Amazon Echo Dot (4th gen, 2020)

Charming new design ; Great audio quality for its size ; Alexa Guard protection ; Affordable cost

LED clock should be default

Improved Alexa responses ; Enhanced sound quality ; Solid build

Now replaced by newer 5th-gen model

Considering which voice assistant to introduce to your home? The fourth-gen Echo Dot is the most compelling and affordable case for choosing Alexa

Two animal designs to choose from ; Built-in parental controls ; Comes with a year’s free Amazon Kids+ access

Most features available with any Echo ; Some Amazon Kids+ content unavailable

The Amazon Echo Dot Kids is a child-friendly smart speaker with built-in parental controls. Simple to use, it offers good value for money thanks to the unlimited access to age-appropriate audible books, skills, and playlists. However, many of the...

Only a cosmetic change from previous model ; Weak bass

Better as a standalone speaker than before ; Footprint the same as previous Dot ; All the skills of Alexa ; Minor performance improvements

It's less discreet than before ; Essentially the same experience as last-gen Echo Dot

The Echo Dot is likely to find favour with those who want a compact speaker for a small space. Acoustically, it's now better suited than previous Echo Dot devices, so it functions better as a standalone speaker for music. At the same time, the...

Alexa has been re-thought for children ; Kids Skills are good quality ; Explicit lyric blocking really handy ; Two-year guarantee

Character design not so good for older children ; Kids+ needs ongoing subscription after 12 months

Designed as a safe space for children and, really, a portal into a Kids+ subscription for all the age-appropriate content that brings. Whether you want your children to have a smart speaker in their room is completely up to you, of course.