Amazon Echo Dot 3rd Gen vs 4th Gen: What should you buy?

Amazon Repeat Dot tertiary Gen vs quaternary Gen: What should yous buy?

(Prototype credit: Future)

The Amazon Echo Dot has been one of the near popular smart speakers, because, well, it's cheap. Amazon typically sells the Echo Dot for less than $fifty, and often bundles it with some other smart home device, such as a smart light bulb or video doorbell, making it all the more affordable to acquire one of the best Alexa speakers.

At the moment, Amazon is selling two versions of the Echo Dot: The Amazon Echo Dot (3rd gen), and the Amazon Echo Dot (4th gen). Both are ii of the best smart speakers, but have different capabilities and different prices. In this guide, we'll compare the Amazon Echo Dot three vs. iv to help you make up one's mind which you lot prefer.

Amazon Echo Dot 3 vs. 4: Specs

	Echo Dot (Gen three)	Repeat Dot (Gen 4)	Echo Dot with Clock (Gen iv)
Toll	$34.99	$49.99	$59.99
Year Released	2018	2020	2020
Size	3.9 (dia) x ane.7 inches	iii.nine (dia) x three.5 inches	iii.9 (dia) ten 3.5 inches
Colour options	Charcoal	Charcoal, white, bluish	White, bluish
Speaker	1.6-inch	1.6-inch	1.half-dozen-inch
Ports	three.5mm audio	3.5mm audio	three.5mm audio
Display	No	No	Yes

Amazon Echo Dot 3 vs. 4: Toll

Whichever Echo Dot you cull, you're not going to pay a heckuva lot. The 3rd-generation Echo Dot typically sells for around $35. The quaternary-generation Echo Dot is listed at $50, but is unremarkably about $ten more the 3rd-generation model.

The quaternary-generation Echo Dot with Clock — which has a small LCD display that shows the time — is about $x more than the version without a clock.

Even so, some of the best Amazon deals often bring big discounts to the Repeat Dot lineup, so you lot can ordinarily find them for much less than their listing price.

Amazon Echo Dot 3 vs. iv: Design

The tertiary-generation Echo Dot has roughly the same hockey puck shape as the first two generations; however, it has textile wrapping around its sides, and has a slightly curved superlative, where you lot can find its control buttons and a circular LED ring.

The 4th-generation Echo Dot has a completely different shape; like the larger Amazon Repeat (fourth Gen,) the newest Echo Dot is spherical, and looks like a Magic 8-Ball that's sitting on its apartment side. The majority of the Echo Dot is wrapped in the same fabric as the tertiary-generation Repeat Dot, but the rear of the device, where you lot plug in the ability, is hard plastic. It's not every bit elegant as the Apple HomePod Mini, simply it'southward a squeamish look.

Four buttons on the pinnacle allow you control the Echo Dot, only in this model, the LED status ring has been moved to the bottom. Check out our guide to decoding Alexa'south flashing lights if you lot've always unsure what the electric current LED color means.

The Repeat Dot with Clock, as you might imagine, looks the same as the 4th-gen Echo Dot, but in the center of the face up is a small-scale LCD display that shines through the fabric, showing the time. Amazon once fabricated an Echo Dot with Clock shaped like the 3rd-gen model, but now the spherical version is the only "with Clock" Echo speaker available.

Amazon Echo Dot 3 vs. iv: Audio quality

Both versions of the Echo Dot accept a single ane.6-inch speaker. In our tests, we actually didn't hear much of a deviation between the two; the 4th-gen model had a chip more bass, owing to the larger size of the device. Both are best when you want a petty background music, or to heed to news or podcasts. However, neither can hold a candle to larger smart speakers like the Sonos 1, HomePod Mini, Google Nest Sound, or even the full-size Amazon Echo.

If y'all know how to utilize Alexa, you lot'll be able to stream all kinds of audio using your speaker, from music and meditations to podcasts and audiobooks. See how to play Spotify on Alexa and how to Use Multi-Room Music with the Echo Dot for making the most of the speaker.

Amazon Echo Dot 3 vs. four: Which should you choose?

Unless yous really like the design or color options of the 4th-generation Echo Dot, in that location's little reason not to cull the 3rd-generation Echo Dot. It'southward $ten less expensive, is virtually equally skilful when it comes to audio quality, and gives you access to all the best Alexa skills and Alexa tricks just the same as the newer model.

Plus, the more than compact shape of the 3rd-generation Repeat Dot makes it easier to place in tighter spaces, and companies accept made a number of accessories that let you mount it on a wall or next to an outlet.

Yet, we practise think the Amazon Echo Dot with Clock is worth the actress dough; having a small clock that tin testify you the fourth dimension and temperature and be used as a timer is incredibly useful. That'southward why is the one of the best smart home devices we recommend — period.

For more advice on raising your home's IQ, be certain to check out our smart dwelling guide. That way, you can see everything your new Echo Dot, 3rd- or 4th-gen, can work with.

Michael A. Prospero is the deputy editor at Tom's Guide overseeing the home, smart home, drones, and fitness/wearables categories, equally well as all ownership guides and other evergreen content. When he's non testing out the latest running lookout man, skiing or training for a marathon, he'due south probably using the latest sous vide automobile or some other cooking gadget.