Amazon Echo Dot (4th Gen)

Aside from its new spherical design, the second-generation Echo Dot with Clock doesn’t veer far from the original’s winning formula.

If the new shape is a road block for how you plan to use the Dot, I’d recommend picking up the older model before it fully sells out. For everyone else, the new Echo Dot is the budget smart speaker to get.

The 2020 Echo Dot is likely to find favour with those who want a compact speaker for a small space. Acoustically, it's now better suited than previous Echo Dot devices, so it functions better as a standalone speaker for music. At the same time, the experience is much the same as it was before, but in a package that's less discreet.

The entry-level Echo Dot is great value and Alexa is more responsive than on the previous generation.

With its new spherical design, the Amazon Echo Dot (4th Generation) is a far more interesting-looking product than the old model, better able to slip into your home without standing out for the wrong reasons. While there's nothing new about what Alexa can do on this model, Amazon has boosted the audio quality so the occasional bit of music is pretty good and voice replies are really easy to understand. If you've got the previous model there's little reason to upgrade, but for those looking for a new small smart speaker, this is the model to buy.

The fourth-generation Echo Dot speaker doesn't offer particularly impressive sound quality, but for $50, it's still the best basic gateway to Amazon's Alexa voice assistant.

The Amazon Echo Dot is one again the best smart speaker for less than $50, but the $60 Echo Dot with Clock is the better value.