Amazon Echo Dot with Clock (2020) Review

We can’t help but love the futuristic look of Amazon’s 2020 Echo smart speakers, which feature a spherical design. Despite having undergone a design overhaul, Amazon’s Echo Dot with Clock (2020) hasn’t changed much from its predecessor on the inside.

Amazon Echo Dot with Clock (2020)

Pros of the Amazon Echo Dot with Clock (2020)

• Design is excellent
• Timepiece that is clearly visible
• Setting up is easy

Cons Amazon Echo Dot with Clock (2020)

• Sounding weak in the bass
• Audio does not surround the viewer 360 degrees
• Hub is not available for Zigbee

D.T. of the Amazon Echo Dot with Clock (2020)

Despite having undergone a design overhaul, Amazon’s Echo Dot with Clock (2020) hasn’t changed much from its predecessor on the inside. You won’t get a lot out of the newer model unless you really need the space age design, so unless you’re a fan of space age design, there’s no point in paying the extra money.

The link to buy the Amazon Echo Dot with Clock (2020) on Amazon can be found here

The link to buy the Amazon Echo Dot with Clock (2020) at Best Buy can be found here

Release date and price for Amazon Echo Dot (2020)

A regular Echo Dot costs / £59.99 / AU whereas the Echo Dot with Clock costs / £59.99 / AU.

As with the previous Echo Dot with Clock, the price has not changed since it launched in 2019. Deals for that device came fairly quickly after its launch, so you can expect prices on the updated model to be discounted soon as well.

Since this speaker is a little older now, it’s usually discounted, making it a direct competitor to Google Nest Mini.

Concept of Amazon Echo Dot with Clock (2020)

We can’t help but love the futuristic look of Amazon’s 2020 Echo smart speakers, which feature a spherical design.

This is a bold move from Amazon, especially considering the cylindrical design of their previous Echos became synonymous with smart speakers. However, we’re confident the design will be just as popular – Apple’s HomePod Mini employs a similar style.

Its main features are essentially the same as the Echo Dot launched in 2020, with an LED timepiece on the former, making it dual-purpose as an alarm clock and kitchen timer on the side. It’s a smart addition since one of the most frequently asked questions on Amazon’s Alexa-enabled smart speaker was “what’s the time?” in 2019.

Glacier White and Twilight Blue are available colors, and it features a fabric grille that wraps around the base to give it a chic look.

There is a blue light ring around the base of the compact smart speaker which lights up whenever you interact with the voice assistant. Additionally, it has a power port and 3.5mm audio input that you can connect to a more powerful speaker via cable, just as the 2020 Echo Dot has.

You will find an Action button, volume up / down buttons, and a mic on / off button on top of the speaker. You can use these controls to turn off the microphone if you’re worried Alexa will eavesdrop on your conversations.

Its 3.5-inch height makes it a little larger than its predecessor, but does not take up much room on your bedside table because it has the same small footprint. As a result, only the display separates this speaker from the regular Echo Dot.

As an alarm clock in a bedroom, or as a handy timer in the kitchen, the Echo Dot with Clock displays the time on a segmented LED display. In addition to adjusting to the brightness of your room automatically, the LED display can also be clearly seen in full sunlight, so it won’t blind you in the dark. The best part? The smart speaker lets you snooze your alarm by pressing the top, so you don’t have to look for a button in the dark.

Configuration of the Amazon Echo Dot with Clock (2020)

With the Echo Dot with Clock, you can set it up in seconds. The Alexa app must be downloaded on your smartphone, and then add a new device. The Alexa light ring will turn orange when the smart speaker has entered setup mode. You will then need to connect the Echo Dot to your home’s network by selecting it in the Wi-Fi settings on your device.

By now you have trained Alexa so it can recognize your voice and respond to you according to your preferences.

The link to purchase the Amazon Echo Dot with Clock (2020) at Amazon can be found here

The link to purchase the Amazon Echo Dot with Clock (2020) at Best Buy can be found here

Using Alexa, a Smart Assistant on the Amazon Echo Dot with Clock (2020)

Its onboard voice assistant, Alexa, makes the Echo Dot with Clock a smart speaker like no other.

Alexa can perform an array of tasks, including playing music, radio shows, or podcasts from supported streaming services, making phone calls to other Echo speakers and mobile phones, reading the news, and creating calendar events.

When listening to music, you’ll likely have to speak louder to hear the onboard microphones.

The Alexa Skills that third parties develop are expanding at a rapid pace, in addition to the things Alexa can do. With them, you can order pizza at your favorite restaurant, play board games with Alexa, and even listen to her reading recipes as you cook.

With Alexa, you can also control smart home devices such as smart lights, locks, and security cameras, by speaking commands to your Echo Dot with Clock.

Since the Amazon Echo Dot with Clock does not come with a Zigbee hub, you will need to have already configured these smart devices with another Amazon Echo device. As a result, if you have lots of smart home devices you’d like to control, the Echo Dot with Clock probably shouldn’t be your only smart speaker.

In the event you decide to purchase an Echo Dot to use as a secondary smart speaker, you now have the ability to easily listen to other rooms with Echo speakers (or vice versa) in your house. You can use this to tell the kids that dinner is ready while you’re in the kitchen.

It will offer peace of mind to parents considering purchasing an Echo Dot with Clock for their children’s room with Alexa’s new features. Alexa, for example, can automatically modify its responses to make them kid-friendly when it recognizes a child’s voice instructing the speaker using Alexa Voice Profiles for Kids.

Besides learning at home, Alexa can also help your kids with their reading skills.

Interpretation of Audio

As much as Amazon has put into its design, we wish it had paid as much attention to its audio quality as it has to its design on the Echo Dot with Clock. This speaker has a similar sound performance to its predecessor, due primarily to its front-firing 1.6-inch speaker.

Due to its spherical design, the Echo Dot with Clock may have led you to believe that this speaker offers 360-degree sound. However, it is only when placed directly in front of your ear that you can experience that sweet spot.

With a size this compact, the volume of the speaker is quite good for its size.

A key aspect of the Echo Dot with Clock that will strike you is its focus on mid-range frequencies. As a result, vocals sound excellent, but low and treble frequencies suffer, making this not suitable for bassheads, nor for those who love high detail.

I found this to be the case when listening to Robert by Jockstrap. Although vocals sounded clear and well presented, the Echo Dot with Clock seemed unable to handle all the complex rhythmic changes, and the bass lacked impact.

Richard Butler’s gentle voice and the iconic marimba melody were clearly recognizable in Love My Way by The Psychedelic Furs. In general, the synth chords lacked a little richness in the low end and the bass frequencies didn’t have much power – they weren’t as distinct as I could have hoped. Talk Talk’s It’s My Life’s tightly controlled bass lines communicated far better than anything else we tested.

For anything more analytical than that, however, the Echo Dot with Clock is not a good choice as your sole speaker. It is a great companion to play a little background music while you work, but it won’t give you the quality you deserve.

The link to purchase an Amazon Echo Dot with clock (2020) on Amazon can be found here

The link to purchase an Amazon Echo Dot with Clock (2020) at Best Buy can be found here

In Conclusion

Considering its compact size and low price, the Echo Dot with Clock works well as a secondary smart speaker. The Echo Dot with Clock’s LED timepiece makes it an ideal bedside companion, while its sound quality is good enough for playing background music.It has some cool Alexa features – and it can be used to ‘drop in’ using another Echo speaker so that you don’t have to go to their room to check in on them.