Echo Dot 4th Gen

Introducing: Echo Dot 4th Gen:
Amazon has been using the cylindrical-shaped echo dot for a while now. The 3rd gen echo dot looked more like a hockey puck than a dot. Guess what? Amazon has wholly redesigned their new 4th gen echo dot. You may think that the new echo dot will look more like a dot. You’re wrong! The latest echo dot from Amazon is sphere-shaped. The shape mirrors that of its brother, the Amazon Echo 4th gen. They have numerous similar features, but the Dot is smaller in size and is shockingly half the price of Amazon Echo 4th gen.
The changes? Well, there are a few minor changes that we’ll be talking about below. To put it shortly, not much has changed. The significant changes are in the shape, aesthetics, and design language of the echo dot 4th gen. For non-tech-savvy people, we’ll be dissecting the new Echo Dot 4th gen and talk about all the changes compared to its predecessor, the Echo Dot 3rd gen. Let’s get into it!
Design language and shape:

The brand new echo dot stands at 3.5″ and is a 3.9″ sphere. The Dot is made half from plastic and half from a fabric. The top side houses four physical buttons; action button, volume up button, volume down button, and mic off button.
The bottom backside houses two ports: a power port and a 3.5 mm line out port. The device is sturdy and well built. When holding the device in your hands, you can feel the sturdiness, meaning it will last quite some time.
The Amazon Echo Dot comes in three colors, namely; dark gray, white, and blue. Compared to the previous generation, the circular ring has shifted from the top to bottom. In addition, the base houses a light ting which lights up every time Alexa is listening.
It’s a neat device and a significant upgrade over the previous model. The 3rd gen was very minimal and immensely shape, while this is a total eye-catching shape. The echo dot 4th gen gives off a futuristic vibe and looks cool wherever you place it in your house.
- Meet the Echo Dot - Our most popular smart speaker with Alexa. The sleek, compact design delivers crisp vocals and balanced bass for full sound.
- Voice control your entertainment - Stream songs from Amazon Music, Apple Music, Spotify, SiriusXM, and others. Play music, audiobooks, and podcasts throughout your home with multi-room music.
- Ready to help - Ask Alexa to tell a joke, play music, answer questions, play the news, check the weather, set alarms, and more.
- Control your smart home - Use your voice to turn on lights, adjust thermostats, and lock doors with compatible devices.
- Start Routines with your motion - Turn on compatible lights, play your Flash Briefing, or turn on the coffee maker when you walk into the room.
- Connect with others hands-free - Call friends and family who have the Alexa app or an Echo device. Instantly drop in on other rooms or announce to the whole house that dinner's ready.
- Designed to protect your privacy – Amazon is not in the business of selling your personal information to others. Built with multiple layers of privacy controls including a mic off button.
Echo Dot 4th Gen Kids Edition:
Along with its standard model, Amazon is offering a kid version. The echo dot for kids has the same functionalities but comes in two covers; a panda cover and a tiger cover. These colorful and kid-friendly covers will appeal to children. You’ll have to pay an extra $10 for the echo dot kids version, but you’ll get a free one-year subscription to Amazon Kids+ and two years warranty. The Amazon kids+ subscription will include games, Audible books, and educational content.
Parents can tweak Alexa and set restrictions for their children. Alexa already has a built-in kid-friendly experience that allows them to get help with homework and set animal sound alarms. You need not worry about your children accessing mature content as Alexa will automatically detect a child’s voice and respond accordingly by switching to a kid-friendly mode. In case of an emergency, your kid can also call pre-approved contacts via Alexa.
- Best friends forever - Echo Dot Kids pairs perfectly with the Echo Glow Multicolor Smart Lamp.
- Echo Glow adds to the fun - Kids can bring color into their Alexa experience, and parents can use it to create fun daily routines.
- Includes 1 year of Amazon Kids+: the only service with thousands of ad-free books, games, videos, apps and Alexa skills. **On Echo Dot, kids can enjoy kid-friendly Audible books, interactive games, and educational skills.** After 1 year, your subscription will automatically renew every month starting at just $4.99/month plus applicable tax. You may cancel any time by visiting the Amazon Parent Dashboard or contacting Customer Service.
- Help kids learn and grow - Kids can use their very own Echo Dot to ask Alexa questions, set alarms, and get help with their homework.
- Easy-to-use parental controls - With Echo Dot Kids, parents can set daily time limits, filter explicit songs, and review activity in the Amazon Parent Dashboard.
- Echo Dot Kids is made for wild imaginations - Kids can ask Alexa to play music, read stories, and call approved friends and family.
- Designed to protect your family’s privacy - Echo Dot Kids is built with multiple layers of privacy protection and controls, including a microphone off button that electronically disconnects the microphones.
Echo Dot 4th Gen with Digital Clock:
The third variant comes with a digital clock. We’ll say that this looks the most aesthetic from the Dot’s, but it comes at $59.99. If you’re willing to pay an extra $10, go for the digital clock variant. The digital display will show you the time, temperature, alarm, and timer.
- Meet Echo Dot with clock - Our most popular smart speaker with Alexa. The sleek, compact design delivers crisp vocals and balanced bass for full sound.
- Perfect for your nightstand - See the time, alarms, and timers on the LED display. Tap the top to snooze an alarm.
- Ready to help - Ask Alexa to tell a joke, play music, answer questions, play the news, check the weather, set alarms, and more.
- Control your smart home - Use your voice to turn on lights, adjust thermostats, and lock doors with compatible devices.
- Start Routines with your motion - Turn on compatible lights, play your Flash Briefing, or turn on the coffee maker when you walk into the room.
- Connect with others hands-free - Call friends and family who have the Alexa app or an Echo device. Instantly drop in on other rooms or announce to the whole house that dinner's ready.
- Designed to protect your privacy – Amazon is not in the business of selling your personal information to others. Built with multiple layers of privacy controls including a mic off button.
Amazon AZ1 Neural Edge Processor:
The echo dot 4th gen houses Amazon’s AZ1 neural edge processor designed in collaboration with MediaTek. This processor is built-in in Amazon’s Echo, Echo Dot, Echo Dot with Digital Clock, Echo Dot Kids Edition, and Echo Show 10. Amazon claims the new processor is faster, translating to more fluid and smooth interactions between you and Alexa. In a nutshell, the AZ1 will reduce latency; as a result of enhancing the user experience.
Speaker:
The echo dot houses a small 1.6″ speaker. The smaller footprint means a smaller speaker, but it still gets the job done. If you’re thinking of playing loud music on this device, you can’t. Use the speakers near range.. You can use it to answer your queries, smart home controls, listen to podcasts, use the in-house intercom, and use numerous add-on voice skills. It can do everything at close range but play music through the Dot. Ask for recipes, inquire about the latest new. Alexa has you covered. You’ll need an external speaker if you want to stream music.
Controls on your fingertips:
There are endless possibilities on how you can use the echo dot to control things. The only prerequisite is that the items you wish to control must be smart, meaning connect them to the internet.
With your voice, you can turn on and off any room’s lights through the echo dot. You can command the Dot to change the temperature, or even lock or unlock the door. The echo dot through Alexa becomes a vocal liaison between you and your smart home.
You also have the power to control your smart appliances. For example, you can tell Alexa to add an item to your shopping list for a smart refrigerator. You can start a new wash cycle for a smart washing machine or even get informed about the time left. You can preheat smart ovens.
The possibilities are just endless.
Ease of use:
Setting up the echo dot is very simple and straightforward. You get a detailed instruction manual that helps you set it up. You need the device and your mobile on which you’ll install the application. Connect the Dot to the internet, and you’re good to go.
Connectivity:
Connectivity options on the Amazon’s Echo Dot include dual-band Wi-Fi 802.11ac, Bluetooth, and a 3.5mm headphone jack. Plug in your speakers, and you are ready to listen to music or watch movies.
Conclusion:
This is all the information we have as of now. The Amazon Echo Dot 4th Gen is launching on the 22nd of October. The Echo Dot is available for $49.99.