Amazon Echo Dot (1st gen. 2016)

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.

Adorable designs ; Parental controls tools ; Lots of extra audio content

Alexa app is bloated and complex

Great new design ; Improved clearer sound ; Flexible line in/out jack ; Better sound than dedicated £50 speakers

Alexa isn’t the brightest

The third-generation Echo Dot was a huge improvement on the previous Dots. The fourth-generation version is a smaller step forward, but only because there was nothing screaming out for improvement. It was already our favourite small smart speaker, and...

Much cheaper than the main Echo unit

Lightweight ; Poor-quality audio

Although Google Home has now finally arrived in the UK and Apple will be here soon, Amazon's Alexa remains the most fully formed system available today, and nothing comes close to the Dot in terms of pure value for money.

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...