Amazon Echo Dot (4th Gen) – Review


Amazon Echo Dot 4th Gen

| Smart speaker | 41mm Driver | WiFi | Bluetooth | Alexa voice assistant |



Amazon Echo Dot 4th Gen, the newest Echo Dot smart speaker from Amazon.

The Amazon Echo Dot 4 belongs to the Dot family of Amazon smart speakers, being this one the 4th generation.

The Amazon Echo Dot (4th gen) is placed as a more budget friendly speaker right below the Echo and the 2 steps below the Echo Studio.

Despite the entry level price, the Amazon Echo Dot 4 is a fully packed smart speaker that offers endless features.

The Amazon Echo Dot 4 can be bought in different 3 different colors and in 2 model variants, with or without a front facing clock.

Users can buy the Amazon Echo Dot 4th generation in:

• Amazon Echo Dot 4th generation charcoal
• Amazon Echo Dot 4th generation glacier white
• Amazon Echo Dot 4th generation twilight blue
• Amazon Echo Dot 4th generation glacier white with LED clock
• Amazon Echo Dot 4th generation twilight blue with LED clock
• Amazon Echo Dot Kids 4th generation Tiger
• Amazon Echo Dot Kids 4th generation Panda

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Amazon Echo Dot 4th Gen Review

Tests & Scores


A

Accessories & Packaging

The Amazon Echo Dot comes inside a medium-sized, rectangular box with a blue design.

Inside, the Echo Dot comes solely bundled with power supply unit.

gramophone-25660  2.5/5


D

Design

The Amazon Echo Dot series has been absolutely redesigned on this 4th generation, having now a perfectly rounded form factor like a ball, distancing from the flatter pillow-alike shape of the Amazon Echo Dot 3rd gen from 2018.

From the previous model, the newer 4th gen Echo Dot has flipped out the ring light being now placed at the base of the speaker – as seen on the Echo 4th gen (non DOT model). This ring light covers the full perimeter of the base of the Echo Dot.

If you own the Amazon Echo Dot model that includes the clock, you will notice front facing LED lights that are not only limited to the display of the time; instead, these LED lights are also used to show the temperature, timer, volume and more – a small dot on the lower right angle will be visible if an alarm is set to sound within the next 24 hours.

Amazon has applied a smart placement and design of the front LED lights, being absolutely hidden beneath the cloth finish and non-visible when the LEDs are turned off.

Overall, the Amazon Echo Dot 4th gen has a stylish, modern and very nice design with a pleasing and versatile aesthetic that can match any room.

In addition to this, the unit is equipped with a rubberized bottom that does an excellent job avoiding slipping issues.

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gramophone-25660 5/5



W

Weight

Amazon Echo Dot 4th Gen weight in Ounces and Amazon Echo Dot 4th Gen weight in grams.

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CQ

Construction Quality and Build

The main body of the speaker is finished with a mesh fabric that covers nearly 80% of the unit, with the remaining back and bottom made of a semi-matte plastic.

The unit offers a nice weight to it that inspires durability and a bit of a premium touch where no single piece rattles nor wobbles.

Overall, the unit feels very well constructed with a build quality that far-exceeds its asking price.

gramophone-25660 4.5/5


SD

Size and Dimensions

From photos the Amazon Echo Dot 4th Gen seems much bigger than it actually is.

Instead, this speaker is about 30% larger than a tennis ball, being sort of a baby Echo 4th Gen – most users will be surprised of how small the speaker is.

The specific dimensions of the Amazon Echo Dot 4th Gen are 3.9” x 3.9” x 3.5” (100 x 100 x 89 mm) with a weight of nearly 12 ounces (330 grams)


AF

Advanced Features

The Amazon Echo Dot 4th Gen is packed with an endless list of special features, including:

• All the power of Alexa voice assistance on a tiny device
• Multi room music control and synchronization across multiple Echo devices
• Can be connected to other smart devices and fully control them through Alexa; such as smart plugs, smart temperature control, smart lights, etc
• Multi language – if you are English speaker, you will get the most out of it
• Multi language recognition without having to change the language settings

Light sensor auto adjusts the brightness of the front clock lights (can be overridden manually through the Alexa app)

gramophone-25660 5/5


OC

Operation & Control

The Amazon Echo Dot 4th Gen has 4 physical buttons and a microphone. The mic enables the unit to be fully controlled through voice commands, utilizing the power of Alexa, while the remaining 4 buttons provide fast access to volume control, microphone on/off and multifunctions.

Of course, as with any voice command system, users without experience using Amazon Alexa will have a to learn some commands that Alexa utilizes.

Nonetheless, even experienced users will want to dig into the Alexa app and look around the endless voice commands and functions that Alexa and the Echo Dot can combine to offer.

gramophone-25660 4.75/5

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S

Sound

Unlike the Echo (4th Gen) and Echo Studio, the Amazon Echo Dot is not equipped with a multi-driver configuration, instead the Amazon Echo Dot 4th Gen comes with a front facing 1.6″ (41mm) speaker (same size as the Amazon Echo Dot 3rd gen)

As a point of comparison, the Amazon Echo (4th Gen) vs Echo Dot 4th Gen; the Echo (4th Gen) includes a 3″ woofer and dual front-facing 0.8″ tweeters.

When comparing the Amazon Echo Studio vs Echo Dot 4th Gen speakers; the Echo Studio offers a 1″ tweeter, three 2″ midrange speakers and a 5.3″ woofer.

In spite of the tiny size, the Echo Dot surprised our team with a remarkably high power output that can sound pretty loud when cranked up.

Also, a nice touch is the fact that this Echo speaker has a good control of lower volume settings – a common issue of wireless speakers and active speakers is the very high lowest volume setting and the lack of fine control and/or absence of small volume steps on the lower range of the volume control.

The speaker of the Echo Dot 4 is clearly placed on the front of the unit but it still offers a respectably wide reach that spreads up and fills up any small and mid-sized room without issues.

Right out of the box, the Echo Dot responded with plenty midbass punch that can be even felt by touching the speaker – also at low volume settings.



In addition to this, without the need of any EQ the speaker showed a full, bassy sound with a rich and agreeable sound.

Overall, the Echo Dot 4th Gen has a warm and fun sound signature that can take care of any modern genre without breaking a sweat.

Moreover, bass, treble and midrange can boosted or reduced independently and with 12 steps on each range either through Alexa app or by voice commands.

On the other hand, the meaty bass can be a bit too much on long lasting listening sessions but it can be lowered through the app or by voice commands – we found that a -6 bass setting was a better match for longer music listening.

Despite the rich and fun bass, the Echo Dot speaker is still able to sound nice and clear on voice prompts and even decently non-congested as a music listening speaker when looking at its midrange and highs – of course, this is not an audiophile grade speaker nor a professional monitor but does more than a great job as a casual speaker and smart device.

gramophone-25660 4/5

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C

Connectivity

The Echo Dot might be a budget-friendly smart device/speaker but it is still fully armored of modern connectivity options, including:

• Dual Band WiFi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac (2.4 and 5 GHz)
• Bluetooth with AD2P support and AVRCP
• 3.5mm stereo wired connection for headphones output, active speakers and/or external dedicated headphones amp, DAC or power amplifiers for passive speakers

With connectivity seen on premium smart speakers, the Echo Dot offers a crazy value for money and great adaptability to any PC, Mac, Linux computer and any smartphone and tablet (iOS and Android)

In addition to this, the speaker can be used standalone without needing any extra source device; being able to reproduce music and access all the power of the assistance of Alexa voice commands and functions.

When plugging an output device to the 3.5mm jack, the speaker will output sound only through the wired output.

gramophone-25660 5/5

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Amazon Echo Dot 4th Gen Technical Specifications

Specifications

TypeSingle driver
Driver Unit1.6"
SensitivityUnknown
Max Power15 W
ImpedanceUnknown
BluetoothYes
BatteryNo, only through addon
Frequency responseUnknown
WiFiYes
MultiroomYes
Alexa assistant compatibleYes
WeightApprox. 330g
Supplied Accessoriespower supply

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Scores Scores

Amazon Echo Dot 4th Gen Scores


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Amazon Echo Dot 4th Gen

8.9

SCORE

8.9/10