The 10 best Echo devices for building a smarter home

Who it’s for:

Whether you want an Echo smart speaker in every room or just need a smarter alarm clock, the 2024 Echo Spot is made for your bedside. It has programmable routines to queue your morning wake-up and evening wind-down. Plus, it responds quickly and clearly to Alexa commands, so you can play music from the speaker without opening your phone or ask for a weather report as you’re getting dressed.

Why we like it:

The 2024 Echo Spot improves about the previous models’ shortcomings, creating an easy-to-use smart alarm clock that’s both useful and good-looking. It’s bigger than both the Echo Pop and Echo Dot; at 4.5-inches by 4.1-inches by 4.4-inches, it takes up just the right amount of nightstand space without overcrowding.

Slanted at a slight angle, the upper half of the clock face features a small touchscreen. While we think it’s a little too small, it still has vibrant colors. The bottom half is a 1.73-inch front-firing speaker, the same that comes in the Echo Dot. The speaker produces clear audio that doesn’t sound tinny, however, it’s meant for small spaces — don’t plan on using it for your next party. Alexa also answers quickly to questions and commands, making it easy to turn on a podcast to kick off your morning.

The alarm function works like any daily alarm clock. Snoozing is easy: Tap the top of the device with more than one finger to get another few minutes of rest. Meanwhile, turning off the alarm is slightly more annoying, requiring you to interact with the touchscreen. While it works fine, it would feel more natural to have a “Stop” button on top.

The touch screen is rather minuscule and limited to the small rectangular space on the half-moon top of the clock face. Another big drawback of the Echo Spot comes when you’re playing music or listening to a podcast. When audio is playing, the time disappears — a hinderance if you need to know what time it is.

Otherwise, the Echo Spot is a worth entry into the Echo line of devices, offering a well-designed smart alarm clock.