Whose:
Whether you want an Echo smart speaker in every room or just need a smarter alarm clock, the 2024 Echo Spot is made for your bedside. It has programmable routines to queue up your morning wake-up calls and cool down in the evening. Plus, it responds quickly and clearly to Alexa commands, so you can play music from the speaker without opening your phone or ask for the weather report as you get dressed.
Why we love it:
The 2024 Echo Spot improves on the shortcomings of previous models, creating an easy-to-use alarm clock that’s both useful and stylish. It’s bigger than both the Echo Pop and Echo Dot; at 4.5-inches by 4.1-inches by 4.4-inches, it takes up just the right amount of sleeping space without being crowded.
Tilted at a slight angle, the upper part of the watch face has a small touchscreen. While we think that slowly very small, still bright colors. At the bottom is a 1.73-inch front-firing speaker, the same one that comes with the Echo Dot. The speaker produces clear sound that doesn’t sound small, however, it’s designed for small spaces — don’t plan on using it for your next party. Alexa also responds quickly to questions and commands, making it easy to turn on a podcast to start your morning.
The alarm function works like any daily alarm clock. Snoozing is easy: Tap the top of the device with more than one finger to get a few more minutes of sleep. Currently, turning off the alarm is a bit annoying, requiring you to interact with the touchscreen. While it works well, it would feel more natural to have a “Stop” button on top.
The touchscreen is not small and is limited to a small rectangular area at the top of the half moon on the face of the watch. Another big drawback of the Echo Spot comes when you’re playing music or listening to a podcast. When the sound plays, the time disappears — a hindrance when you need to know what time it is.
Otherwise, the Echo Spot is a worthy entry into the Echo line of devices, offering a well-designed alarm clock.