The Amazon Echo 4th Gen offers top features, excellent sound quality and price. The sleek, spherical design fits perfectly into any room. Being the part of the Alexa ecosystem, users find seamless access to smart home devices, comprehensive voice control, and solid audio-all for $99.
Do you need an update from a previous model or perhaps are you new to the world of smart speakers? This Amazon Echo 4th Gen review discusses design, audio quality, smart home capabilities, privacy features, and its competitive edge against the best alternatives by both Google and Apple, so you know if this is right for your home.
Design & Build Quality
The Amazon Echo 4th Gen changes the game with a bold design change from the classic cylinder to a sleek, spherical form that enhances acoustics and sound distribution, giving the Echo smart speaker a more immersive audio experience. It has a fabric cover adds a minimalist yet premium touch to the speaker’s design. It is also made of recycled materials, making it all the more appealing as an eco-friendly choice. Available in charcoal, glacier white, and twilight blue, this can readily blend in with most of home aesthetics.
One of the most striking design elements is the relocation of the LED light ring now at the base, emitting a dim glow to indicate Alexa activation and give it a stylish touch. The top includes intuitive, physical controls for volume adjustment, Alexa activation, and microphone muting, with a 3.5mm audio output and power input at the back for flexible use with external speakers.
The Echo 4th Gen features stability on many surfaces and is designed with solid, lightweight construction for easy placement around the home. Combining aesthetics, functionality, and sustainability, the Amazon Echo 4th Gen is a thoughtfully designed, high-quality smart speaker that elevates both sound and style.
Smart Hub Capabilities
The Amazon Echo (4th Gen) is more than the Echo smart speaker. It also houses a smart home hub, offering users an easy and seamless way to control smart devices.
Zigbee Integration
Where other Echo smart speakers would stop, the Amazon Echo (4th Gen) has taken it to a higher level by including a built-in Zigbee hub-a feature not previously available except on the Echo Plus. Using this feature means that users have the chance to control compatible smart devices such as lightbulbs and locks using the hub without extra installations. The setup and centralization just make it an easy and smooth smart home experience.
Amazon Sidewalk & BLE Support
Amazon Sidewalk adds extended range to the functionality of the Echo, tending towards connecting outdoor devices such as security cameras with a low-bandwidth network. BLE pairing simply provides for energy efficiency and quicker pairing and connection with other compatible devices.
Supported Smart Home Devices
The Amazon Echo (4th Gen) integrates nicely in the Alexa ecosystem. This has allowed you to get voice control of this device for Philips Hue lights, Ring cameras, and much more. It has also given customers remote setup, device management, and even custom routines to automate the whole home.
Better Range & Easy Setup
It is pretty easy to connect the Echo smart speaker as a hub using the Alexa app, through which one can expand their range for connecting with any devices across a larger area. Amazon Sidewalk and BLE support help reach out to both indoor and outdoor devices, thereby making the Amazon Echo (4th Gen) an affordable power option to manage a smart home.
Audio Quality
Sound Performance
Amazon Echo 4th Generation comes with a balanced audio, complete with a 3-inch woofer and dual 0.8-inch tweeters that boost the bass for richer sound quality. While bass is strong, it can occasionally cause mids to sound slightly muddy, and highs are somewhat subdued, affecting vocal clarity.
Frequency Response
This Echo smart speaker emphasizes punchy bass, however, at times it sacrifices mid and high clarity. Treble can be recessed, meaning highs aren’t as forward as in some competing models.
Spatial Features
One of the key advantages of Amazon Echo 4th Gen is its wide, expansive soundstage and enhanced stereo separation to fill a room with wide, balanced audio. It provides a solid balance in terms of channel and directionality, although its front-facing design will restrain the distribution of audio in larger rooms.
Dolby Stereo & Adaptive EQ
The Echo smart speaker has Dolby Stereo with immersive sound despite there not being Dolby Atmos available. The Adaptive EQ feature is quite remarkable, adjusting automatically based on the position in the room to maintain sound quality consistency.
Volume Control & Distortion
Volume control on the Amazon Echo 4th Gen is quite smooth, with virtually no distortion even at very low volumes. While its maximum volume is acceptable, it may be marginally less than that of the Google Nest Audio or Apple HomePod Mini.
Alexa & Voice Assistance
Built using Alexa as the core, the Amazon Echo 4th Gen promises an enhanced smart home experience, now powered by the AZ1 Neural Edge processor for better and faster responses to voice commands. The chip ensures that the Echo smart speaker processes its commands locally to make less use of cloud processing and obtain responses faster, thus making this seamless.
The Echo smart speaker comes with an advanced microphone array, allowing voice recognition to be clear and robust even in loud noise or from a distance. Whether commanding your music, adjusting smart devices, or answering questions, Alexa handles it all efficiently. Its enormous collection of skills further adds to functionality, integration with non-Amazon services such as Spotify and Google Chromecast, and the ability to give flexible control over lights, thermostats, and other connected devices.
The Amazon Echo 4th Gen, apart from multi-room audio, can be grouped with other Echo devices for synchronous music around the house. Its intercom feature also provides a quick way to communicate between rooms, so it serves well for occupied households. Alexa takes care of all everyday things, from setting the alarm or reminder to listening to news and weather, thus solidifying the Echo smart speaker as an all-around, hands-free assistant.
Click on the link to learn more about top Alexa enabled speakers
Connectivity & Setup
The Amazon Echo 4th Gen has been designed to fit into any smart home environment easily and get set up. Therefore, the Echo smart speaker comes with versatile connectivity options that include a 3.5mm audio jack for wired connections to external speakers, Bluetooth 5.0 for wireless pairing of devices such as smartphones or tablets, and Wi-Fi for full functionality of Alexa.
The process of getting Amazon Echo 4th Gen set up is easy through the Alexa app, which even guides you through the step of connecting to your Wi-Fi and linking your Amazon account, followed by setting up various settings. The Alexa app also supports connection with other Alexa-compatible smart home devices, making product integration, like smart bulbs, thermostats, and much more, very smooth.
The Echo smart speaker supports multi-room audio, customizable sound settings, and routines, all easily managed through the Alexa app. If you have any technical problem with the device you can do a factory reset of Amazon Echo 4th gen
Privacy Considerations
The Amazon Echo 4th Gen offers great convenience with its smart home integration, but also presents privacy concerns that need careful consideration.
Microphone Activation & Voice Recognition
The Echo smart speaker listens for the wake word (“Alexa”) but does not record conversations until activated. Users can mute the microphone using a button on top, providing control over when it listens.
Data Privacy & Cloud Integration
Voice data from interactions is stored in Amazon’s cloud to improve functionality, and users can review or delete voice recordings via the Alexa app. The Amazon Echo 4th Gen also supports Amazon Sidewalk, which extends device connectivity but may raise concerns about data sharing with nearby devices. This feature can be disabled in the Alexa app.
Third-Party Services & Skills
The Echo smart speaker integrates with thousands of Alexa Skills that may request access to personal data. Users should review permissions and revoke unnecessary ones.
Encryption & Security
Data transmitted between the Amazon Echo 4th Gen and Amazon’s cloud is encrypted for security. However, users should take steps to secure their network, such as using strong passwords and enabling two-factor authentication for their Amazon account.
Release Date & Pricing
Launched on 22 October 2020, the Amazon Echo 4th Gen features a compact spherical design that ups both the fashion and functionality quotient of the device. It costs $99 USD, at a value very well worth that amount, and can be compared easily with other entry-level options like Google Nest Audio and Apple HomePod Mini. The Amazon Echo 4th Gen is the perfect choice for those upgrading from older Echo models or stepping into smart speakers: With Alexa integration, it boasts improved sound quality and has a smart home hub.
Comparative Analysis with Competitors
Amazon Echo (4th Gen) vs Google Nest Audio
| Aspect | Amazon Echo (4th Gen) | Google Nest Audio |
| Sound Quality | Better bass and wider soundstage | More vocal clarity and balanced sound |
| Smart Features | Excels in smart home control with Zigbee support | Better integration with Google’s ecosystem |
| Privacy | Transparent data privacy policies | Extensive data collection practices |
Amazon Echo (4th Gen) vs Apple HomePod mini
| Aspect | Amazon Echo (4th Gen) | Apple HomePod mini |
| Sound Quality | Stronger bass | Clarity in mids and highs |
| Smart Features | Comprehensive smart home control with Zigbee hub | Seamless integration into Apple’s ecosystem |
| Privacy | Transparent, but less strict than Apple | Stricter privacy policies (anonymized Siri interactions) |
Amazon Echo (4th Gen) vs Echo Studio
| Aspect | Amazon Echo (4th Gen) | Echo Studio |
| Sound Quality | Solid bass and good overall sound | Superior with Dolby Atmos support and richer sound |
| Smart Features | Standard Alexa functionality | Enhanced audio features and better multi-room performance |
| Price | $99, better value for money | $199, higher price |
Amazon Echo (4th Gen) vs Sonos Move/Roam
| Aspect | Amazon Echo (4th Gen) | Sonos Move/Roam |
| Sound Quality | Solid bass | Superior precision, especially for outdoor use |
| Smart Features | Alexa functionality | Supports both Alexa and Google Assistant |
| Portability | Requires constant power | Portable design |
The Amazon Echo 4th Gen represents a robust, affordable smart speaker with full-bodied bass response, integration with smart homes, and Alexa – fantastic for everyday use in the home for reliable voice assistance. If you are looking for premium sound and portability, your best bet is going to be the Sonos Move/Roam. If you’re an audiophile, you might actually prefer going for the Echo Studio for optimal sound quality. The HomePod mini is great for the Apple consumer who would like a device to preserve privacy and one that really delivers high-quality, crisp sound. The Google Nest Audio delivers an audio that, at its best, is very balanced; it lacks smart home integrations like the Echo.
Pros & Cons of Amazon Echo 4th Gen
| Category | Details |
| Pros | |
| Enhanced Sound Quality | Delivers solid bass and room-filling sound with dual tweeters and a 3-inch woofer; ideal for casual listening and smart home control. |
| Affordable Price | Priced at $99, offering excellent value with Alexa integration and Zigbee hub for smart home device control. |
| Smart Home Hub Integration | Built-in Zigbee hub eliminates the need for an additional device like the Echo Plus, simplifying smart home setups. |
| Voice Recognition | Equipped with the AZ1 Neural Edge processor and an efficient microphone array for faster, more accurate Alexa responsiveness. |
| Multi-Room Audio & Alexa Skills | Supports multi-room audio synchronization with other Echo devices and integrates seamlessly with popular music streaming services. |
| Cons | |
| Design May Not Suit Everyone | The spherical design may not appeal to all users and could clash with certain room aesthetics, departing from traditional cylindrical shapes. |
| Slightly Recessed Treble | Strong bass and mids but slightly subdued treble, affecting vocal clarity and high-end details. |
| Limited YouTube Support | Lacks native support for YouTube, restricting video streaming capabilities compared to some competitors. |
| No Portability | Requires constant power and isn’t portable, making it unsuitable for on-the-go use. |
| Limited Maximum Volume | Performs well at low-to-medium volumes but may not be loud enough for larger rooms or open spaces, potentially disappointing audiophiles. |
Conclusion
The Amazon Echo (4th Gen) stands out as a versatile and affordable smart speaker, offering a robust set of features for those looking to enhance their smart home setup. With its new spherical design, it provides improved acoustics and a more immersive audio experience compared to previous models. The built-in Zigbee hub, Amazon Sidewalk support, and compatibility with a wide range of smart home devices make it an excellent choice for users within the Alexa ecosystem.
While the Echo delivers solid bass and an overall balanced sound profile, it may not satisfy audiophiles seeking exceptional clarity in the highs and mids. The lack of native YouTube support may also be a downside for some users. However, its value for money, ease of setup via the Alexa app, and expanded Alexa capabilities, including voice recognition and multi-room audio, make it an attractive option for casual listeners and those new to smart speakers.
Overall, the Echo (4th Gen) offers a great balance of sound, features, and affordability, making it ideal for users looking to upgrade their smart home experience or newcomers to the smart speaker market. While it may not excel in every audio performance metric, its price-to-performance ratio makes it a top contender in the sub-$100 smart speaker category.