Amazon has rolled out numerous self-branded products that incorporate Alexa, a smart virtual voice assistant that can do a variety of hands-free functions. These devices serve as home hubs, which plainly put, can link household appliances together, such as thermostats, lights and more. Yet out of all the devices that Amazon has created, it may be hard to find which one is right for your home.
The key is to compare all the different specifications and abilities of each device. Here’s a breakdown of everything:
- Echo
The Echo is by far the most popular of the Amazon devices. By using Alexa, it can perform a number of voice commands, such as turn lights on/off, remotely control appliances, stream music (or play music from your playlist), play audio books, give weather forecasts, sports and news updates, place food delivery orders, make voice calls, etc.
The Echo comes equipped with a 360º omni-directional audio speaker for sound that won’t disappoint.
- Echo Dot
The Echo Dot provides everything that the standard Echo has, however, as the name may allude to, is that it’s a compact, smaller version of the Echo. Due to it’s miniature size, it should be noted that the sound system isn’t as great as the Echo, however, since it has the same capabilities, it is a device that many have opted for—especially since it costs a fraction of the price. It is the most affordable of Amazon’s devices.
- Echo Tap
The Amazon Tap differs from both the Echo and Echo Dot in that it is a portable Bluetooth speaker—it’s not tethered to an outlet like most of Amazon’s devices. So as long as there is an Internet signal, Alexa can be used to stream music, provide news, weather and sports updates, etc. that comes standard with Alexa. The downside to the Tap is that it cannot place calls. When it’s not in it’s charging dock, the Tap has an 8-hour battery life, which makes it a good option to have when you want to take your music on the go. Since it is a Bluetooth device, regardless of whether or not you have Internet, you’ll be able to play music from your playlists.
- Echo Show
The Echo Show also has many of the standard Alexa hands-free voice assistant features as the other devices; however, it goes one step further to provide video assistance—which enhances the usability of the device. Now users can watch the news, place video calls, watch YouTube, view music lyrics and even monitor video surveillance for local home security monitoring along with other video capabilities. The Show comes with eight speakers with Dolby processing, so it also delivers on that front as well.
- Echo Spot
The Echo Spot will be the latest of the Amazon products. It will be released December 19th. Like the Echo Show, it too will come with a screen and built-in camera. It’ll have the ability to make voice calls, display baby monitors, front door cameras in addition to all of the other standard Alexa voice commands. It will also allow users to connect to other speakers for multi-room music. The Echo Spot a smaller device; however, it will still be larger than the Echo Dot.
