In this position, it’s easy to see, but it doesn’t light up the room in such a distracting way as on older Echo devices when the light was placed on top. The light ring at the bottom makes a lot of sense, too. I like the way that the ring lights up in segments as the volume is increased or decreased, too. It glows different colours, depending on what the speaker is trying to show: yellow for notifications and blue when Alexa is listening, for example. Image Credit (Trusted Reviews)Īs with last year’s model, the light ring is at the bottom of the speaker. There’s the standard button layout on this model, too, with volume control keys, a microphone mute button for privacy and an action button that gets the speaker listening for voice commands without having to say ‘Alexa’ first. Amazon says that 55% of the materials are recycled and 95% of the fabric is recycled.

Finished in a soft material, Amazon has got the balance spot on with this device: it has been designed to fit into a home, rather than looking like a bit of tech. This version is available in Charcoal, Glacier White and the rather fetching Deep Sea Blue I have on review here. I don’t have an issue with that: the spherical design that Amazon introduced with the Echo Dot (4th Generation), looks as good today as it did when the product was launched two years ago.Ībout the same size as a baseball, this smart speaker is a great size and will fit pretty much anywhere you’d want to put it, from a bedside table to a kitchen counter. The Amazon Echo Dot (5th generation) looks just like its predecessor.

While nothing has changed on the outside, with the same spherical body, Amazon has overhauled the speaker system, making this a far more accomplished all-round smart speaker. More recently, things have slowed down, and it’s been a two-year wait for the Amazon Echo Dot (5th generation).

Audio 1.73-inch front-facing speaker delivers a bigger audio punch than on previous Echo Dot speakers.Īfter the first Echo smart speaker came out, Amazon went on a spree of releasing huge numbers of new models on a yearly cycle.

Echo dot