing for voice assistant support. It has built-in Amazon Alexa capabilities, which you can activate using your voice. The speaker can understand you even if you aren't very close to it or in a noisy environment. You can also mute the microphone when you don't want it to hear you, and there's a built-in Zigbee hub you can use to control compatible smart home devices like lightbulbs and thermostats across your home.
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Built-in Alexa support.
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Mic mute button.
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Doesn't get very loud.
The Amazon Echo has to be plugged into an outlet to work, so it isn't suitable for outdoor use.
- 6.8 Music
- 6.1 Videos/Movies
- 6.3 Podcasts
- 8.8 Voice Assistant
- 5.2 Outdoors
- Updated Feb 09, 2022: Updated the text to provide information regarding Dolby Audio.
- Updated Mar 01, 2021: Updated Stereo from 'No' to 'Yes'.
- Updated Jan 18, 2021: Review published.
- Updated Jan 13, 2021: Early access published.
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Test Results
The Amazon Echo is a small speaker with a distinctive spherical design. It looks very similar to the Amazon Echo Dot Gen 4, but it's a bit bigger. It sits on its base, and there's a ring of light that surrounds the base of the speaker. The lights activate with voice commands, volume adjustments, and when you turn the microphone off. However, it doesn't flash when you play music, and you can't control the colors it displays.
This speaker has inadequate portability. It's small, and you can carry it with one hand, which is nice. However, it's powered by AC, so you have to plug it into a wall outlet for it to work. As a result, it can't be brought outdoors as easily as battery-powered speakers like the Bose SoundLink Micro.
The build quality is unremarkable. The speaker feels solid, and the fabric that wraps around it is tight and doesn't seem like it could rip easily. However, it doesn't have an advertised IP rating for dust or water resistance, so you should be careful if you plan to use it around water.
The controls are mediocre. On the top of the speaker, four physical buttons let you control the volume, mute the microphone, and activate Alexa without using the wake word 'Alexa'. You can also hold down the 'Action' button for 25 seconds to reset the speaker, or you can press it to silence an alarm. You can also tap the front of the speaker to snooze an alarm. When the microphone is muted, the base of the speaker and the mute button both shine red.
The Amazon Echo has fair frequency response accuracy. Its sound profile is a bit boomy but also dark. Like many small speakers, it struggles to reproduce low-bass, so you don't feel the deep thump in bass-heavy genres like EDM. However, its balanced mid-range can reproduce vocal-centric content clearly, though higher-pitched speech can sound a bit veiled. You can use the bass and treble adjustments in the Amazon Alexa app to help customize its sound to your liking.
Note: This speaker comes with Dolby Audio built-in , which tunes and enhances your audio. This feature can't be enabled or disabled and is different from Dolby Atmos, which is supported by the Amazon Echo Studio.
Update 03/01/2021: Thanks to user feedback, we discovered that this speaker does support stereo content.
The soundstage is very good. It plays stereo content, and its directivity is decent. However, its soundstage isn't perceived to be as open and spacious as some of the other speakers we've tested, like the Apple HomePod.
The Amazon Echo has middling dynamics. It doesn't get very loud, and there's some compression present when you play it at max volume. It may not be ideal to use at parties or in large rooms.
The Amazon Echo doesn't have a battery, so you have to plug it into a wall socket to get it to work. According to the manufacturer, it enters Low Power Mode when it's idle to help reduce its energy consumption.
This speaker has exceptional voice assistant support. It has built-in Amazon Alexa capabilities, which you can activate using your voice. The speaker can understand you, even if you're far away or in a noisy setting. You can even mute the mic when you don't want the speaker to hear you.
The Amazon Alexa app is fantastic. There are bass and treble adjustments so you can customize its sound to your liking. You can pair two Echo speakers to create a stereo pair, which helps create a larger soundstage. Also, the Party Mode and Multi-Room features let you connect multiple speakers to play music across a large area or through multiple rooms in your house.
This speaker has a 3.5mm AUX port, which you can use to wire your smartphone directly to it to play audio.
The Amazon Echo 4th Gen has good Bluetooth connectivity. While you can only pair it with one device at a time, it has low latency with iOS devices. Its latency with Android devices is even lower, making it suitable for watching videos and movies. Some apps compensate for latency, so your real-world experience can vary.
This speaker is Wi-Fi compatible. However, it doesn't support Apple AirPlay or Google Chromecast connectivity, which can be disappointing for some users.
Differences Between Sizes And Variants
The Amazon Echo 4 comes in several different color variants: 'Glacier White', 'Twilight Blue', 'Charcoal', and a special edition in collaboration with the global health charity 'PRODUCT(RED)'. We tested the 'Twilight Blue' variant, and you can see the label for the model we tested here. We expect other color variants to perform similarly.
We also tested the 4th Generation version of this speaker, which has a new spherical design and an additional tweeter compared to the 3rd Generation.
If you come across another version, let us know in the discussions.
Compared To Other Speakers
The Amazon Echo is a small speaker with built-in voice assistant capabilities. It has a similar design to the budget-friendly Amazon Echo Dot Gen 4, but it has a better-balanced sound profile and a more extended low-bass for listening to music and watching videos. You can activate Alexa using your voice, and the speaker does an excellent job picking up your voice, even if you're far away or in a noisy setting. Like the Amazon Echo Studio, there's a built-in Zigbee hub you can use to control compatible smart home devices like lightbulbs and thermostats across your home. However, like many small speakers, it doesn't get very loud.
The Amazon Echo Gen 4 is a better voice assistant speaker than the Apple HomePod mini. The Amazon has a better ambient noise performance, so it can understand you more clearly in noisy settings. It also comes with a mic mute button and bass and treble adjustments to customize its sound.
The Amazon Echo Gen 2 is a better speaker than the JBL Charge 5. The Amazon offers outstanding voice assistant support with Alexa built-in. It can play stereo content without downmixing it to mono and comes with bass and treble adjustments you can use to tweak its sound to your liking. That said, the JBL is battery-powered, so you can easily carry it around with you without needing to keep it plugged into a power source. It's also well-built with an IP67 rating for dust and water resistance, so you don't have to worry about it getting a bit wet or dirty when taking it outdoors with you.
The Amazon Echo Gen 4 and the Amazon Echo Dot Gen 4 are both excellent voice assistant speakers; however, the Echo is a better choice for listening to music. The Echo has a better-balanced sound profile out-of-the-box, and it can reproduce a more extended low-bass. Also, it gets louder, though it has some more compression at max volume. It's a bit bigger than the Echo Dot, too.
The Amazon Echo Studio and the Amazon Echo Gen 4 are similar speakers. These two smart speakers come with Alexa built-in. They also come with Zigbee hubs built-in to connect and control smart home devices like lightbulbs or thermostats via Alexa. However, the Studio can get louder with less compression at max volume, resulting in cleaner audio at louder volumes. It also supports Dolby Atmos content, which may please some movie fans. That said, the Gen 4 does a significantly better job of registering your commands in noisier environments.
The Amazon Echo Gen 4 and the Google Nest Audio have very similar performances, but the Amazon is a better choice for voice assistants. The Amazon does a better job understanding your voice in noisy environments, and it also has lower latency with iOS and Android devices over a Bluetooth connection. However, the Google supports Google Chromecast, unlike the Amazon.
The Apple HomePod and the Amazon Echo Gen 4 are both excellent speakers for voice assistants, but the Apple is more versatile overall. Out-of-the-box, the Apple has a more balanced sound profile, and it has a better soundstage. It supports Apple AirPlay, while the Amazon supports Bluetooth. Also, the Amazon comes with a mic mute button, unlike the Apple, and it offers bass and treble adjustments so you can customize its sound. That said, the Apple may be harder to find in new condition since it's been discontinued.
The Amazon Echo Gen 2 is a bit better than the Sonos One Gen 2. The Amazon is a Bluetooth speaker that can play stereo content without downmixing it to mono, resulting in a more immersive soundstage. It also comes with Alexa built-in and does an excellent job of understanding your commands from far away and in noisier settings. That said, the Sonos comes with Alexa as well as Google Assistant, though it struggles to register your commands in noisier environments. While you can't use Bluetooth or Chromecast to stream your audio to the speaker, it supports Apple AirPlay.
The Anker Soundcore Motion+ is a better speaker than the Amazon Echo Gen 4 for most uses. The Anker is far more portable than the Amazon since the Amazon needs to be plugged into an outlet to be used. While the Amazon has bass and treble adjustments through its companion app, the Anker has a graphic EQ, which gives you greater control over the speaker's sound profile. However, the Amazon performs far better as a voice assistant, as it has Alexa built-in.
The Sonos Move is a better speaker overall than the Amazon Echo Gen 4. The Sonos is better built, and because it can be battery-operated, it's suitable to use outdoors. Also, its default sound profile is better-balanced, and it can get louder. However, the Amazon is a bit better for voice assistants, as it can understand your voice commands better in noisy environments.
The Amazon Echo Gen 2 is a better speaker than the Google Nest Mini. The Amazon can produce a much more extended low-bass than the Google and can play stereo content without downmixing it to mono, resulting in a more immersive soundstage. It offers outstanding voice assistant support with Alexa built-in and can easily understand you from far and in noisier rooms. The Google comes with Google Assistant built-in and supports Chromecast, though it has high latency over this connection.
The Amazon Echo Gen 4 is a better speaker than the Klipsch The One II overall. The Amazon speaker offers outstanding voice assistant support with Alexa built-in. It has better directivity, resulting in a wider-sounding soundstage. It also features bass and treble adjustments to customize its sound to your liking. That said, the Klipsch can get louder than the Amazon speaker and has lower Bluetooth Latency with iOS and Android devices.