Amazon Echo buying guide: Every smart speaker explained to help find which one is right for you

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Amazon's Alexa-enabled smart speakers offer a convenient way to upgrade your living space. They're available at a wide range of price points with different features, from the basic Echo Dot to the high-end Echo Studio. 

Not only do they serve as Bluetooth and Wi-Fi enabled speakers, but Echo devices also offer full support for Amazon's famous and helpful voice assistant, Alexa. The Alexa app lets you link and control multiple Echo devices at once, as well as unlock several smart home features. 

From getting answers to simple questions to setting alarms and controlling smart lights, Alexa gives you the power to do a lot around your house with just your voice. It's a very useful tool, especially if you're preoccupied with cooking, cleaning, or just relaxing on the couch. Some of the latest Echo devices can even act as Wi-Fi extenders for Amazon's eero mesh Wi-Fi products.

But considering how extensive the Echo lineup is, it can be pretty overwhelming to sort through. That's why we've outlined every Echo speaker and display offered by Amazon below, to help you shop with confidence.

How to find great deals on Echo devices

Echo devices are commonly discounted throughout the year, but drop to all-time lows during deal events like Prime Day and Black Friday. 

For example, the standard Echo's price often dips down close to the regular cost of an Echo Dot during these events. Meanwhile, Echo Dot models tend to get 50% discounts, which makes them an even better value for budget shoppers. 

Echo Dot (5th Gen)

The Echo Dot is a compact smart speaker that makes it easy to add Alexa to any room. The latest iteration of the Dot has the same spherical shape and size as the fourth-gen Dot, but boasts significant internal improvements, like twice as much bass, a temperature sensor, a built-in Eero Wi-Fi extender, and expanded tap controls. You can find more details in our breakdown of Echo Dot features.

Based on its balance of price, features, and size, we think the fifth-gen Echo Dot is best for buyers who want a small Alexa speaker that can still deliver decent audio quality when playing music in cozier rooms. 

Echo Dot with clock (5th Gen)

The newest Echo Dot with clock has been improved with a better display that can show the temperature, calendar notifications, and music playback information. As a speaker, the Echo Dot with clock has the same functionality as the standard Echo Dot.

If you're willing to spend a bit more for this model, the Echo Dot with clock's display makes it an ideal bedroom or kitchen companion. It's superior to the previous-generation model, as the older version was limited to only displaying the time and alarms.

Echo Dot Kids (5th Gen)

The fifth-generation Echo Dot Kids edition comes in a fun owl or dragon design but otherwise offers the same specs as the standard model. It includes a one-year subscription to Amazon Kids+, which is a service that provides books, games, and Alexa skills for children. Amazon Kids+ can also be accessed on other devices like tablets and Kindles. The Echo Dot Kids also comes with a two-year warranty that will replace the speaker in case of accidental damage.

The Echo Dot Kids only costs $10 more than the standard model, and the extra benefits are definitely worth it if you expect a child to be the speaker's primary user.

Echo (4th Gen)

Amazon's flagship smart speaker is the fourth-generation Echo, which serves as a larger version of the Dot. The Echo is only two inches wider and taller than the Echo Dot, but features dual tweeters and a woofer compared to the Dot's single speaker. Given the improved sound quality, the Echo is better suited for use in larger spaces like a living room, while the Echo Dot should suffice for smaller areas like a bedroom or kitchen counter.

In terms of Alexa and smart home capabilities, the Echo also adds support for the Zigbee wireless protocol, which can be more effective than Wi-Fi or Bluetooth when controlling compatible smart home devices.

During Amazon sales events, the Echo's price tends to drop by as much as 40%. Even when it's not on sale, the standard Echo is the best option for buyers who want a larger Alexa speaker to fill a bigger room.

Read our Amazon Echo review.

Echo Studio

The Echo Studio is Amazon's premium smart speaker, boasting five audio drivers, including a downward-firing woofer. That gives the Studio by far the best sound performance of the existing Echo lineup, making it an ideal smart speaker for a home entertainment setup. The Echo Studio is also the only Echo that can support spatial audio and Dolby Atmos, which can create a broader, more realistic soundscape for both music and movies.

The Echo Studio has a mini-optical Toslink input if you have a device that has an optical output, like a smart TV or video game console. The Echo Studio also carries Zigbee wireless support as a smart home hub.

The higher price of the Echo Studio makes it worth comparing to premium wireless speakers from brands like Bose and Sonos. Though most buyers will be satisfied with a standard Echo or Dot, the Studio's advanced audio performance makes it a good buy for customers who want an all-in-one home theater speaker with Alexa.

Read our Echo Studio review. 

Echo Pop

The Echo Pop is the newest and most affordable option in the Echo speaker lineup. It's available in a handful of fun colors with a sleek design that looks attractive without drawing attention. It's best for bedrooms, bathrooms, and other smaller-sized spaces.

At only $40, it's the most budget-friendly Echo speaker you can buy. When it comes to furnishing a smart home with multiple rooms, that's a big deal — now it's more affordable than ever to expand the smart capabilities of Alexa to spare rooms and hallways that were otherwise dead spots.

In exchange for its lower price, the Pop lacks the motion detection and temperature sensor that are built into the slightly more expensive Echo Dot.

Echo Show 8 (3rd Gen)

The third-generation Echo Show 8 is Amazon's flagship smart display model. It carries over the same basic functions of an Echo smart speaker while adding a touchscreen display and 13MP camera that are perfect for streaming videos and making calls.

This new third-generation model improves upon its predecessor with spatial audio playback, an upgraded processor, a revised design featuring edge-to-edge glass with a centered camera, and built-in smart home hub support for Zigbee, Matter, and Thread. However, the latest Echo Show 8 costs more than the second-gen model, which is still available and often heavily discounted. Buyers who want to save some cash may want to sacrifice a few features and pick up the older model.

Echo Show 8 (2nd Gen)

Like the newer third-gen model, the second-gen Echo Show 8 has dual speakers, a 13-megapixel camera, and an 8-inch screen. However, this older model is missing built-in Zigbee smart home hub support and spatial audio capabilities. It also uses a slower processor and doesn't have the edge-to-edge glass design of the third-gen Echo Show 8.

At its full suggested retail price, this older Echo Show 8 is only $20 cheaper than the new model. However, it's sometimes on sale for as low as $60. At that price, it's hard to recommend the third-gen model over this much more affordable and very similar alternative. 

Read our Echo Show 8 review.

Echo Show 5 (3rd Gen)

Amazon's smallest Alexa-enabled smart display is the Echo Show 5. This entry-level model features a 5.5-inch touchscreen with a 480p resolution. It also boasts a 2MP camera for video calls.

Compared to the last generation model, this new third-gen Echo Show 5 has improved audio, an additional microphone for better Alexa performance, a faster processor, a revised design, and screen improvements for nighttime use.

Despite being a fresh 2023 release, you can sometimes find the Show 5 on sale for around $40. Though we think the Echo Show 8's larger screen and higher resolution camera make it a better fit for most smart display tasks, the Show 5 is a great budget option for buyers who want to spend less and need a more compact option.

Echo Show 10 (3rd Gen)

Though the screen of the Echo Show 10 is larger, it actually has the same resolution as the Echo Show 8. The real upgrade here is the motion display stand, which can automatically turn the screen to face you while in use. The Echo Show 10 also has an additional woofer bringing more bass to the sound quality, and a built-in Zigbee smart home hub system, which the Show 5 and second-gen Echo Show 8 lack.

Though those features are nice to have, the Echo Show 10 costs a lot more than the Echo Show 8. Ultimately, we think this model is best suited for buyers who think they'll get a lot of use out of the motion display stand while cooking or multitasking. 

Read our Echo Show 10 review.

Echo Show 15

The 15-inch Echo Show 15 is the only Echo Show model designed to be used in either portrait or landscape mode and is large enough to be wall-mounted. It's also the only Echo Show that has the Fire TV OS built-in, which is the same interface that Amazon uses on its TVs and streaming sticks. That said, the device's camera and speakers are actually worse than the Echo Show 8 and 10, suggesting that the Show 15 is intended for use as a wall display rather than as a countertop device for video calls. 

Luckily, it's not more expensive than the smaller Echo Show 10. Echo Show 15 is an interesting piece of technology but may not be practical for every home. It would be nice to see speakers and a camera that match the quality of the smaller Echo Show devices, but buyers who want something a little bigger that they can hang on their wall should consider it.

Read our Echo Show 15 review.