AI Life / Assistants / Smart Speakers
Amazon’s Echo line is the cheapest way into a voice-controlled home, and the 2025 refresh rebuilt it around Alexa+, Amazon’s generative AI assistant. The standard Echo is retired. In its place are the Echo Dot Max and a smaller, rounder Echo Studio, both built on new Amazon chips. I have Echo speakers, and my short verdict on Alexa is “not very useful.”
How to use it: setup, how the AI works and what it works with, in How to use Amazon Echo .
The rating above is mine. The specs and test results below come from the maker and independent reviews, linked under the table. More picks are on the Smart Speakers hub .
Key specs
| Amazon Echo | |
|---|---|
| Lineup | Echo Dot, Echo Dot Max, Echo Studio (2nd gen), Echo Show displays |
| Echo Dot Max audio | Two-way: 2.5 inch woofer, 0.8 inch tweeter |
| Echo Studio audio | 3.75 inch woofer, three 1.5 inch full-range drivers, Dolby Atmos, 50 W amp |
| Chips | AZ3 (Dot Max), AZ3 Pro (Studio, Show 8, Show 11) |
| Wireless | Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3, Amazon Sidewalk |
| Smart home | Matter, Thread and Zigbee hub |
| Sensors | Ambient light, temperature, ultrasonic, Wi-Fi radar (Dot Max) |
| Assistant | Alexa+ included with new Echo devices (US) |
Sources: Amazon , PCMag , The Verge, Echo Studio , The Verge, Dot Max , WIRED .
What reviewers like
- Sound for the size. WIRED found the new Studio almost insanely loud for a 6 inch orb, and PCMag gave the Dot Max its Editors’ Choice as the best all-around smart speaker.
- It is a real smart home hub. Matter, Thread and Zigbee are built in, so many bulbs, plugs and sensors pair without a separate bridge.
- Alexa+ comes with a new Echo, so there is no waitlist, per Amazon.
What to watch for
- The assistant. The Verge calls Alexa+ something of a letdown on an otherwise superior speaker, and WIRED saw no big speed gain from the new chips.
- Privacy. The Dot Max adds ultrasonic and Wi-Fi radar presence sensing. Useful for automations, and one more thing listening in your house.
- The new Studio is smaller than the original, with fewer drivers and a much smaller amp, per The Verge.
Who should buy it
Buy an Echo if you want cheap, good-sounding speakers in many rooms and a hub for Zigbee or Matter gear, and you are comfortable with Amazon’s data model. Skip it if the reason you want a smart speaker is the assistant itself, or if an always-listening Amazon device bothers you. That is exactly where I landed.
Why I rate it a 3
My verdict is short: “not very useful,” and Alexa feels creepy to me. Reviewers mostly praise the new hardware, so the 3 is about the assistant, not the speakers. Amazon keeps adding sensors and conversation memory, which is exactly the direction that makes it feel creepier to me. That is a personal reaction, and I put it front and center because it is the reason for the rating.
Which Echo to look at
- Echo Dot. The cheapest way to put Alexa in a room. Fine for timers, weather and a kitchen radio.
- Echo Dot Max. The new middle of the line. Amazon claims nearly 3x the bass of the 5th gen Dot, and reviewers agree it fills a room.
- Echo Studio (2nd gen). The one to get if music matters. Spatial audio and Dolby Atmos, in a body 40 percent smaller than the original, per Amazon.
- Echo Show. If you want a screen, see the smart display hub instead.
Alexa+ in plain terms
Alexa+ is Amazon’s rebuilt assistant. It is more conversational, can handle multi-step requests and ties into services like reservations and your family calendar, per Amazon. It is US-only for now. Amazon’s terms for Alexa+ outside Prime can change, so read the current plan page before you assume it is free long term.
Privacy settings worth changing
Open the Alexa app, go to Alexa Privacy, and review voice recording history and the presence-sensing options. Use the physical mic-off button in rooms where you do not want it listening. If those steps feel like too much, that is a signal; the best smart speaker for privacy guide covers options that ask less of you.
Listening on a smart speaker? Amazon offers an Audible free trial for audiobooks; check Amazon for the current terms.
Is the Amazon Echo on sale for Black Friday?
It is one of the products I am watching this season. I do not list sale prices here because they change by the hour and differ by color, bundle and store. Compare against the price you see in the weeks before the sale, and check whether a bundle adds things you will not use.
Our take
Mike’s rating is 3/5: good speakers for the money, with an assistant he finds not very useful and creepy. If sound and a cheap Zigbee or Matter hub are what you want, the Dot Max is a fine buy. If you want a better assistant, look elsewhere.
Check today’s price before you buy: See the Amazon Echo on Amazon .
Compare
See Sonos vs HomePod vs Echo vs Nest , or browse the Black Friday smart home and smart speaker deals .