10 best Amazon Echo smart speakers 2024: Which Alexa device should you buy?

The Amazon Echo fourth-generation is the best all-round smart speaker. It’s not too big, not too small, has excellent sound and isn’t too expensive. It’s the first base Echo to change shape from its cylindrical forebears, taking on a more rounded spherical (and arguably more stylish) design, similar to the Echo Dot.

Our music on the Echo 4th gen sounded rich, detailed and oh, could it get loud. Featuring a 32.2mm driver unit and a neodymium magnet which helped really propel the bass in our favourite tracks. It supports lossless audio from Amazon Music HD and Tidal. It does only have one microphone, and sometimes struggled to pick up our voice from a considerable distance across the room.

The fourth-generation also has a built-in smart hub, so you can control Zigbee smart devices from the smart speaker without having to create a separate smart home skill or connect a separate smart hub. We were able to set up personalised voice recognition for each family member as well, and Alexa skills worked a dream.

Who should buy it?

Despite there being several flavours of Amazon Echo smart speaker, the original is still the best for most people in terms of sound, size, price and smarts. Now on its fourth generation, the base Amazon Echo sits neatly in every room, giving you Alexa without having to over-spend for a screen. The closest comparison would be the Echo Dot 5th gen (£54.99, Amazon.co.uk), which has smaller speakers and doesn’t have a Zigbee smart hub inside. You won’t be able to glance at it and see the time, however.

Cheap and cheerful. The Amazon Echo Dot is the baby in the Amazon Echo range, but don’t be deceived by its diminutive, spherical and slightly squat size – this speaker Alexifies every room in your home on a budget, while still delivering decent sound and good smarts.

In fact, the fifth-generation smart speaker has even better sound than all the Echo Dots that have come before it (a mean feat given how hard it is to eek good sound out of a small device). The sound still isn’t as good as it is on the base Echo 4th gen (£109.99, Amazon.co.uk) above, but the bass is noticeably thumpier in comparison to the previous Echo Dot. We also appreciate that the top of the speaker has tap functionality, so we can snooze our alarm in the morning without having to mumble “Alexa, snooze” whilst half-asleep.

There’s also a neat new indoor temperature sensor inside the latest Echo Dot, meaning it could turn on smart home devices by sensing the temperature inside our home. We were able to programme a routine so that it turned on the heater when it got too cold, for example. Pretty nifty.

And, although Amazon put an Eero wifi extender into the Echo Dot 5th generation, it seems like this is a US-only feature, though it’s unclear why. It makes the smart speaker a little less appealing to those in the UK, who miss out on a game-changing feature for those with spotty internet connection.

Who should buy it?

Need a cheap and small Alexa device that can be placed anywhere in your home and still deliver weather reports, set timers, play music, podcasts and the news? This is the Echo for you. Frequently on sale, it has even more functionality than before, with its temperature sensor, tap functionality and improved sound. That said, the sound isn’t excellent, so if you do want your tunes to pop, we’d opt for the Amazon Echo Studio (£219.99, Amazon.co.uk) or the fourth-generation base Amazon Echo.

The Amazon Echo Show 8 is Amazon’s do-it-all smart display. The third-generation model was released at the end of 2023, giving the mid-range speaker a more more modern design, a better speaker, and it’s faster than ever before.

It boasts a bright 8in LCD ambient-sensing display that adjusts the brightness to our environment. Like all Echo Show devices, it’s touch-enabled, so you can control it via the screen or your voice, and that display is finally edge-to-edge, so it looks super slick. What’s really neat is that it features a visual ID feature that makes it more personalised to each household member, and the screen changes depending on who is looking at it.

Adaptive content is also a really nice addition. It changes what’s on screen depending on how close you are to the display. If you’re further away, the icons and text are bigger, and when you get close, it provides more detail. It features an upgraded octa-core processor, so runs more smoothly and snappily in comparison to the second-generation model, though has the same 13MP camera.

The good thing about the camera is that it’s now centred in the middle of the device, rather than plonked in the corner. While it won’t pan and track you around the room like the Echo Show 10, it does frame you in the centre of the shot if you’re in the frame. We just wish it was a bit sharper.

And while it features the same 2in speaker system, the software improvements gave it a more room-filling sound profile over its predecessor. The audio is overall much clearer and louder than before. We love that we can watch YouTube videos and Amazon Prime Video, see our reminders at a glance, and if we wanted, turn it into a digital photo frame.

Who should buy it?

Want a decent-sized Amazon Echo with a screen? The Echo Show 8 is well-priced, has a good display and camera for video calls, and is faster and more powerful than ever. If you want a camera that can follow you 360 degrees or a screen that can tilt, you’ll want to go for the Show 10 (£219.99, Amazon.co.uk). Otherwise, the 8in model will suit most households, and living rooms especially. Plus, it now supports Zigbee, Matter and Thread, making it a real smart home hub.

Move over Sonos, the Amazon Echo Studio is here, and it’s going to give you some competition in the audio department. This speaker is big. It’s tall, imposing and commands attention. It’s honestly so big that we didn’t have much room on a side table for anything else but the device.

It features an upward-firing driver inside its mesh, giving our music a wider and taller soundstage in terms of height, and with support for 3D audio tracks, Dolby Atmos-enabled and Sony Reality 360 Audio-enabled tracks, it sounded just that much sweeter with its encompassing immersion. And, if we wanted to pair it to our Fire TV Stick to improve our TV’s audio, we could do that, too.

The Amazon Echo Studio sounds impressive thanks to its five-speaker array. Our music came across loud, often refined and spread well throughout the room. The level of bass is extraordinarily – some would say excessively – good. It is occasionally overpowering when it comes to less bass-heavy tracks, so that’s something to be aware of, but with seven microphones, the Echo Studio always heard us, wherever we were in the room.

It’s a great speaker, works with Amazon Music, Apple Music, Spotify, and Deezer, and adjusts sound to the acoustics of your room. The Alexa smarts really give it a boost. Plus, it’s got a Zigbee smart home hub, just like the base Echo 4th gen.

Who should buy it?

Audiophiles, this one’s for you. If you appreciate good sound and want your music to sound as crisp and sublime as possible, the Studio has you covered, with support for Dolby Atmos. The bass can be a little overpowering, however. Plus all that good audio is paired with Alexa smarts, so it can deliver all your weather reports, turn your smart lights on and off with Zigbee support, and handle all those inane questions.

The smallest smart display that Amazon makes has just had an upgrade and it fixes everything we disliked about the second-generation Echo Show 5. While the third-generation Echo Show 5 still has a small 5.5in display and looks almost identical to the second-generation model, there are some slight design updates. Best-suited for bedside tables or offices, the corners of the display have been rounded out and the fabric on the rear now goes right up to the bezels. It looks slicker and less awkward.

The 2MP camera for video calls is still relatively dire, but it’s nice that you can make video calls at all at this price range. The speaker itself has been massively upgraded, The sound is leaps and bounds better than the previous model, with thumpier bass and louder volume. The microphones, which we absolutely loathed on the second-generation device, have been upgraded too. It can now hear us better, so we don’t have to shout as loud.

And yes, the screen’s not as good as the one on the Echo Show 8 (£69.99, Amazon.co.uk), but you’re not going to want to use this for streaming content on Amazon Prime Video or YouTube anyway, it’s just way too small to view comfortably for an extended period of time. But, with a clock on full display and easily accessible reminders and news snippets, it makes an excellent bedside companion. Plus, it’s neat to use as a digital photo frame and it’s faster than ever with a new chipset.

Who should buy it?

This isn’t going to be your main Echo smart display, but more of a companion. It works as a great device for bedrooms, with its handy little screen, but if you want something more powerful – opt for the Echo Show 8 or Echo Show 10. If you just want an Echo where you can see the clock, and won’t use it to monitor your smart home or quickly glance at it to read weather reports, have a look at the Echo Dot with Clock (£39.99, Amazon.co.uk).

The Amazon Echo Pop, which looks a bit like the Echo Dot, but sliced in half. is Amazon’s entry-level device, costing just £44.99. But don’t be deceived by its minuscule price tag, this semi-spherical machine with a slanting speaker packs a punch.

Unlike the Echo Dot, you won’t hear sound in a 360-degree format, it’s directional – meaning you’ll have to place the speaker beside a wall and direct it out. It doesn’t sound as good as the Echo Dot, with some slightly muddy vocals and some underwhelming bass, but it’s passable. Just don’t expect a really refined listening experience.

Sadly, the UK version of the speaker misses out on the Eero mesh, which turns the Echo Pop into a wifi hub, as well as the accelerometer for snoozing alarms with a tap. The US version has both of these features, making it a bit more worthwhile. The big benefit of the Echo Pop is that it’s fast and responsive thanks to the new Amazon AZ2 Neural Edge processor. That means our queries were answered snappily and our music started instantly.

Who should buy it?

Wallet looking tight? This is a cute, no-nonsense smart directional speaker that doesn’t cost the Earth. If you’re looking for a cheap Amazon Echo for a small office room or garage and don’t need the best sound, the Echo Pop is for you. If your priority is sound quality and value, we’d still go for the Echo Dot, but you could get two Echo Pops for the price of one Echo Dot and that may sway your decision.

Read the full Amazon Echo Pop smart speaker review

Find the Echo Dot appealing but want to be able to see the time at a glance? The inventively-titled Echo Dot with Clock gets you all of the smarts of the fifth-generation Echo Dot, including the temperature sensor, better bass and diminutive size, for just £10 extra.

But how different is it? While it looks and sounds exactly the same as the Echo Dot, it’s a hefty upgrade when compared to the previous version. Just like the older models, it features an LED display on the front which shows the time, but it’s not just a Dot with a Clock anymore.

It now features a gloriously big dot matrix display, so we could read weather reports on the ticker-like display, as well as the title of songs, the answer to quick sums, exchange rates and the indoor temperature, as well as cute smiley faces. It was surprisingly handy and, admittedly, fun for what it was. Again, the tap to snooze button is a game-changer, and its £10 LED display really does elevate this Echo Dot, making it our preferred small Alexa speaker.

Who should buy it?

This is another great little device for the bedroom. It’s not a full-on interactive display like an Echo Show, but it costs less and still gives you small read-outs at a glance. If you want a small Echo that can, really, be put anywhere, and like to get visual information as well as auditory, this is our preferred Echo Dot, and it’s not that much more expensive than the version without a clock.

Until December 2021, the Echo Show 10 was the most premium Echo Show smart display that Amazon had made. And despite being superseded by the Echo Show 15 (£269.99, Amazon.co.uk), that device is a whole new proposition, meaning the Echo Show 10 still deserves its premium title in 2024.

Featuring a large, 10in HD display, the Echo Show 10 is the only smart display that can tilt and rotate (nearly) 360-degrees. It’s not the prettiest thing in the world – it looks like an iPad has been glued onto a swivelling Echo 4th gen base, but it works well, constantly tracking every movement we made.

A little creepy, perhaps, but very useful when it came to following recipes or making video calls with its clear 13MP camera, pottering around the house and tidying up at the same time. You can turn this off, by the way, and tell it to only track you around the house when you want it to.

The speakers are housed on its base on the rear and deliver surprisingly clear and vibrant sound, with a good, rich sense of bass. Plus, it can also be used to stream content from Prime Video, Netflix and more. It’s more elegant than the Echo Show 8 because the screen will always be facing you when you’re watching a film, and a 10in display is just comfortable enough for viewing in the kitchen.

The real neat thing is that the Echo Show 10 can also be used as a home security camera. When you’re away from home, you can log in to the Alexa app and view your home through the eyes of the Echo Show 10, and you can even control where it turns, swivelling it left and right by swiping the camera’s view inside the app. Of course though, with all those smarts, it’s worth noting that the Echo Show 10 has a pretty premium price tag to boot.

Who should buy it?

This is a good Echo smart display for the kitchen or for use in the living room, where the family usually gather. It’s easy to follow recipes because of it’s constantly-rotating display, and having the screen swivel around as you pull the family together for a video call is pretty neat. But if you don’t need the swivel action and can stand a smaller screen, go for the cheaper Echo Show 8.

Amazon’s Echo Spot is back with a vengeance. After discontinuing the smart alarm clock in 2019, Amazon brought it back with improved audio and no invasive (and really bad quality) camera on the top.

It looks a bit like the Echo Pop, but a little chunkier and heavier, and with a display on the front, and is incredibly easy to personalise. You have a range of different clock faces to choose from, as well as colour themes, so you can really make it your own. Plus, you can set it up so that it slowly adjusts the brightness of the display as you wake up.

What we love about the new touch-enabled display is that Amazon really paid attention to the animations. While it’s not as powerful as the Echo Show 5, it’s responsive and shows just enough information on the screen for you to dissect at a glance. Ask it about the weather, and you’ll get animations with a sun (if it’s sunny) or rain (if it’s rainy). You’ll also get song and artist information when you’re listening to a playlist.

And while it looks like the Echo Pop, it sounds better, featuring the same 1.73in speaker as the 5th-generation Echo Dot. The only negative is that it’s directional, so you’ll need to put it in a corner, and if you stand behind it (unlikely if it’s on your bedside table), the sound will be awful. It’s good though with great bass and decent sound. It’s not room-filling by any means, but it’s all right for its size. The only other thing it misses out on is a temperature sensor, so isn’t the best smart home gadget if you want your heating to react to the temperature in the room.

Who should buy it?

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. If you want something a bit more powerful than the Echo Dot with Clock, that gives you more information on the screen, then the Echo Spot is a better upgrade. The Echo Show 5 is more expensive, but you might prefer the increased functionality. It’s a nifty little bedside companion,

Ah, the Echo Show 15. The mother of all smart displays. It’s supposed to be the central hub for all families, and looks like a 15in picture frame intended to be placed on the wall (that does it all). It turns into a Fire TV when you want to watch Netflix and Disney+, it can make calls, play music or podcasts like any Echo speaker, and you can even leave notes and messages to your family members or housemates. It’s like a 21st century bulletin board with a bright, colourful Full HD 1080p display.

It comes with a mounting bracket so you can quickly and easily position it on your wall in landscape or portrait orientation. It won’t stand on its own if you’re intending to put it on a table, however, as there’s no rear-facing slant like the Echo Show 8. You’ll need to buy an extra stand if you want to do that, but that defeats its ultimate purpose, considering its intended to be wall-mounted.

Similar to other Echo Shows, if you’ve set up Visual ID, it transforms into a personal planner, depending on who is looking at it. And for anyone concerned about privacy, Amazon says that your Visual ID is stored on-device rather than on a server farm somewhere. This personalised screen will show your own widgets, calendars and more.

That said, the camera quality isn’t as good as it is on the Echo Show 10 or Echo Show 8. It only has a 5MP camera, making it just a touch better than the Echo Show 5, and the sound isn’t as good either. This is a voice-assisted digital picture frame bulletin board that doubles up as an Amazon Fire TV first and foremost, and a speaker and video calling device second and third.

Who should buy it?

This is the big family device that can do everything. It is pretty pricey, however, so factor that in. If you want something that displays all your family photos, can act as a bulletin board for messages, and play films and TV shows in the kitchen (if you’d rather this instead of a TV), it’s a great nifty device. Just don’t expect much from the narrow speakers on the rear or to look stunning on a video call. Plus, it’s only £10 more than the Echo Show 10.