Amazon Echo Dot (2nd Generation) Review

This page archives our original review of the Amazon Echo Dot (2nd Generation), first published in 2016. This model has since been discontinued. For current Amazon Echo models, visit Amazon’s Echo lineup.

If the original Amazon Echo was the device that invented the smart speaker category, the Echo Dot 2nd Gen was the one that made it accessible. At $49.99 – less than a third of the full-size Echo’s price – it brought Alexa into rooms where the full cylinder didn’t make sense, or where you already had a speaker you liked.

Released in October 2016, the second-generation Dot dropped the hockey-puck form factor down to 1.3 inches tall and 3.3 inches wide. It wasn’t trying to be a great speaker. It was trying to be an Alexa endpoint: something small, cheap, and plugged into the wall that could hear your voice, control your smart home, and pipe audio out to whatever speaker you already owned. For that job, it worked extremely well.

For smartphone users, the Dot fit naturally into existing setups. You managed everything through the Alexa app on your iOS or Android device, connected it to your home Wi-Fi, and linked your music services. The Dot could also receive audio from your phone over Bluetooth, or send its own audio out through the 3.5mm jack or Bluetooth to an external speaker – a flexibility the original full-size Echo didn’t offer.

Specs

Design and Build

Most reviewers reached for the same description: a shiny hockey puck. The Dot was compact and largely forgettable in the best possible way. As Stuff TV put it, “Overall it’s pleasingly unobtrusive. Once sat on a shelf somewhere it’ll stay mostly unnoticed other than when it’s answering a query.“

The light ring ran around the top surface, indicating listening state and volume. Physical buttons – volume up, volume down, microphone mute, and an action button – replaced the first-gen Dot’s volume ring. A dedicated mute button silenced the microphones when you didn’t want the always-on listening active. Black and white were the two color options, with third-party fabric covers available if you wanted something less plain.

Power came via micro-USB rather than the barrel connector on the full-size Echo. The adapter was included, but the 3.5mm audio cable was not – a small but noted omission from reviewers who expected it given the jack’s prominence as a selling point.

Voice Recognition

The Dot carried the same 7-microphone far-field array as the full-size Echo, and reviewers found it performed comparably. It heard commands reliably from across a room, even over background noise or music. Occasional false activations were reported – Alexa commercials on television being a documented culprit, as The Guardian noted – but for everyday use, the voice recognition was consistently praised.

Compared to Google Home, which launched around the same time, reviewers found Alexa less capable at answering open-ended general knowledge questions. But for smart home control, shopping lists, timers, music playback, and Alexa Skills, the Dot held its own.

Audio Quality

This is where the Dot made no pretense. The built-in speaker handled Alexa’s voice responses and casual listening well enough, but it wasn’t built for music. Reviewers were consistent here: connect it to something better. Techaeris found the built-in speaker carried farther than expected for its size – audible across a floor of a two-story house in testing – but the lack of bass was noticeable on any music with low-end.

The 3.5mm output and Bluetooth support made this easy to solve. Plug it into a stereo, a bookshelf speaker, or a Bluetooth speaker and the Dot transformed from a limited audio device into a full Alexa node with genuinely good sound. That flexibility was the point.

Smart Home and Alexa Skills

Where the Dot consistently earned its highest praise was as a smart home hub. Voice control of Philips Hue lights, Nest thermostats, Hive heating, and compatible plugs worked reliably through Alexa Skills. Stuff TV summed up the experience: “Where the Echo Dot really comes into its own is as the hub of your smart home. Link it to the likes of Hive, Hue, Nest and Netatmo and you’ll be able to control your heating and lights with voice commands – and trust me, being able to do this is as wonderful as it sounds.“

Households with multiple Dots benefited from Echo Spatial Perception, which routed commands to the nearest device rather than triggering all of them simultaneously. Reviewers found it worked reliably.

What’s Good

• Exceptional value at $49.99 – the most affordable Alexa entry point at launch
• Far-field voice recognition matched the full-size Echo despite the smaller size
• 3.5mm audio output and Bluetooth gave it flexibility the original Echo lacked
• Strong smart home integration via Alexa Skills
• Echo Spatial Perception worked well in multi-device homes
• Compact size made it easy to place anywhere

What’s Bad

• Built-in speaker was too thin for music listening; external speaker essentially required
• Requires a power outlet – not portable
• Occasional false activations
• Limited support for multiple Amazon accounts
• 3.5mm audio cable not included in the box

Verdict

Trusted Reviews called it cleanly: “The Echo Dot is simply a better device than the original Echo. It does everything its big brother does, but offers greater versatility and it costs a third of the price.“

That was the consensus across the board. At $49.99, the Dot removed the main barrier to Alexa adoption. It wasn’t a great speaker on its own – but it was never supposed to be. As a voice control point for smart home devices, a companion to an existing speaker, or a way to spread Alexa into multiple rooms without significant expense, it was exactly what it set out to be. For anyone curious about smart home automation in 2016, this was the obvious place to start.

This model has been succeeded by newer Echo Dot generations. For current Amazon Echo models, see Amazon’s lineup.