Cheap and easy to use ; Good comprehension ; Lots of compatible devices ; 3.5mm output

Low quality speaker ; AI could be more advanced

A simple and effective entry into the world of voice assistants

Alexa voice assistant is genuinely useful ; Reliable voice control ; Decent selection of features ; Easy to use

Sound is nothing special ; Relies on other apps and devices to make the most of it

So-so sound but the Alexa assistant makes this a seriously clever speaker

Stellar music, to-do list and timer apps ; Handy news, weather, smart home and calendar stuff too ; Futuristic tech, old-fashioned price ; You can plug it in to any speaker with a line in

…So yes, you do need to already own a speaker to get the most out of it ; Same limitations as full-size Echo

Works with additional speakers for boost to sound, compact and sleek design, superb mic pickup, easy setup and connectivity, plenty of compatible services, great price point

Some frustrations with understanding commands, no battery for portability, as a standalone speaker the quality is tinny

The Amazon Echo Dot is a brilliant, small and affordable smart home device. The Alexa personal assistant is currently as good as it gets, despite some foibles in her conversational understanding.

Vaux looks great, is easy to use and offers a legitimate sound quality upgrade for your Amazon Echo Dot -- plus portability,

Sound gets slightly distorted when you crank it up to max volume, and battery life wasn't quite as good as you'll get with a speaker-free battery base. There's also no charging dock like the one you get with the Amazon Tap.

The price is right for this sensible Echo Dot upgrade, but you might be better off just getting an Amazon Tap.

Premium build ; Excellent sound quality (Echo) ; Unobtrusive (Echo Dot) ; Great microphone performance ; Expansive skill set

Voice commands can get confusing ; Filtering good and bad skills is difficult ; Amazon Prime membership needed to get the most out of it

Out the box, the Amazon Echo and Echo Dot are both amazing examples of consumer technology. What is essentially a talking speaker possesses hardware and software designed to streamline your daily routine, educate you, entertain you and control the...

Seamless smart home integration ; Pretty decent DJ ; Dirt cheap!

Alexa sometimes plays dumb ; Needs hooking up to a better speaker

One of the best bargains in tech right now and a first step into a wonderful future

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.