Amazon Echo Dot (2nd gen. 2016)

1743 reviews

Jun, 2025

Positive
price (11)
usability (10)
size (8)
design (6)
reliability (1)

Negative
sound (6)
bass quality (1)

General overview
Price comparison

alaTest has collected and analyzed 1743 reviews of Amazon Echo Dot (2nd gen. 2016). The average rating for this product is 4.7/5, compared to an average rating of 4.5/5 for other products in the same category for all reviews. Reviewers really like the reliability and design. The size and price are also mentioned favorably. Many are critical about the bass quality and sound.

usability, price, size, design, reliability

sound, bass quality

We analyzed user and expert ratings, product age and more factors. Compared to other products in the same category the Amazon Echo Dot (2nd gen. 2016) is awarded an overall alaScore™ of 88/100 = Very good quality.

Review analysis

(Based on 1743 reviews)

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Showing 1599 review(s)

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Showing 1 - 10 of 1599 Show Reviews: in English | in other languages (143)

Expert review by (t3.com)

Amazon Echo Dot review: Alexa on the cheap makes purchase a no brainer

This is the one you want. Alexa the voice-controlled PA for just 50 quid, and you can plug in your own speaker

Jul, 2019

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Expert review by : Jon Porter (techradar.com)

Amazon Echo Dot (2nd Generation) review

Amazon's smallest Echo remains a firm favorite

Small, subtle design ; Stellar voice recognition ; Line-out functionality is useful

Sound quality could be better ; No digital audio output

The Amazon Echo Dot is a great product. Despite shrinking in size and price, it maintains almost everything that made the original Echo so great.

Feb, 2019

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Expert review by : Ry Crist (cnet.co.uk)

Amazon Echo Dot (2nd Generation) review

Apple is rumored to be working on a Siri-powered smart home speaker with built-in cameras. The Google Home smart speaker could go on sale as soon as tomorrow , October 4.

The second-gen, mini-sized Amazon Echo Dot smart speaker is just as smart as the first at nearly half the cost, and it's better at hearing you, too. It's also the only Echo product you can connect to an existing audio setup.

Amazon's Echo products still can't offer audio that syncs across multiple devices in multiple rooms.

The new and improved Echo Dot takes Amazon's best-in-class smart home speaker and wraps it in an ultra-affordable package.

Oct, 2016

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Expert review by : Ian Furlong (coolsmartphone.com)

Vaux – Amazon Echo Dot Powered Speaker – Review

Turn that Echo Dot into the full Echo experience.

The Vaux is currently available from Amazon.co.uk for £49.99,(which is surprising really, I didn’t think Amazon would stock this direct competitor)

Aug, 2017

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Expert review by : Raymond Wong (mashable.com)

Amazon's Echo Dot 2 is the cheap, voice-controlled smart home hub all your rooms need

It's even cheaper than the original and it's available in a six-pack!

Only $50 ; Does everything the Echo does ; Responsive voice controls ; Shorter, streamlined design

Built-in speaker is still mediocre ; ESP wasn't ready for testing

The Amazon Echo Dot still does everything the Echo does, now at an even lower price and it's not exclusive for Echo or Fire TV owners.

Oct, 2016

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Expert review by : Kim Wetzel (digitaltrends.com)

Amazon Echo Dot Kids Edition review

The Echo Dot Kids Edition is a child's -- and a parents' -- dream.

Comprehensive parental controls ; Kid-centric features, stories, and functionality ; More durable than original Echo Dot ; FreeTime unlimited is a great value

More expensive than regular Echo Dot ; Privacy problems could be an issue for some

If you’re already weary of having a smart speaker in your home for privacy reasons, though, you’re not going to buy an Echo Dot Kids Edition anyway. If you are invested in Amazon Alexa and have children who are interacting with Alexa on a regular...

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Expert review by : Ry Crist (cnet.com)

Amazon's Echo Dot: Still a crown jewel of the modern smart home

It's locked in a virtual tie with the Google Home Mini, but the Amazon Echo Dot remains one of the best values in tech, and a worthy way of bringing AI assistance into your home.

The second-gen, mini-size Amazon Echo Dot smart speaker is just as smart as the full-size Echo at half the cost. It boasts more skills and third-party integrations than its rival, the Google Home Mini, and it also includes an aux-out jack for quick,...

The Home Mini offers noticeably better sound quality out of the box, and Google Assistant is better at pulling from the internet to answer a wide variety of questions.

The Echo Dot takes Amazon's popular smart home speaker and wraps it in an ultra-affordable package -- but the Google Home Mini is a very worthy competitor.

May, 2018

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Expert review by : Chris Davies (slashgear.com)

Amazon Echo Dot (2nd Gen) Review: Alexa goes everywhere

Amazon may have all-but stumbled onto its hit Echo speaker and the smart Alexa assistant that powers it, but the new $49.99 Echo Dot proves the retailer has no intention of letting that momentum slip. Resembling a hockey puck rather than the column of...

Most affordable way to get Alexa functionality ; Fast, accurate voice recognition ; Aggressive roll-out of new skills

No digital audio output ; Audio cable not included ; Multi-zone audio support not supported

Oct, 2016

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Expert review by : Michael Brown (pcworld.in)

Amazon Echo Dot (2nd generation) review: This is the Echo most people should buy

When I reviewed the Amazon Echo 13 months ago, I predicted that people would want one in every room. The Echo can control your home's lighting, play music, estimate your commute time, operate a timer, answer trivia questions, read books and news...

Nov, 2016

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Expert review by : Michael Brown (techhive.com)

Amazon Echo Dot (2nd generation) review: This is the Echo most people should buy

The least-expensive Echo does everything its pricier siblings do, but you should spring for an outboard speaker if you want it to play music.

Very inexpensive ; Works with a broad range of smart-home products and services ; Compact in size

Alexa is less sophisticated than Google Assistant ; Microphones don't cope well in environments with loud ambient noise ; Lousy speaker (add your own)

I predict that Google Home will be the better digital assistant for the smart home—eventually. Google has better speech recognition and a stronger AI effort. And you can ask contextual follow-up questions without having to say “Okay Google” again. But...

Nov, 2016