The Independent's journalism is supported by our readers. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn commission. Why trust us?

The Amazon Echo Spot is back for 2024, but is it better than the Echo Dot?

The smart alarm clock has returned with beefed up audio and a better display

Alex Lee
Tech writer
Monday 19 August 2024 12:53 BST
Amazon has removed the controversial camera for its re-released Echo Spot
Amazon has removed the controversial camera for its re-released Echo Spot (The Independent )

We shed a few tears when Amazon discontinued the Echo Spot in 2019. The weird little smart alarm clock may have been a little problematic, but the Echo Dot with Clock was never quite the Echo Spot replacement we wanted. While the Echo Spot received mass complaints of flickering screens, and customers quibbled about its unnecessary low-res camera, it still had its place.

Now, it’s back with a vengeance. In July, the ecommerce giant re-launched a new and improved Amazon Echo Spot, complete with better sound and – yes – no invasive camera.

The 2024 Echo Spot essentially pulls together the best bits of an Echo Show 5 and an Echo Dot with Clock, sitting in between the two devices in terms of form and functionality.

The new smart speaker is also £40 cheaper than the original model, costing £79.99. So how good is it? And where does it fit in the home? We’ve taken the latest Echo Spot for a spin to see how well it stacks up.

How we tested

(Alex Lee/The Independent)

We’ve put aside our Echo Dot with Clock and replaced it with the all-new Echo Spot, testing the miniature smart speaker with its bright LED display. We’ve moved it from room to room, tried it in different positions, tested out its features, the little animations, music and sound quality and the strength of the microphone.

Was it easy to use? Did it sound good? And how good is that new display? We’ve put it through its paces – these are our thoughts.

Amazon Echo Spot smart alarm clock

echo spot review
  • Dimensions : 10.41 x 9.65 x 9.14cm
  • Weight : 419g
  • Release year : 2024
  • Why we love it
    • Good amount of microphones
    • Decent sound
  • Take note
    • No indoor temperature sensor

The all-new Amazon Echo Spot kind of looks like the cheapest Echo in the range (the Echo Pop), but slightly chunkier and heavier, and with a screen that takes up roughly three-quarters of the top. It looks better-built than the Echo Pop, however, feeling stronger and sturdier.

While the 2.83in screen looks like a semicircle, it’s actually rectangular with a bezel that just makes it look like a semicircle – clever. It comes in three different colours – black, white and blue, but you can personalise the screen to an extent. The options are limited and don’t all look vastly different from each other, and it’s a shame there aren’t more. We’d love to be able to upload our own clock faces or have a wider variety of colours.

If you swipe down from the top of the screen and head to the settings, you can choose from six different clock faces and six colour themes. They all look broadly the same, but I liked the one with the little weather icon the most. We were able to set up a routine so that the screen gradually lit up when our alarm was about to go off in the morning, similar to a sunrise alarm clock.

It’s responsive and shows just enough information when you’re having a quick glance to check the time, ask about the weather or calendar events. When you ask for the weather, Alexa will bring up the right information at the right time. When it’s telling you the temperature, it will show the exact degrees, with a nice little pictogram of the weather (sun, in our case), and rotating to a visual indicator of the highest temperature and lowest temperature. Think of it as someone talking you through a quick weather report, with imagery that goes with it.

When we’re playing music, it shows the artist and song, as well as the album cover, and lets us pause, skip and go back a song using the touch screen display. Want to turn on your smart lights? Ask Alexa and it will bring up a light switch that you can toggle on and off on the display. It’s pretty seamless.

Like the Echo Pop, it features a slanting fabricated speaker-front and a plastic rear. Unlike the Echo Dot, however, it’s directional, and is designed to be placed in a corner or beside a wall so that you can view the screen. It does sound better than the Echo Pop, however, featuring the same 1.73in speaker as the 5th-generation Echo Dot.

There’s a good amount of bass, and it gets loud without rattling the speaker on the inside. Decent audio, with strong vocals, we still prefer the audio on the slightly more expensive 4th-generation base Echo, but it’s good for its size. We enjoyed that it had four microphones instead of three as well because it meant not having to shout across the room to get it to listen to us.

There are three physical buttons that turn off the microphone and adjust volume. While it can’t make video calls anymore, we found it a pretty useless feature on the old model anyway, given it had such a diminutive size. Working with Alexa, we were able to to set alarms, ask inane questions and program routines. It was snappy and fast, with no waiting in between responses. We could drop in on other Alexa devices and make audio calls, too.

The only thing the Echo Spot is missing is a temperature sensor, which the Echo Dot has. It’s mainly useful if you want to connect your smart home to your Alexa, so that it can turn on the fan or the radiator if your indoor temperature reaches a certain number.

Back to top

The verdict: Echo Spot

The Echo Spot straddles the line between an Echo Dot and an Echo Show. Featuring a bright, animated display, it makes it really easy to see things like the weather, time and songs at a glance. Customisable and quick to answer questions, it’s a nifty little alarm clock that looks smart and has decent sound quality. It is £20 more expensive than the Echo Dot, however, so if you don’t feel like you need a display (though it’s genuinely nice not having to use your voice to view the time), then the cheaper Dot might be a better purchase. Overall, we’re just glad the Spot’s back. The Echo Show sometimes feels a little cluttered, and the Spot feels nice and pared back in comparison.

Looking for more recommendations? Read our guide to the best Amazon Echo smart speakers for 2024

Voucher Codes

TUI Discount Code
TUI Discount Code
£250 off a 7 night stay with the deal of the week - TUI discount code
ASOS Discount Code
ASOS Discount Code
10% off first orders £20+ using this ASOS promo code
Travelodge Discount Code
Travelodge Discount Code
5% off bookings with this Travelodge discount code
The Body Shop Discount Code
The Body Shop Discount Code
Save 20% on orders with The Body Shop discount code
The Perfume Shop Discount Code
The Perfume Shop Discount Code
Save 15% on everything with birthday orders at The Perfume Shop - Member exclusive
Cult Beauty Discount Code
Cult Beauty Discount Code
Get 15% off + Extra 5% on select products with this Cult Beauty voucher code

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in