(Image source from: amazon.ca)

Amazon's Echo smart speaker range offers something for everyone and every price point. Be it speakers without a display or speakers with a display: Amazon is expanding cautiously in India and offering consumers more options. After launching the Echo Dot (5th Generation) in March 2023, the company took a short break and is finally back with its latest game. The Echo Spot 2024 was unveiled worldwide during the Prime Days sale last July. But now it has reached India. Amazon is not promoting this smart speaker in comparison to the previously announced Echo devices. Instead, it can be your companion: a customizable smart alarm clock. At least one company has recognized that not everyone likes waking up to their smartphone's alarm clock. Find out what it's like to sleep with Alexa's smart alarm clock with the Echo Spot 2024 and whether you can trade in your phone for a real alarm clock forever. The all-new Echo Spot 2024 is available now with a starting price of ¥1,000. 6,449. However, when the introductory price ends, you will have to pay Rs. 8999.

One of the best things about the Echo Spot 2024 is that it doesn't have a camera. This was not necessary for the latest Spot model from 2017. The weight of this model is 405 grams and the dimensions are 113x103x111 mm. Of course, it is slightly thicker and more voluminous than the 2017 model. It has a 2.83-inch touchscreen and Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac and Bluetooth connectivity options. A MediaTek MT8519 processor powers the Echo Spot and is paired with 1GB of RAM and 8GB of internal storage. This box has a 15 watt power supply. The all-new Echo Spot is a very different product than the original Spot that launched in 2017. And changes are permanent. In terms of design, I like the Spot's small screen. It is clean and ideal as a bedside clock. The well-known hemispherical shape is compact. According to Amazon, this product is made from 36% recycled material, which is fantastic.

Amazon ensures that its focus on bedside tables doesn't push unnecessary features like a camera for video calls alongside other video features like Prime Video or the ability to play YouTube videos. The Echo Spot 2024 fits perfectly into your bedroom and best of all, it's compact enough to fit on your bedside table. To avoid unnecessary distractions, the Echo Spot 2024's display is dark enough to be used at night without disturbing your sleep. The 2.83-inch screen is perfect for checking the time at a glance, checking the weather forecast, viewing alarms and enjoying animations that play along with song titles. The 1.73-inch directional speaker is loud enough for your bedroom yet good enough to interact with Alexa.

In India, Echo Spot will be available in black and blue in 2024. As usual, Amazon sent me a black copy to review and it looks great. However, blue should also go well with the bedroom. Physical buttons are placed on top of the globe. In addition to the microphone mute button, there are dedicated buttons for increasing and decreasing the volume. Amazon is a brand that takes user privacy very seriously and allows its users multiple levels of privacy control, including the ability to view and delete audio recordings. Amazon doesn't list an accelerometer in the features list, but we're pretty sure it has an accelerometer since the device detects a tap on the top and you can snooze the alarm. Suffice to say, it's a nice feature for a device advertised as a smart alarm clock.

The bottom of the ball is made of a rubbery material that keeps the Echo Dot stable on the table. There is an exit at the back. Amazon requires small batteries for some Echo devices so that the devices can continue to provide basic functions such as displaying the time, regardless of the power source. For example, the Echo Spot 2024 would be a much more interesting product if it had a small battery that continued to tell the time and set off an alarm even without power. However, it does what it should do as a power source. As for connectivity, the Echo Spot 2024 supports Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac 2.4 and 5 GHz networks in addition to Bluetooth. Overall, the Echo Spot 2024's greatest strength is its compact form factor, which fits perfectly into your bedroom.

The setup process for the Echo Spot 2024 is simple and only requires the Amazon Alexa app and Wi-Fi enabled. The new smart alarm clock offers a large number of screens that allow you to customize the appearance of your screen to match the aesthetics of your bedroom. You can choose from six colors (orange, purple, magenta, lime, cyan and blue) and eight screen themes. To do this, swipe up on your device, select Settings, Clock, Themes and select the watch face, design and color you want. The device has four alarm tones: Aurora, Daybreak, Endeavor and Flutter. Just like a regular alarm clock, you can snooze the Echo Spot 2024's alarm clock. Alexa integration makes the Echo Spot 2024 a much more powerful device than a smart alarm clock, allowing you to do more hands-free work. You can ask Alexa to play your favorite music from supported music streaming apps or information about the date, time, weather, and scheduled events in your calendar. This device displays colorful visual animations while playing music. This is an interesting addition from Amazon.

The Echo Spot also has a built-in motion sensor that can help trigger Alexa routines, such as: B. turning on a smart light when it detects motion at night. However, I chose to turn this feature off because leaving the lights on when I don't need them can unnecessarily disrupt my sleep. You can connect your Echo Spot 2024 to compatible smart home products and set Alexa routines. Speaking of speakers: The Echo Spot 2024 offers excellent sound quality for its size. However, this pales in comparison to typical non-smart speakers. Yes, interacting with Alexa is great and the device wakes you up even if you talk sleepily. I just let Alexa do it. However, the Echo Spot 2024 doesn't perform as well as the Echo Dot (5th generation) or the Echo Show 5 in terms of pure music performance. The Echo Spot sometimes struggles with bass and mids that lack depth and smoothness.

On the other hand, the screen is sharp and much better than the original Spot (2.5-inch display). It is bright in different lighting conditions, so you can easily check the clock and weather information from a few meters away. However, the viewing angle is not very wide and visibility from the side is poor. It supports touch but is not smooth. Visual images of sun, rain and clouds are beautifully displayed on your screen. You can also customize some of Alexa's features, such as: B. Adaptive Listening, which increases the time it takes a user to speak before Alexa responds, and Preferred Speaking Rate, which allows users to speak faster. You can also enable color inversion in Alexa's accessibility settings. You have some useful options, like asking Alexa to call anyone using the Echo Spot 2024, which plays an announcement to other Alexa-enabled smart speakers in your home.

The Echo Spot 2024 ticks all the boxes to be the best companion we expected this year. Alexa integration improves overall performance and allows you to do more with voice commands. A perfect combination of style and performance. The front speakers are good for discreet music playback, especially considering that this smart speaker is intended for the bedroom. But does this smart bedside speaker 2024 have limitations, such as the screen not being bright enough and the audio performance not being great for music lovers? At that time the price was ¥1,000. 8,999 (without referral benefits) seems a bit high. The good thing, however, is that Amazon continues to offer deals on Echo products throughout the year, so with deals like these, you can expect to get the 2024 Echo Spot for less.