Amazon Echo (3rd Gen, 2019)

Great sound quality ; Responsive microphones ; Affordable price ; Widely support Alexa ecosystem

No major microphone upgrades

Beefed-up sound Hands-free voice commands Personalized voice profiles Alexa!

Not much is new Basically the Echo Plus No Zigbee

The Amazon Echo (2019) doesn’t feel particular new, given both its form and function is modeled on the existing Echo Plus – but it's still an excellent smart speaker that offers better sound quality than the second-generation Echo.

Balanced and relatively detailed ; Sonic step up on its predecessor ; Full Amazon Alexa compatibility

Soundstage can get busy ; Mediocre timing and organisation ; Dynamically lacking

The new Echo has loads of features and sounds quite good, but the Echo Plus had given us hopes of even more

Good volume and bass response ; Microphones are excellent at picking up voice commands ; Costs less than high-end smart speakers

You can get the basics done for half the price with an Echo Dot ; Sound can be muddy at times

Amazon’s latest Echo speaker sounds better than ever, but has a lot of competition within Amazon’s own lineup, not to mention from other smart speakers.

Powerful, well-balanced sound for the size and price.

Alexa can be a little awkward compared with Google Assistant.

Bottom Line: The third-generation Amazon Echo smart speaker is basically just a more affordable Echo Plus, thanks to some minor compromises you're unlikely to notice.

Value for money ; Build and design upgrades ; Sound quality ; Flexibility of connection ; Alexa voice control's versatility

App is a little slow ; No Zigbee controller (but that doesn't really matter) ; Puts Echo Plus into question

If music is the most important thing for you, then it's hard to ignore the boosted performance of the new Echo. Previous Echos had limitations, but to have a great low price and pleasing sound quality means that the new Echo sweeps those criticisms aside.

Big, bold and much-improved sound ; Effortless(ish) voice control ; Can form part of a stereo set-up

Can get edgy at big volumes ; Bass sounds rather distant from the rest of the music

Can you live without Zigbee? Of course you can

The new Amazon Echo boasts improved sound quality for a reasonable price.

The midrange sound falters, and the Echo doesn't bring much else new to the countertop than its upgraded speakers.

$100 seems like an appropriate price for the new Amazon Echo, but it falls between two obvious categories -- not feeling truly wallet-friendly or technically top-grade.