Item: Amazon Echo Spot (2024)
Rating: 8
Author: Carsten Drees

Seven years have passed since the first Echo Spot from Amazon. In 2024, the e-commerce giant relaunched it and presented it as a compact speaker with a small display—and without a camera. Is the Amazon Echo Spot (2024) more than just a smart alarm clock? We find out for you in this test.

Summary and purchase

Amazon presented the second-generation Echo Spot in July. The smart clock radio with Alexa on board is offered at a recommended retail price of $79.99. In my opinion, the range of functions is too limited for the price, so be sure to keep an eye out for offers—for example, the device was available for just $45 for the launch and Prime Day, which I think is an extremely fair price.

What can the new edition of the Echo Spot do? It is compact, can of course be operated by voice, and has a small but attractive display with nice animations. Logically, this is not intended for watching YouTube but essentially shows the time, the weather and the music currently playing. You can also control your smart home via Alexa/voice and the ultrasonic sensor and set up automations, but the device does not replace a smart home hub.

If you can live with the fact that you can configure the alarm clock via voice or in the app and not on the device itself, and can wait until an offer of around $50 is available, you're welcome to go for it. In this case, you still have the choice: the Echo Spot is available in black, blue, and white.

Design and display

The Amazon Echo Spot (2024) only has a small 2.83-inch display and is therefore not intended for YouTube or Netflix. The display is perfectly suited to these other tasks, which we can also say for the overall appealing and compact design.

Pros:

Beautiful, simple design.
Display with nicely done animations and night mode.
No camera.

Cons:

Night mode does not work with voice commands.

Amazon Echo Spot displaying the time on its small display. — Don't be fooled: The display is smaller than the tinted, crescent-shaped glass would have us believe. / © nextpit

At 11.3 x 10.3 x 11.1 cm, the new Echo Spot is quite similar in shape to the fifth-generation Echo Spot we tested a few months back, but a little larger. However, it is compact enough for the bedside cabinet and that is exactly where the device belongs. We are therefore dealing with a kind of hemisphere with a flat front. You can clearly see the division of tasks in the picture above: a little more than the upper half is dedicated to the display, the lower half to the 44.5 mm speaker.

Bear in mind that although the crescent-shaped glass looks great, it is significantly larger than the actual display, which has a screen diagonal of 2.83 inches. There are three controls on the top: In the middle is the switch with which you switch the microphones on or off, which is framed by the "volume up" and "volume down" buttons - so old Echo hands will find their way around straight away.

If you miss something like alarm clock buttons: Yes, I miss them too, we'll talk about them later. In terms of connectivity, there is only one connection, which is logically for the 15 W power supply unit that is included in the box.

The Spot has a slimmed-down display compared to the original Spot. Sounds like a downgrade, but I don't think it actually is one. The display with its 240 x 320 pixels doesn't have video support for YouTube or other video apps, and concentrates on rudimentary displays such as the time, songs being played, or the weather.

There is also no longer a built-in camera. I also think that's a good thing—nobody needs to see me lying in bed in the bedroom. And I watch video content on all kinds of displays, but certainly not on the less than three-inch panel of my alarm clock!

The presentation on the display is great, you have various color schemes and nice animations at your disposal—nobody really misses OLED here. There's just one thing about the display that annoys me: if you switch to the night mode, the device dims the display down pleasantly—but it lights up again at full power as soon as you give a voice command, such as starting a podcast.

Finally, a word on sustainability: According to Amazon, the device is made from 36% recycled materials.

Setup and operation

The Echo Spot is quick to set up and is essentially controlled by voice or the Alexa app. This also applies to the alarm function, where a setting option on the device itself would have been desirable.

Pros:

Quick, uncomplicated setup.
Intuitive operation.
Sufficiently good sound.
Cool snooze function via tapping the device.

Cons:

No alarm settings on the device.
No temperature sensor.

For a tech journalist, I have a relatively small experience in setting up new smart home components. This is not a problem with the Echo Spot, as setting it up is incredibly simple. Simply plug it in and either scan the QR code on the display or start the Alexa app directly on your smartphone. After connecting to the Wi-Fi, simply follow the displayed steps and you're ready to go.

Amazon Echo Spot 2024 viewed from the front. — Not much is displayed, but that's not necessary - the display is perfect as it is. / © nextpit

There are a few different designs available for the display - you can also choose whether the weather is shown. As usual, you can of course ask Alexa for the weather forecast at any time, and the Spot responds very quickly to your commands.

How to talk to the smart assistant: The best Alexa voice commands!

Amazon Alexa app screenshots — If you want more extensive settings for the Echo Spot, you have to dive into the Alexa app. / © nextpit

You can also play music by voice input, for which you have to briefly connect your trusted streaming partner in the app first. The spot is therefore capable of the usual tricks, so you can ask your new alarm clock to play a certain album, a certain band, or even a specific playlist, for example.

Speaking of music: The sound is loud and good enough for the bedroom. So you can swap the playlist for a few minutes longer while you're dozing off—or listen to your favorite podcast while you fall asleep. However, the sound would not be good enough for me as a primary music source in the living room.

Amazon Echo Spot viewed at an angle. — The speaker is perfectly adequate for the bedroom, but would generally be too thin for sound reinforcement. / © nextpit

Extensive alarm options can be found in the Alexa app. Should the alarm repeat on certain days? What sound do you want to be woken up with? You can define this and much more there. What I miss: The option to set the alarm on the device without the app. You can only turn off the alarm via the touchscreen or tap the top of the device for the snooze function.

There are four options on the touch display when you swipe down:

The house icon always takes you back to the start screen.
If you tap on the sun, you can manually configure the brightness of the panel.
Use the crescent moon to activate "Do not disturb" mode.
Finally, the cogwheel takes you to the settings. However, these settings are much more rudimentary than in the Alexa app.

Thanks to the ultrasonic sensor, you can also configure the Spot so that the light is automatically switched on when you enter the room at a certain time, for example - this can also be set in the app. In general, you can work with routines on the smart Amazon alarm clock so that, for example, the desired playlist is played and the light is switched on at the same time after you wake up.

The box supports Matter and Zigbee, is multi-room-capable with compatible devices, but does not replace a fully-fledged smart home hub such as the Amazon Echo Hub (review).

Drop-ins for compatible devices also work with the Echo Spot, and you can also initiate calls by voice. What's not included is a temperature sensor that automatically regulates the heating at a certain temperature. But as I said, this device is not designed to be a major control center for the smart home.

Amazon Echo Spot (2024) technical specifications

Conclusion

Should you buy this smart alarm clock? I say "no" for one reason—the price is too high for me. The Echo Spot does exactly what you would expect from a modern alarm clock: It wakes you up on time, switches on the light and/or the desired playlist if you wish.

You can work with routines, the well-designed, functional display won't disturb you at night and the speaker's sound is perfectly adequate for the bedroom. As with Echo devices and the Alexa app, you can make a lot of granular settings via the app, define routines, and more. Unfortunately, you can only set the alarm clock via the app or by voice, not on the device itself.

Are you mainly interested in listening to music or managing your own smart home? Then it's better to use an alternative. Fortunately, there are plenty of Amazon Echo devices to choose from.

Amazon Echo Spot viewed from the side. — This smart alarm clock looks good in any bedroom. / © nextpit

Visually, the Echo Spot can match the decor of any bedroom, is pleasantly compact and I see the lack of a camera as a feature rather than a bug. In other words: If the device wasn't so expensive, it would be almost perfect! That's why I would like to give it a limited recommendation to buy: Get the Spot—but only once Amazon gets it back to $55, because the Echo Spot is easily worth it. Remember, the next Black Friday is just around the corner!