Amazon Echo Plus (1st Gen. 2017)

Sounds better than the first Echo ; Has access to thousands of Alexa skills ; Slightly cheaper than before

Smart hub feature is pretty basic ; $100 Echo is a better deal ; Not a huge upgrade for first-gen Echo owners

In many ways, the Echo Plus feels like the true successor to the device that kicked off the whole smart speaker trend. But aside from a slight bump in sound quality and semi-useful smart hub integration, there's not much separating the two. It's pretty...

Built-in smart home hub eliminates the need for a bridge between Alexa and your smart home devices ; Seamless pairing with Zigbee compatible smart lights, switches, and plugs ; Three color choices (black, white, and silver) available ; Multi-room audio...

Sound quality of speaker isn’t as rich as we’d hoped it would be ; Doesn’t allow you to connect to other Amazon devices linked to different household accounts

The Echo Plus is an all-in-one device that bridges your smart home products to the home assistant Alexa. We wish the speaker boasted better sound quality, but the Echo Plus is designed for a more streamlined smart home system and not to blow your...

Plenty of kid-friendly activities and audiobooks available through Alexa ; Comes with six-month Amazon Kids+ subscription ; Silicone skin helps protect it from bumps ; Two-year warranty

Only available in Disney-licensed designs ; Alexa skills are difficult to browse

The Amazon Echo Pop Kids is an affordable smart speaker that gives children access to age-appropriate information, music, stories, and audiobooks.

Slightly better sound than the Echo ; Zigbee compliant ; Volume wheel

Need to ensure Zigbee compatibility ; If sound is important, pay more

Better audio drivers ; Attractive fabric design ; Temperature sensor added

Struggles with Fire TV commands ; Still won’t catch the ear of audiophiles

The new Amazon Echo Plus ditches its original two-tier build for a design much like the mainline Amazon Echo, with improved audio components and a far more attractive design. As a smart home hub, however, it no longer has the edge.

Clear midrange ; Smooth treble ; Smart-hub capabilities ; Good amount of detail

Lacklustre bass ; Doesn’t provide full smart-home functions

A good-sounding product with more smarts than you can shake a stick at

Does all of the things the first Echo did for $30 less ; Can directly control smart home gadgets without a hub ; Makes it very easy to set up new smart home gadgets

Smart home support is still very limited ; Amazon’s other new Echo is even cheaper still ; Routines do not integrate other Amazon products well

Smart home starter kit

Alexa is a leading light in smart devices ; Perfectly acceptable sound quality for daily listening ; Constantly expanding connections and functions ; Lower pricing is more attractive

Some software annoyances ; App needs some work ; Sound quality drops at higher volumes

With the second-gen Echo and the Echo Plus both being cheaper than the original Echo, Amazon is making the Echo universe more appealing to your wallet. The fact that you get more from the Plus than you did from the original Echo, for less money, is...