This page archives our original review of the Amazon Echo (1st Generation), first published in 2015. This model has since been discontinued. For current Amazon Echo models, visit Amazon’s Echo lineup.
The original Amazon Echo arrived in November 2014 as something genuinely new: a tall black cylinder that sat on your counter, listened for your voice, and answered back. It wasn’t a Bluetooth speaker you paired with your phone. It wasn’t a smart home hub in the traditional sense. It was something in between – and at the time, there wasn’t much else like it.
Amazon launched it quietly, invitation-only, at $99 for Prime members and $179.99 at full retail. By mid-2015 it was available to anyone in the US, and the conversation around it shifted from “what even is this” to “actually, I use it every day.”
The Echo’s role for smartphone users was straightforward: it extended what your phone could do into a room where pulling out your phone felt like too much effort. Set a timer while your hands were full. Check the weather before you left the house. Control smart lights without unlocking anything. Alexa handled all of it through the Echo, pulling information from the internet and your linked Amazon account, while the Alexa app on your iOS or Android device handled setup and settings.
Specs
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Height | 9.25 in (235 mm) |
| Diameter | 3.3 in (84 mm) |
| Weight | Approx. 2.4 lb (1.1 kg) |
| Speaker configuration | 2.5-inch down-firing woofer + 2.0-inch tweeter |
| Audio output | 360-degree omnidirectional; no 3.5mm output |
| Microphones | 7-mic far-field array with beam-forming |
| Wi-Fi | 802.11 a/b/g/n, dual-band 2.4 GHz / 5 GHz |
| Bluetooth | A2DP (receive audio from phone/tablet; no speaker output) |
| Power | External AC adapter (barrel connector; not portable) |
| Wake words | “Alexa,” “Amazon,” or “Echo” |
| Launch price | $179.99 (MSRP); $99 for Prime members at launch |
Design and Build
The Echo looked unlike anything else in a living room in 2014. The tall matte cylinder with a perforated speaker grille and a glowing ring around its top edge felt more like a design object than a gadget. The rotating top ring doubled as a volume dial. A microphone mute button cut the always-on listening when you wanted privacy, turning the light ring red as confirmation.
One point reviewers consistently noted: the first-generation Echo had no 3.5mm audio output. If you wanted to route sound to a different speaker, Bluetooth was your only option – and that connection only worked for receiving audio from your phone, not sending it out. That limitation was quietly addressed in later models.
Sound Quality
For a speaker this size, reviewers found the audio genuinely capable in a typical living room. The down-firing woofer provided reasonable bass and the 360-degree design filled a room well. It wasn’t a high-fidelity speaker – no one was comparing it to Sonos – but for casual music listening, news briefings, and voice responses, it did the job.
Critics who pushed it harder found it fell short at high volumes and in rooms with complex acoustics. For pure music listening, most reviewers eventually recommended pairing it with a better speaker over Bluetooth.
Alexa and Voice Recognition
The standout feature, then and now, was the 7-microphone far-field array. Reviewers were consistently impressed that the Echo could hear commands clearly from across a room – even with music playing at moderate volume. The beam-forming technology handled background noise well for a first-generation product.
At launch, Alexa handled the basics: Amazon Music and Prime Music, TuneIn radio, iHeartRadio, weather, news briefings, timers, alarms, Wikipedia lookups, and shopping list management. The Skills platform arrived in 2015 and expanded that significantly – third-party integrations for smart home devices, ridesharing, food delivery, and more followed throughout 2016 and 2017.
Smart home control was where the Echo found its most enthusiastic users. Voice control of Philips Hue bulbs, compatible smart plugs, and thermostats via cloud integrations turned the Echo into the hub of an early smart home setup. You didn’t even need to reach for your phone.
What’s Good
- Far-field voice recognition was reliably impressive, especially at distance and over background noise
- 360-degree speaker design filled a room well for casual listening
- Alexa Skills rapidly expanded usefulness beyond the initial feature set
- Smart home integration worked smoothly for compatible devices
- Setup through the Alexa app was straightforward
What’s Bad
- No 3.5mm audio output – Bluetooth only, and only for receiving audio
- Audio quality couldn’t match dedicated speakers at the same price
- Alexa’s capabilities at launch were limited; the device improved significantly over time
- Always-listening microphone raised privacy questions some users never got comfortable with
- Required a power outlet; no portable use
Verdict
The original Amazon Echo established a category. At launch it felt like a novelty that was just useful enough to keep on the counter – and then, gradually, it became something people genuinely relied on. The far-field voice recognition was the real engineering achievement: the Echo heard you reliably in ways that felt almost uncanny in 2015.
For anyone considering buying into the smart speaker category at the time, the Echo was the obvious starting point. It wasn’t perfect, and Alexa wasn’t finished – but the promise was clear, and Amazon delivered on it consistently as the platform matured.
This model has been succeeded by newer Echo generations. For current Amazon Echo models, see Amazon’s lineup.
