Amazon Echo (4th gen, 2020)

Charming new spherical design ; Dazzling LED light ring ; Acts as an Amazon Sidewalk Bridge ; Great sounding audio

Bass strains at highest volume

As powerful as the Echo Plus Strong bass for the size Built-in smart home hub

High frequencies don't get quite as much finesse as they could Alexa can still be awkward to talk to

The fourth-generation Amazon Echo speaker takes the sound quality and smart home hub capabilities of the Echo Plus and puts it in a new round package.

Detailed, room-filling sound. Included 3.5-mm output for connecting to larger speaker systems. Alexa works well for most queries and commands.

Takes up a bit more room than previous Echo models. Still not great at picking out commands with louder music playing.

If you’re new to smart speakers and are comparing this to the Google Nest Audio or Apple's Homepod Mini, this is the clear winner when it comes to sound. The Nest Audio is stronger if you’re right in front of it, but the Echo fills the room with music...

Expansive bass in a small design Lots of smart features Classy build and finish

Slightly underwhelming treble Not fully omnidirectional

Putting the new Echo’s minor sonic shortfalls as a hi-fi proposition to one side, its usability and likeability cannot be ignored. Alexa feels present and useful but not imposing, the Alexa app support makes placement and multi-room configurations a...

Improved sound ; Easy setup ; Generally available on sale ; Alexa improving all the time

Hard to see the light ring ; Larger footprint ; Echo Studio is the real room-filler

The previous Echo was great value and this newly designed version improves on the offering with new technology, a faster Alexa, and better sound.

Impressive musical performance ; Plenty of bass ; Smart home hub built-in ; Alexa wake-word almost never fails

Midrange is still the weak spot ; Are you a Google household or an Amazon one?

Built-in Alexa support. Mic mute button

Not quite loud enough for large rooms.

The Amazon Echo is amazing for voice assistant support. It has built-in Amazon Alexa capabilities, which you can activate using your voice. The speaker can understand you even if you aren't very close to it or in a noisy environment. You can also mute...

Fuller sound ; Built-in Zigbee hub ; Alexa is more responsive

Light ring not as useful ; Skills still a bit rubbish ; Amazon is always listening

An all-round upgrade that makes the Echo sound smarter than ever

– Brilliant sound, good value for money and ditches the need for an Echo Plus

– Zigbee integration isn’t perfect

Amazon Echo (4th Gen) is comfortably the most fully-featured Alexa smart speaker yet. With greater sound to rival the Google Nest Audio , the tried-and-tested functionality of Alexa, a stylish new design and Zigbee integration, Amazon has nailed its...