After the phenomenal response from Echo Dot 2nd gen, the Echo dot 3rd generation was launched. Now, Echo Dot 4th generation is finally here (about to be), the one which actually is shaped like a dot.
Here is describing in detail what you can expect from Echo Dot 4th generation
So, Echo Dot 4th generation is a smart speaker from Amazon itself. It is priced at half the Echo 4th gen (yet to be released) and a bit costlier than its predecessor, Echo Dot (3rd generation). Here are the main specs of Echo Dot 4th Gen details:
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Features of Echo Dot 4th Gen
New Design
Echo Dot 4th generation is shaped like a spherical ball with a flat base at the bottom for keeping it still. It is a 3.9-inch sphere with a plastic body in the lower half and a fabric body towards the upper half.
It comes in three colors, namely Charcoal, Twilight Blue, and Glacier White.
You will find the control panel on the top of the smart speaker. You will find four physical buttons on the top to increase or decrease the volume, activating the Alexa and turning the mic off.
You can always turn your microphone off to enjoy more privacy.
In the Echo Dot 4th generation, you will see the blue light ring on the bottom of the speaker instead of the top like in Echo Dot 3rd generation, which is obvious due to the shape it possesses. You will know when Alexa is listening to you when the blue light lights up with its help.
Music Quality
So, to get your facts straight, a single Echo Dot 4th generation won’t be able to throw that loud a sound to be audible for the whole house. This mini package should well be used for your own pleasure in a private room. Or you can connect more than one Echo Dot 4th generation, each in every room, to get the feel of multi-room speakers.
This is because this smart speaker has a small 1.6 inches of upward-firing speakers with no woofers. However, you can surely team it up with your other Echo devices and speakers as it includes a 3.5mm line out jack.
Smart Features
Coming to the smart features for which Echo Dot 4th generation is known for. There is a lot you can do with this smart speaker if you are Alexa addicted.
- Alexa, play music everywhere
Echo Dot 4th generation and Alexa go very well together. Be it multi-room music, play your favorite playlist on Spotify, Apple Music, or listen to your favorite podcasts and tune into your favorite radio stations, it follows instructions well.
Moreover, you can also use it to bring your favorite shows to life by pairing it with Fire TV Stick. You can also buy it with TP-Link Smart Plug to add voice control to any outlet with Alexa.
- Other smart home hub devices
Its compatibility is not limited to just Apple Music, Audible, SiriusXM, Amazon Music, and Spotify. You can team it up with Zigbee supported smart home devices as well. The Zigbee-supported products include smart light bulbs, switches, door locks, plugs, sensors, deadbolts, and more.
All you need to do is power on your smart home devices and ask Alexa to discover your devices. You can easily connect to these smart devices then and control their functioning with your voice control. Soon, it will be able to support Ring Smart Lighting as well.
- Alexa Guard
What’s more? Echo Dot 4th generation also supports Alexa Guard Plus. Alexa Guard is one of the amazing features of Alexa that, once set up, will alert you (by notifications) when your Echo device senses the sound of smoke, carbon monoxide alarms, glass breaking while you are away from home.
We told you Echo Dot 4th generation is totally for an Alexa addictive. Though Echo Dot 3rd generation also has the same Alexa features, the 4th generation has added Alexa Guard Plus and Care Hub feature as an add-on. You can enjoy Alexa skills in Echo Dot 4th generation as well.
You can also set timers, ask random questions, ask weather and traffic info, ask for the latest news, and much more.
Sync With Other Echo Devices
Syn your Echo Dot with other Echo devices at your home, and it can be used as an announcement speaker. You won’t have to rush to all rooms to deliver news or make them come for dinner. Just say Alexa, tell everyone dinner is ready, or to the Dot in your kid’s room that it’s bedtime to stay in touch with everyone at home.
You can also enjoy hands-free calling as well.
- Alexa for kids
You can also make use of Alexa for kids on your Echo device for free. Just open your Alexa app and turn on parental controls on Amazon Kids. With the help of this, Alexa will give kid-friendly responses, filter songs accordingly, and other such changes.
- Set up
Setting Echo dot 4th gen is easy as every other Echo device. You need to just plug the device in and connect to it via the Alexa app downloaded on your smart device. Thereafter, Echo Dot is free to ask Alexa anything.
Echo Dot 4th Edition (Kids version)
Amazon, along with the new Echo Dot, has also come up with Echo Dot 4th gen Kids version that is specially designed for kids with parental controls and much more.
To make it look funky and fun, the top speaker mesh design is turned into two colors representing tiger and panda. It’s specifically made to cater to the needs of kids and their curiosity. It has kid-friendly content, and Alexa also provides kid-friendly responses. It comes with one year of free Amazon Kids subscription that automatically renews after a year.
It also comes with a 2-year warranty.
Echo Dot 4th Gen With Clock
Another variant of the Echo Dot 4th gen comes with a clock the same as the Echo Dot 3rd gen. With this version, you can use your smart speaker as a table clock that displays time over its front mesh body.
- Environmentally friendly
Amazon has focused on making this product environment friendly to a large extent. For this reason, the material used by Amazon in its product, as it claims, includes 50% recycled plastics, 100% recycled fabric, and 100% recycled die-cast aluminum.
Its new products also include a low power mode that makes the device enter into low power mode when it’s idle. For being more energy-efficient, Amazon is also building new solar and wind farms equivalent to the electricity consumed by this device.
Echo Dot 4th Gen Vs. Echo Dot 3rd Gen
Now that we know the Echo dot 4th gen’s specs, it will be easy to compare it with the Echo Dot 3rd gen and the major differences.
Size And Design
Echo Dot 4th gen has a spherical design like a dot shape, whereas the Echo Dot 3rd gen is circular with a flat top.
Also, the Echo Dot 4th gen is bigger than the Echo Dot 3rd gen as it is 3.5 inches tall and 3.9 inches in diameter against its predecessor, which is 1.7 inches tall and 3.9 inches in diameter.
If you are looking for a better version of Echo Dot 4th generation, bigger than this one and with much better voice quality, wait for Echo 4th generation. Echo 4th generation and upward-firing speaker are also supported by two woofers below for clear highs, deep rich bass, and detailed sound.
Both of these Echo dot versions have a clock version as well. The control options are the same in both Echo Dot versions as well. Both have a power port and audio output at the back.
Sound Quality
Both generations of this smart speaker include 1.6 inches of the speaker, so there is not much change in sound.
The sound quality of the Echo dot 3rd generation was never questioned at all. With the size it possesses that was bigger than its predecessor (Echo Dot 2nd gen), the sound quality was significantly better and up to the expectations.
So, no change in sound quality from 3rd gen to 4th gen is good news ultimately. Moreover, the front-firing speaker in the 4th generation does add to its sound efficiency if at all.
Alexa Technology
Both generations of Echo Dot are known for them being stuffed with amazing Alexa technology and skills.
You will find every Alexa feature in the 3rd generation in the 4th gen and the additional Alexa Guard Plus and Care Hub. Alexa Guard Plus is an updated version of Alexa Guard. Care Hub is another Alexa feature that helps you look out for your elderly.
Additionally, Echo Dot 4th gen is fitted with the AZ1 Neural Edge chip processor that makes the new Echo Dot more responsive when you talk with Alexa providing you with an extra edge in voice control. On the other hand, the Echo Dot 3rd gen had a MediaTek MT516 processor.
Again, Amazon Echo Dot 4th gen is more of an Alexa speaker rather than a music speaker. If you are looking for faster responses from your best friend Alexa, you should look for upgrading to Echo dot 4th gen with no doubt.
Other Features
Both the smart speakers support Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, possess the same control buttons, enjoy multi-room connectivity, amazon light rings, and Amazon Sidewalk Bridge.
Both the Echo Dot speakers are wall mountable. However, it would in your best interests if you choose not to wall mount 4th gen because of its protruding body. Also, Amazon, in an interview, told that they are not discontinuing the Echo Dot 3rd gen for those who love wall-mountable Echo Dot – making it furthermore clear that the Echo Dot 4th gen is not meant to be wall-mounted.
Another major difference you will see in the Echo Dot 4th gen is its low power mode, making it closer to environment friendliness. Also, the materials used make it Climate Pledge Friendly, unlike the Echo Dot 3rd gen.
Pros and Cons
Pros of Echo dot 4th Gen
- The front-firing 1.6-inch speaker
- New spherical design
- Low power mode
- Made from recycled materials
- More efficient processor for faster Alexa responses
Pros of Echo Dot 3rd gen
- Compact design
- Can be wall-mounted easily
- Almost the same Alexa features
Cons of Echo Dot 4th gen
- Cannot be wall mounted
- Includes same size speaker as Echo Dot 3rd gen
Cons of Echo Dot 3rd gen
- No upward-facing speaker
- Muddled voices on high volume
- Comparatively slow Alexa responses
Final Verdict
If you would love to have better Alexa access, go for Echo Dot 4th gen. That’s the only legit reason we found buying it if you don’t possess any of the Echo Dot devices.
The other situation where you need to buy an Echo smart speaker, which you can team up with the rest of your speakers to enjoy the home theatre-like feeling, depends on what speaker you already possess. Echo Dot 4th gen can be best used with the Echo 4th gen, where Echo 4th gen stays as the main speaker for loud sound as this one lets you spread the sound all-around your home.
This is also a great time to buy the older versions of Echo Dot as they will see a slash in prices with the new model of Echo Dot released. It’s always good to get your hands on products at slashed prices if the product suits you.
FAQs
1. Is Echo Dot worth it?
Be it Echo Dot 2nd gen, 3rd or 4th generation, each of these is a bit above par of its predecessor. With the release of the Echo dot 3rd gen and now the new Echo 4th gen, the Echo Dot 2nd gen is not worth it.
Echo Dot 3rd gen is preferable for its wall-mountable feature, whereas the Echo Dot 4th gen is preferable for its better and faster Alexa responses.
2. Is the Amazon Echo 4th gen better than the Echo Dot 4th gen?
Amazon Echo 4th gen because of its bigger size is above Echo Dot 4th gen when it comes to sound quality. Amazon Echo 4th gen has two extra woofers that provide it with an upper hand in just sound quality.
The Echo dot 4th gen provides the best sound quality within the compact size it has. Moreover, it’s preferable for its efficient processor as well.
3. Does the Echo Dot 4th gen has to stay plugged in?
Yes, to be able to connect to Wi-Fi and Alexa app, the Echo Dot 4th gen also has to stay plugged in to stay working.
The main essence of Amazon Echo products is its viability with Alexa voice control commands. Without this, it is just like a Bluetooth speaker that can play songs through Bluetooth or Wi-Fi.
4. What all can be done with Amazon Echo Dot 4th gen?
Amazon Echo Dot 4th gen is a smart speaker that seeks voice control commands through Alexa, can be used as a multi-room home speaker, compatible with smart home devices, and make you listen to music online (Wifi) and offline (Bluetooth).
Being a smart speaker, the best use of it comes with talking with Alexa and using it to do all your tasks like setting timers, getting the latest news, playing music, guarding your house, etc.
5. Does the Echo Dot 4th gen has temperature sensors?
Echo Dot 4th gen has built-in temperature sensors with the help of which you can ask Alexa the current temperature and tell you with faster responses.
So, this was all about Amazon Echo Dot 4th gen and how it differs from its predecessor, Echo Dot 3rd gen. The Echo Dot 4th gen is available for pre-order and will be released on October 22, 2020. Let’s see how well it will match up to the expectations of the users.