Amazon Echo (4th Gen)

About

The 4th-gen Echo's spherical design allows a 3-inch woofer and dual front-firing tweeters to project room-filling stereo sound in all directions. Dolby Processing and adaptive audio tuning adjust EQ to your room's acoustics automatically — and the result beats most dedicated Bluetooth speakers at this price point. What separates this Echo from cheaper options is the built-in smart home hub. It includes Zigbee, Matter, and Thread radios — you can connect Zigbee bulbs, locks, and sensors directly without a separate hub, and it acts as a Thread border router to strengthen your mesh. It's the only Echo that eliminates the hub purchase for most setups. Ask Alexa to control any connected devices, set routines by time or trigger, stream music from Spotify, Apple Music, or Amazon Music, make calls, and manage shopping lists. The 4th gen also supports Alexa Guard for passive home monitoring. If you're starting an Alexa ecosystem from scratch, this is the one to buy.