Amazon Echo (2017) review

When it comes to design, reviewers were much happier with its shorter and wider footprint compared to previous models. The new design allowed the Echo to blend in more seamlessly to their decor. Also, it also now comes with interchangeable shells so you can change up its appearance.

Aside from that, it keeps the same light near up top to indicate when it’s listening and show you the volume level. There’s also the control buttons up top that allow you to toggle the volume or microphone by hand if you don’t feel like issuing voice commands to Alexa.

One new feature is the auxiliary jack. This allows you to connect the Echo to other speakers for better audio quality.

While the Echo might look different on the outside, not too much has changed on the inside except for a new microphone array. It can hear so well, some critics had to warn guests not to say the Alexa command at all. They never had to yell or raise their voice, even when giving commands from a different room and, more often than not, it was able to complete requested tasks on the first try.

So what can Alexa do? It can control smart home devices (such as lamps or smart outlets), take notes, create shopping lists, buy items on Amazon, order pizza, and even order an Uber.

It can also learn routines. These are a group of actions the assistant carries out associated with a specific phrase. While useful, reviewers still found the feature limiting as it cannot do some basic things, such as turn off or stop music.

They also wish it could recognize multi-layered commands so they did not have to begin each question with Alexa.

The Echo isn’t just a smart assistant though, it’s also a speaker. It comes with a 0.6-inch tweeter and a 2.5-inch subwoofer. Together experts noticed a bump in audio quality from the original, though not a huge improvement.

While it had enough power to fill up a room, most were still let down by a lack of bass and overall thin sound quality. They suggest hooking it up to a better Bluetooth speaker or taking advantage of the auxiliary jack to hook it up to a more beefy speaker system.

For the most part, reviewers recommend the 2017 Echo for people who do not have the original. PC Magazine states, “…with better sound than the Echo Dot, this is clearly the Echo that most people should have in most rooms.” Engadget adds, “…for people who just want an Alexa-enabled speaker that looks good and does its job well, the second-generation Echo is a solid, affordable option.”