Image Unavailable
Color:
-
-
-
- To view this video download Flash Player
Echo Dot (2nd Generation) - Smart speaker with Alexa - Black
- 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.
- Play music from Amazon Music, Apple Music, Spotify, Pandora, SiriusXM, TuneIn, and iHeartRadio.
- Call or message family and friends hands-free, or drop in from the Alexa App to your Echo device.
- Controls lights, locks, thermostats, and more with compatible connected devices.
- Use the built-in speaker, or for bigger sound, connect to speakers through Bluetooth or audio cable.
- 50,000+ skills, including Jeopardy!, Lyft, Audible, and Domino's. Always getting smarter and adding new features.
- Hears you from across the room with 7 far-field microphones for hands-free control, even in noisy environments or while playing music.
Upgrade to Echo Dot (3rd Gen)
Experience louder sound, better far-field microphones, and a new look and feel for the 3rd generation of our best-selling Alexa device. Learn more
Smart home devices for you
Explore best-selling devices that work with Alexa-
"Alexa, turn on the lights."
Control the lights with your voice.
Customers also bought these items from Amazon Devices
- Amazon Smart Plug | Works with Alexa | control lights with voice | easy to set up and useFREE Shipping on orders over $35 shipped by AmazonGet it as soon as Wednesday, Apr 3Climate Pledge FriendlyProducts with trusted sustainability certification(s). Learn more
PRODUCT CERTIFICATION (1)
Reducing CO2 products reduce their carbon footprint year after year. Certified by the Carbon Trust.
Sleek and compact design makes Echo Dot a convenient addition to any room in the house. With its built-in speaker, you can place Dot in the bedroom and use it as a smart alarm clock that can also turn off your lights. Or use Dot in the kitchen to easily set timers and shop tens of millions of Amazon products using just your voice.
Echo Dot can also directly connect to speakers using a 3.5 mm stereo cable, Bluetooth, or Wi-Fi for compatible wireless speakers to add voice control to your home stereo system in the living room or den. Learn more about Bluetooth speakers and devices that work well with Echo Dot. With multi-room music support and connected speakers via cable, you can play music across multiple Echo devices. Learn more
Echo Dot provides hands-free voice control for Amazon Music—just ask for your favorite artist or song, or request a specific genre or mood. You can also search for music by lyrics, when a song or album was released, or let Alexa pick the music for you. Set a music alarm to wake up to your favorite song or playlist. Listen to any song with Amazon Music Unlimited. Learn more
Echo Dot also provides hands-free voice control to Apple Music, Spotify, Pandora, SiriusXM, TuneIn, and iHeartRadio.
Use Echo Dot to switch on the lamp before getting out of bed, turn up the thermostat while reading in your favorite chair, or dim the lights from the couch to watch a movie—all without lifting a finger…or even raising your voice. Control multiple devices at scheduled times or with a single voice command, like locking the doors and turning off the lights when you go to bed.
Echo Dot works with smart home devices such as lights, switches, TVs, fans, thermostats, and more from Philips Hue, TP-Link, Sony, ecobee, WeMo, SmartThings, Insteon, Lutron, Nest, Wink, Honeywell, and more. Learn more about compatible smart home connected devices, including starter kits for easy setup.
Tucked under the light ring is an array of seven microphones that use beam-forming technology and enhanced noise cancellation. With a more powerful processor, the Echo Dot has improved wake-word performance to hear you ask a question from any direction—even in noisy environments or while playing music.
When you want to use Echo Dot, simply say the wake word, “Alexa,” and Dot lights up and streams audio to the cloud, where the Alexa Voice Service is leveraged to recognize and respond to your request instantly. Learn more about voice recognition on Echo Dot.
Echo uses tens of thousands of skills and counting. Skills are like apps and help you do more with your device, like test your trivia knowledge with Jeopardy!, find your inner Zen with Headspace, track your fitness with Fitbit, fall asleep to ambient sounds, play games, and more. It’s easy to get started – just say “Alexa, help me get started with skills.”
New skills are being added all the time. Discover skills and see ratings and reviews in the skill section of the Alexa app or by visiting the skill homepage. You can also create your own custom Alexa responses in minutes by using Alexa Skill Blueprints to create your own Alexa Skills.
Customize your Dot for any room with the optional Echo Dot Case. Available in leather or fabric and a range of colors. Learn More.
With the free Alexa App on Fire OS, Android, iOS, and desktop browsers, you can easily setup and manage your Echo Dot. Use the Alexa App to connect music services you already use like Spotify and Pandora. Link your calendar from Google, G Suite, iCloud, Outlook.com or Office365. Setup your smart home devices from Philips Hue, TP-Link, ecobee, WeMo, SmartThings, Insteon, Wink, Nest, Lutron, and more.
Make calls, view your conversation history, manage contacts, and get notifications when you receive a message (calling and messaging features available on iOS and Android only). See which books are available to read from your Kindle and Audible libraries. View shopping and to-do lists while on the go. Control your timers and set custom tones for your alarms, and much more. The Alexa App is also where you discover third-party skills.
Technical Details
Echo Dot
Size |
1.3” x 3.3” x 3.3” (32 mm x 84 mm x 84 mm) |
Weight |
5.7 oz. (163 grams) Actual size and weight may vary by manufacturing process |
Wi-Fi connectivity |
Dual-band Wi-Fi supports 802.11 a/b/g/n (2.4 and 5 GHz) networks. Does not support connecting to ad-hoc (or peer-to-peer) Wi-Fi networks. |
Bluetooth connectivity |
Advanced Audio Distribution Profile (A2DP) support for audio streaming from your mobile device to Echo Dot or from Echo Dot to your Bluetooth speaker. Audio/Video Remote Control Profile (AVRCP) for voice control of connected mobile devices. Hands-free voice control is not supported for Mac OS X devices. Bluetooth speakers requiring PIN codes are not supported. |
Audio |
Built-in speaker for voice feedback when not connected to external speakers. 3.5 mm stereo audio output for use with external speakers (audio cable not included). |
System Requirements |
Echo Dot comes ready to connect to your Wi-Fi. The Alexa App is compatible with Fire OS, Android, and iOS devices and also accessible via your web browser. A list of supported operating systems can be found here. Certain skills and services may require subscription or other fees. |
Warranty and Service |
90-day limited warranty and service. Optional 1-year, 2-year, and 3-year extended warranty available for U.S. customers sold separately. Use of Echo is subject to the terms found here. |
Accessibility Features |
The Alexa app and Alexa-enabled products include several features for customers with accessibility needs related to vision, hearing, mobility, and speech. Learn more about Alexa accessibility. |
Included in the Box |
Echo Dot, power adapter (9W), Micro-USB cable, and Quick Start Guide. |
Videos
Videos for this product
2:07
Click to play video
Is the Echo Dot 2nd Gen Still Usable Today?
Candid Tech TV
Looking for specific info?
Customer reviews
Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them.
To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. It also analyzed reviews to verify trustworthiness.
Learn more how customers reviews work on AmazonCustomers say
Customers like the performance, ease of use, and quality of the digital device. For example, they mention it's a pretty functional little device, it works well, and it packs a lot of function at a very good price point. That said, opinions are mixed on sound quality and connectivity.
AI-generated from the text of customer reviews
Customers like the performance of the digital device. They say it's a pretty functional little device, works very well, and is quite useful. They also say it packs a lot of function at a very good price point. Some customers mention that it works immediately and responds very well. Overall, customers are satisfied with the performance and functionality of the product.
"...I've found that this works pretty well, but not perfectly...." Read more
"...Not buggy at all. Sometime she doesn't hear you but just think of how often people ask you to repeat yourself...." Read more
"...Works well with our TP Link smart plug so if I come home to a dark house, all I have to say is "alexa turn on the lights" and our downstairs..." Read more
"...It has the usual build quality you expect from Amazon, very good. Its simple. I mean four buttons: Action/Alexa, Mic Mute, Volume Up/Down...." Read more
Customers find the digital device very easy and intuitive to use. They say that the setup is a breeze, and the basic tasks are easy to do right out of the box. They also mention that the voice commands are consistent, and it's simple enough to control the TV with the remote.
"...and hope you find it useful.Setup really IS a breeze. I am technologically-challenged, so I was a bit worried about this aspect of it...." Read more
"...or "Amazon" because it saves a syllable and is much easier to start a sentence with...." Read more
"...stupid hacks like those, I found it a lot more simple and easier to use bluetooth and the play music app...." Read more
"...It has the usual build quality you expect from Amazon, very good. Its simple. I mean four buttons: Action/Alexa, Mic Mute, Volume Up/Down...." Read more
Customers like the quality of the digital device. They say it is a really cool piece of technology, with a simplistic design. The hardware is capable, and the device is incredible. It feels decently built for the price point, and is solid.
"...For $50, the Dot is an incredible device, and the price point makes it pretty painless to pick up a few of them or give them as gifts...." Read more
"...The ghosts loves it and simply keeps my house cool during the summer...." Read more
"...Lets talk about the actual device for a second. It looks really good, I think. It has the usual build quality you expect from Amazon, very good...." Read more
"...In terms of sound and responsiveness, the Dot is not as good as the Echo. The Dot's sound quality is understandable...." Read more
Customers find the humor in the digital device to be helpful and fun. They say it's fun to chat with, tell jokes and riddles, tell stories, and play music. Customers also say it gets them laughing every time and has some pretty funny songs.
"...That said, skills are definitely fun: I've added Jeopardy (Alexa, play Jeopardy) and Sleep Sounds..." Read more
"...for voice activated stuff really, but this is a good start and its a fun gadget, it fails sometimes but gets it right way more than it glitches." Read more
"...is a digitalized voice assistant that can answer questions, tell jokes and riddles, tell stories, play music, play games, plan events, shop, and..." Read more
"...All the other little things the Echo Dot can do are fun and useful, but I would have found more than enough value in just the three things I listed..." Read more
Customers like the value of the digital device. They mention that it is inexpensive, easy to use, and brings so much convenience. The price point makes it pretty painless to pick up a few of them. Some say that the special Alexa deals are sometimes quite useful.
"...For $50, the Dot is an incredible device, and the price point makes it pretty painless to pick up a few of them or give them as gifts...." Read more
"......" Read more
"...For the very reasonable price and it's functionality I can only give it 5 stars and recommend it to anyone that can see its usefulness in their lives." Read more
"...Wishes:* High-quality digital audio output that is better than Bluetooth...." Read more
Customers like the music selection of the digital device. They say it excels at home automation, playing music, podcasts, and radio. They also say it's intuitive and able to find music in 9 out of 10 tries. Customers also mention that each device is capable of playing its own music independently. They feel it'll be good enough for casual listening.
"...You can stream any song you want without commercials, and chances are the song you want to listen to is in the library...." Read more
"...Music on the thing is great...." Read more
"...I feel it is good enough for music playback for casual listening but wouldn't use it for get-togethers...." Read more
"...Dot has no problem controlling all of my smart stuff while allowing me to listen to music, order food, check the weather, listen to the radio, set..." Read more
Customers are mixed about the sound quality of the digital device. Some mention that the sound is amazing, the speakers are sufficient, and the built-in speaker isn't bad. However, others say that it still struggles with hearing you, the tiny speaker does sound very shallow, and that the noise is developed mechanically, not electronically.
"...The Dot also seems to struggle with hearing you when it's playing music or especially when it's sounding an alarm, whereas the Echo never really has..." Read more
"...Sounds like my old sony back in the day and it makes for a killer nostalgia sound. All these new fangled crisp audio devices? Where's the kitsch?..." Read more
"...The echo dot does have a built in speaker but it does sound tinny...." Read more
"...It gets enough volume to easily hear the voice without any distortion when turned up to 10...." Read more
Customers have mixed opinions about the connectivity of the product. Some mention that it works great with Echo, Pandora, and the Amazon Alexa application. However, others say that they have issues connecting and staying connected. They also say that there is no way to pair this with a phone to be able to make hands-free calls, and that the Bluetooth connection to the speaker was lost.
"...On Amazon you can find these ten dollar colored lights and they work great with echo. They do not do yellow, that's the only limitation...." Read more
"...Security: She is always listening. Always. To stop this, you can mute her (button on top of Dot) or just unplug her to be doubly sure...." Read more
"...I would like to point out, that the internet was fine the entire time. We have fast, reliable internet. And nothing else was having issues...." Read more
"...I have an older amp, it's pretty great, but it doesn't do bluetooth, and it cannot handle simultaneous input from 2 devices to the same channel at..." Read more
Reviews with images
-
Top reviews
Top reviews from the United States
There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.
There are so many fantastic reviews on the Echo Dot that I won't reinvent the wheel; instead, I will just address some questions that I still had even after reading reviews and etc. and hope you find it useful.
Setup really IS a breeze. I am technologically-challenged, so I was a bit worried about this aspect of it. If you can download an app and read, you won't have any trouble. That said, I DID have some trouble initially because I was using my laptop, and the setup process kept getting stuck at connecting to the internet (she'd connect, but in the process, I lost my own connection). I did spend time trying to look for a solution but eventually gave up and downloaded the Amazon Alexa app to my Kindle Fire. Despite its poor ratings (I think it has only 3 stars, mostly because it doesn't appear to have been updated in quite some time), I found using the app to get the Dot up and running was easy-peasey and very fast (less than two minutes). Just follow the setup instructions, and Alexa does all the work (you do have to enter your wifi password, though, so have that handy).
You do NOT have to have skills for Alexa to function. Skills are those add-on things that everyone's talking about that are like little programs you can open to do different things, sort of like "tools" on your phone or "calculator" and "stickies" (etc.) on your computer. I'm only adding that because I wasn't clear about that just from reading about them, and they sounded confusing (more on this in a bit).
Without skills added, she is remarkable. To start, just say, "Alexa" and then whatever else, and she will tell you. She'll tell you the weather, the time, get any information you can think of (from Wikipedia), tell you about local stores (including hours, distance, and whether or not they are open when you ask--you do need to allow her to access your location via the app), tell you what day Christmas (or whatever) falls on in any given year, add things to your shopping list (accessible via the app, including off-line if using a tablet as I am), shop via Amazon (just say, Alexa, how much is [product]? She'll look it up and tell you, including different options, and then she'll ask if you want to buy it. Or Alexa, buy [blah]). And she will: tell you a story, sing you a song, read your news (she's preset to a briefing but you can change it to Fox or Reuters or NPR, etc. in the app), play any song via Amazon Music (I do not have a sub to the pay Amazon music, just regular Prime), tell you when sunrise and sunset are, and probably a zillion other things that I can't remember or haven't tried.
To get anything to happen, just say "Alexa," and then whatever you want to happen.
WITHOUT skills added, Alexa does SO MUCH: Some of my favorites already are the stuff you wonder or would like throughout the day (the time, the temperature, the weather, the news, timers, reminders, whatever), and for fun, I love the following:
"Alexa, sing me a song" She'll sing "Take me out to the ballpark," some original material about how helpful she is (HILARIOUS), and a bunch of others.
"Alexa, tell me a story" She'll tell you a quick little story, so far the ones she's told me are "clean" (i.e. appropriate for households with children) and quite sweet.
"Alexa, tell me a joke" She'll tell you a quick little joke, some are groaners, but so far, they're all at least cute and fun.
"Alexa, what's your favorite movie" She'll tell you and add a quick little blurb about why she likes it.
She'll also set up an alarm for you without a skill. Just say, "Alexa, set an alarm." Ditto for reminders: I said "Alexa set a reminder for Monday," and she asked what time and what the reminder is for, so I just told her, and voila! Instant reminder to take the trash out.
Another concern I had was whether or not I had to remember a bunch of commands, but it turns out, you don't have to be so picky about what you say when not using skills, just say what you think makes sense, and she'll usually get it. If she doesn't just rephrase it.
For example, I asked her "Alexa, who starred in The Rifleman," but she said she didn't know. So I said, "Alexa, wikipedia, The Rifleman," and she told me about it, including the star of it (Chuck Conners). The initial blurb is short (less than 30 seconds), but she will ask if you want to know more (at which point, say "Alexa, tell me more" if you want more, or nothing, if you don't).
I was initially worried that it would be too confusing to dive into skills and things I'd never heard of before, so I was relieved that she does so much without skills. That said, skills are definitely fun: I've added Jeopardy (Alexa, play Jeopardy) and Sleep Sounds (a great skill with a bunch of soothing sounds like rain, thunderstorm, ocean, and many more. They loop, so until you tell her to stop, she will keep playing them (I tell her to stop when I wake up). I also added this day in History (Alexa, tell me what happened on this day), Inspire me (Alexa, inspire me; she'll play you a random inspirational quote--so far, they are recordings not in her voice), and quite a few more.
Most skills appear to be pretty picky about what you have to say to get it started, but the skill description provides the term to use to start it, and you can review your skills via the app). Remembering this stuff is not my strong suit, so I have to look in the app to remember what skill words are correct and will get the desired result. As with anything, the more I use it, the more I will remember. And I'm sure that skills will fall by the wayside as I either forget the correct phrase or quit caring about it.
The Alexa app is pretty intuitive, and the menu is good, helping to find specific things you want to know. I do wish it had a "home" button you can click at any time because it's a pain to have to page back to it (or quit the app and restart it).
You do not have to be right on top of her or even facing her for her to "hear" you. Just speak in your normal speaking voice. I have her in my living room, adjacent to my dining/kitchen area, and I said "Alexa, add pickles to my shopping list." My back was to her, and I was foraging in the fridge at the time, and she heard me perfectly and added pickles to my shopping list.
That said, I've found that some skills mess with her "hearing," and that you have to yell in her direction to get them to stop (I deleted these immediately; who wants to stand around yelling at a hockey puck-looking object?).
You can unplug the Dot and move it to another room, she'll just start up again on her own once plugged back in, including keeping all reminders and timers you've set.
Dot cannot work without wifi, so it doesn't really matter that she doesn't have a battery pack in that sense. But there is no way to move her to a place where she cannot be plugged in and still have access to wifi.
Security: She is always listening. Always. To stop this, you can mute her (button on top of Dot) or just unplug her to be doubly sure. She doesn't record anything you say unless you say "Alexa" first (or "Amazon" or "Echo" depending on what you prefer, I stuck with "Alexa" which she comes programmed to answer), but she will record anything you say after that even if she has no idea what you are talking about. You can manage these recordings via the app.
Alexa calling: this does NOT work unless you have the app on your phone AND enable access to your entire contacts list. This is unfortunate and will hopefully be fixed at some point so that you can give only those contacts you intend to actually contact or wish to be contacted by via Alexa. That said, if you are so inclined, you can enable access and then go though via the app and block everyone you don't want calling/messaging you if they have Alexa (or the app). This is still too intrusive to me, so I'm not doing it.
I think that's all the questions I still had before purchasing the Dot and hope it helps. If you are even thinking about getting this, I say, go for it. You will be pleasantly surprised by how functional she is before you add even one skill.
________________
UPDATE: 10/31/2017
I just saw that you can save $10 on a one-day deal on Echo dot. Buy one. Even if you aren't sure, for $40 what do you have to lose?
Since I wrote my initial review, I have grown to love the Echo dot more than ever. My latest favorite thing is saying, "Alexa, good morning." She'll give you some fun fact or random observation about the day in question.
I set timers, alarms, and reminders all the time, and she never fails (well, barring a power or internet outage). She will tell you the weather and when sunset and sunrise are. She'll cheer you up with a silly joke or inspirational message, and she'll tell you how many tablespoons equal one cup, she'll do whatever math you ask her, and she'll tell you if your apples are bad.
The only downside that I can see is that the calling feature is still far too intrusive. Amazon doesn't need to know every contact I have; they need only those contacts I will contact via Alexa. When that happens, my happiness with this device will be complete.
I'm not going to focus too much on the specific features of Alexa (the voice assistant that drives the Echo devices) because it's pretty easy to look them up if you aren't familiar. Instead I'll touch on a few points that I think are most worth mentioning and compare the Dot to the Echo.
The Dot works very much like the Echo. I can't speak to the first generation Dot because I never had one, but the three devices are essentially the same except for the speaker and the Bluetooth functionality.
The Echo has a terrific speaker, but no aux port or way to connect any external Bluetooth speaker. The Dot does both. I prefer to use the aux output instead of connecting a speaker via Bluetooth because then I can still connect my phone to the Dot and use the whole setup as a Bluetooth speaker for my phone. If the Dot is connected to a speaker with Bluetooth, you cannot connect your phone via Bluetooth at the same time.
The Dot's internal speaker is actually just fine for most things. It's plenty loud and not tinny or distorted, but it does lack bass. If you're going to use it for music a lot, you'll be much happier with an external speaker for a fuller sound.
The Dots play nicely together if you have more than one, and the Echo received an update so that it does as well. If multiple devices hear you give the wake command, they somehow work together to decide which is closest, and only that one responds. I've found that this works pretty well, but not perfectly. Sometimes I'm standing next to one Dot, but the Dot in the other room responds to me instead. It's aggravating when it happens, but once you learn to speak a little more softly and project your voice in the right direction when you're near multiple Dots, it's not much of an issue. It's of course also beneficial to space out the Dots in your home so that you are never right by more than one, if possible.
The Dot also seems to struggle with hearing you when it's playing music or especially when it's sounding an alarm, whereas the Echo never really has an issue. The Echo can be playing loudly and I can say the wake command normally from across the room and it'll still hear me most of the time. The Dot has a harder time, and that's probably the most annoying issue I've had with it. I find myself shouting at it multiple times to get the alarm to shut off in the morning. Again, there is a bit of a trick to it that helps, which is to enunciate the wake command carefully and time your voice with the quieter parts of the alarm or music, but it still needs a little work.
Although the Echo devices work together to ensure only one responds at a time, unfortunately what you can't do yet is any sort of synchronized action between them, or control one from another. It would be super nice if you could tell one of them to play music on all devices in the house, or if you could tell one to set a timer in another room because you're putting laundry in and want to have a reminder when you're back in the living room or something like that. You can't do anything like that for now. Whatever command you give applies only to the device that responds to you.
I am very excited about the possibility of controlling lights, thermostats, etc. with Alexa, but the cost is still to much for me to invest in any of that stuff, especially while I live in an apartment and can't install my own smart light switches or anything. I can imagine the Echo devices do a pretty good job with the home automation things, but I can't speak personally on it.
Some people have mentioned issues with the Dot losing connectivity on WiFi. I have also experienced this, although it hasn't been much much of a problem for me. For the most part they just work, but here and there I try to give one of them a command and it sort of hangs and then says it lost the connection. I imagine this will be fixed in a software update soon.
I love the Echo still, but I can't see spending the money for to buy any more of them when the Dot is only $50 and works almost exactly the same. The speaker is really the only difference, and Bluetooth speakers are cheap enough to give the Dot better sound quality. I hope they work out the few bugs that I and other people seem to be having, but even so, these are such fantastic devices, and I am extremely pleased with what I can do with them.
A couple side notes:
1) At some point they added another wake word, "Echo". I find it much better than "Alexa" or "Amazon" because it saves a syllable and is much easier to start a sentence with. I've found that it works best to enunciate the two syllables separately, though: "Eh-ko" (instead of slurring it together quickly). Otherwise the Dot doesn't respond quite as reliably as I'd like. That may have more to do with the issues I mentioned than the keyword, though.
2) Amazon also just unveiled their new Amazon Music Unlimited plan ($7.99/month for Prime members) which works very much like Spotify or Google Music. You can stream any song you want without commercials, and chances are the song you want to listen to is in the library. Since the Echo products don't support Google Music sadly (and probably never will), I opted to subscribe to the Music Unlimited plan so that I can listen to any song I want with my Echo devices just like I can when I'm at my computer. I have only found a couple things so far that aren't available for some reason, such as Taylor Swift's 1989 and Left and Leaving by The Weakerthans. However I own both of those CDs, so I uploaded the MP3s to my Prime music library, and now I can listen to them with the Echo devices. If you have Amazon Prime, you get the Prime Music streaming service for free, and it works with the Echo devices, but the song selection is much smaller. There's also Spotify, but I couldn't really justify another $10/month when I already have Google Music. I still wish Google Music was supported, but Amazon Music Unlimited a pretty good compromise for $8 a month (with Prime). Not a huge drop from $10/month, but it's worth it to me especially now that I have an Echo device in every room.