Next Thing

The Best Amazon Echo & Alexa Devices under $70

Select Price:
$70 $230
★ Top Choice
♥ Runner Up
Runner-Up, Best for Music
Best for Nightstands

Amazon

Echo Show 5

BUY NOW

From $69.99

More info

Amazon Echo Dot

★ Top Choice
BUY NOW From $29.99

Features

  • Voice control your music - Stream songs from Amazon Music, Apple Music, Spotify, Sirius XM, and others.
  • Ready to help - Ask Alexa to play music, answer questions, read the news, check the weather, set alarms, control compatible smart home devices, and more.
  • Improved speaker quality - Better speaker quality than Echo Dot Gen 2 for richer and louder sound. Pair with a second Echo Dot for stereo sound.
  • Alexa has skills - With tens of thousands of skills and counting, Alexa is always getting smarter and adding new skills like tracking fitness, playing games, and more.
  • Connect with others - Call almost anyone hands-free. Instantly drop in on other rooms in your home or make an announcement to every room with a compatible Echo device.
  • Meet Echo Dot - Our most popular smart speaker with a fabric design. It is our most compact smart speaker that fits perfectly into small spaces.
  • Voice control your smart home - Turn on lights, adjust thermostats, lock doors, and more with compatible connected devices.
  • Designed to protect your privacy - Built with multiple layers of privacy protections and controls, including a microphone off button that electronically disconnects the microphones.

Specs

  • Portable: no.
  • Bluetooth: yes.
  • Channels: Mono.
  • Physical Connections: 3.5mm.
  • Voice Assistant: Amazon Alexa.

Amazon Echo Dot

♥ Runner Up
BUY NOW From $39.99

Features

  • 50,000+ skills, including Jeopardy!, Lyft, Audible, and Domino's. Always getting smarter and adding new features.
  • Echo Dot is a voice-controlled speaker that uses Alexa to play music, control smart home devices, make calls, answer questions, set timers and alarms, and more.
  • Call or message family and friends hands-free, or drop in from the Alexa App to your Echo device.
  • Use the built-in speaker, or for bigger sound, connect to speakers through Bluetooth or audio cable.
  • Play music from Amazon Music, Apple Music, Spotify, Pandora, SiriusXM, TuneIn, and iHeartRadio.
  • Controls lights, locks, thermostats, and more with compatible connected devices.
  • Hears you from across the room with 7 far-field microphones for hands-free control, even in noisy environments or while playing music.

Cons

  • ⊖ Tinny sound quality.

Amazon Echo

Best of the Best
BUY NOW From $59.99

Features

  • Alexa has skills - With tens of thousands of skills and counting, Alexa is always getting smarter and adding new skills like tracking fitness, playing games, and more.
  • Meet Echo - Echo (3rd Gen) has new premium speakers powered by Dolby to play 360° audio with crisp vocals and dynamic bass response.
  • Voice control your music - Ask Alexa for a song, artist, or genre from Amazon Music, Apple Music, Spotify, Pandora, SiriusXM, and more. With multi-room music, play music on compatible Echo devices in different rooms.
  • Keep your family in sync - Use your Alexa devices like an intercom and talk to any room in the house with Drop In and Announcements.
  • Enjoy premium sound - Personalize your listening experience by adjusting the equalizer settings. Pair with a second Echo (3rd Gen) or Echo Plus (2nd Gen) for stereo sound and add more base with an Echo Sub.
  • Voice control your smart home - Turn on lights, adjust thermostats, lock doors, and more with compatible connected devices.
  • Designed to protect your privacy - Built with multiple layers of privacy controls, including a microphone off button that electronically disconnects the mics.

Pros

  • ⊕ Bigger sound.
  • ⊕ New Alexa features.

Cons

  • ⊖ No Zigbee.
  • ⊖ Expensive.
  • ⊖ Doesn't work on batteries.

Amazon Echo Show 5

Best for Nightstands
BUY NOW From $69.99

Features

  • Personalize by choosing a favorite clock face or album from Amazon Photos. Create routines and alarms to start and end your day.
  • Compact 5.5" smart display with Alexa ready to help.
  • Watch movies, TV shows, and your daily flash briefing. Listen to songs, radio stations, guided meditations, and audiobooks.
  • Voice or video call friends and family with compatible Echo devices, Alexa app, or Skype.
  • Manage calendar, make to-do lists, get weather and traffic updates, cook along with recipes.
  • Voice control compatible devices or manage them using the display.
  • Control your privacy with the mic/camera off button or the built-in camera shutter.

Pros

  • ⊕ Affordable.
  • ⊕ Good sound quality.
  • ⊕ WikiHow integration.
  • ⊕ Good microphone pickup.
  • ⊕ Physical camera shutter.

Cons

  • ⊖ No YouTube app.
  • ⊖ Frustrating UI.
  • ⊖ Easily collects dust.
  • ⊖ Mediocre sound quality.
  • ⊖ Fabric is difficult to clean.

Specs

  • Microphones: 2.
  • Voice Assistants Supported: Alexa.
  • Weight: 14.5 oz.
  • Speaker: 1 x 4W speaker.
  • Product Dimensions: 3.4 x 5.8 x 2.9 in.
  • Color: Charcoal, Sandstone.
  • Ports: Stereo 3.5 mm audio out.
  • Connectivity: Bluetooth, IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n/ac.
  • Screen: 5.5” screen with 960 x 480 resolution.
  • Internet Streaming Service: Amazon Music Unlimited, Pandora, Spotify.
  • Camera: 1MP, Built-in camera shutter and microphone/camera off button.
  • Compatibility: Fire OS 5.3.3 or higher, Android 5.1 or higher, iOS 11.0 or higher, Desktop Browsers by going to: https://alexa.amazon.com.