Amazon Echo Spot review: A stylish, smart, and compact Alexa device

Amazon Echo Spot

Amazon keeps introducing Echo devices at regular intervals in the market. The latest entrant is the Echo Spot, which is slightly different from other models. While the bigger ones focus on audio capabilities, the one with a display offer other functionalties. The Echo Spot is different in that sense as it has a a compact touchscreen, blending the functionality of a smart speaker with limited display capabilities. It is more like a glorified alarm clock albeit with some smart features. It can provide visual cues alongside voice controls, though its touchscreen interactivity remains minimal. We put the Echo Spot to test for a few weeks and here’s what we think:

Amazon Echo Spot review: Design, display, and more

Amazon has designed the Echo Spot 2024 with the bedside table in mind, intentionally omitting unnecessary features like a camera for video calls or support for streaming platforms like Prime Video and YouTube. Its compact size makes it an ideal fit for the bedroom without adding clutter.

To minimise distractions, the Echo Spot’s display is dim enough for nighttime use, ensuring it won’t disrupt sleep. The 2.83-inch screen is big enough for quickly checking the time, weather updates, alarms, and animated visuals that accompany song titles. Meanwhile, the 1.73-inch front-firing directional speaker delivers clear and sufficient audio for bedroom use, making it useful for Alexa interactions and music playback.

The Echo Spot is available in two color options—Black and Blue.. The physical controls are conveniently placed on the top of the device, including dedicated volume buttons and a microphone mute button. These are similar controls that are available on most Echo devices.

The base of the device is coated with a rubberised material, ensuring stability on a tabletop. At the back, there’s a power port for plugging in the adapter. One notable omission is a built-in battery, which would have allowed the device to retain basic functions such as displaying the time and sounding alarms even during power outages. It’s a rather big miss as a small battery backup could have made the Echo Spot even more practical.  For connectivity, the Echo Spot 2024 supports dual-band Wi-Fi (2.4GHz and 5GHz) with 802.11a/b/g/n/ac standards, along with Bluetooth support for additional wireless functionality.

The Echo Spot’s display offers eight customisable clock faces, some incorporating weather updates, and allows users to choose from six colour themes: orange, violet, magenta, lime, teal, and blue. Users can personalise the look directly on the device or via the Alexa app, available for both Android and iOS.

Adjusting the clock face and theme is straightforward. On the device, swipe down from the top to access ‘Clock and Theme’ settings, where users can modify the clock style, colour, and format. In the Alexa app, selecting the Echo Spot under devices and navigating to settings enables users to change the clock face, with updates syncing instantly to the device. The entire setup process is quite simple as long as you follow the on-screen instructions on the Alexa app.

Amazon Echo Spot review: Audio performance, smart features

On the face of it, it may look like a smart clock but the Echo Spot 2024 has got deep Alexa integration. With hands-free voice control, you can ask Alexa to play your favorite music from supported streaming services. You can obviously check the date and time and get weather updates, or review events from your calendar. When music is playing, the device displays colorful visual animations, adding a fun touch to the experience.

A built-in motion sensor enables Alexa routines, allowing actions like automatically turning on a smart light when movement is detected at night. Not sure how many people will use it but it is a handy feature to have. The Echo Spot can connect to compatible smart home devices. So if you have an Alexa-powered ecosystem, the Echo Spot is a capable device.

In terms of sound quality, the Echo Spot 2024 delivers decent audio for its compact size. While we had no trouble executing Alexa interactions, the audio quality leaves much to be desired. But here’s the thing, this is not your traditional speaker. Nevertheless, the Echo Spot lacks lacks the depth and richness found in other Echo devices like the Dot or even the Echo Show 5. The bass levels are lacking whereas there’s not enough clairty in the mids.

Amazon Echo Spot review: What we think

With Alexa integration, the Echo Spot extends beyond a simple alarm clock, allowing hands-free control for music playback, weather updates, and smart home automation. But if you want a speaker to play music, then this isn’t the right choice. It’s good enough for backgroud noises, which are perhaps ideal for the bedroom.

It’s a good reliable device but some things could have been better. For example, some people might want the display to be brighter. The Echo Spot is priced at Rs 8,999, which is on the steeper side. However, you can trust Amazon to discount it during the multiple sale events it holds throughout the year. For your bedside table, the Echo Spot could make for a nice companion, as long as you don’t expect great audio quality.