Echo Dot (4th Gen) | Smart speaker with clock and Alexa | Glacier White

This Dot 4 replaces a clock radio and a Dot 3 in my bedroom. We live in an area that most radios don't work well due to lack of reception. I did have a clock radio on my night stand primarily to see the time during the night. I also had a Dot 3 on my dresser to access the the various features of Alexa devices. The clock radio didn't play music well due to lack of reception and often the time was not correct. I used the Dot 3 primarily to for the alarm and to play sleep sounds that help me to get a better night's sleep. Since my bedroom doesn't have a usable electrical outlet connected to the wall switch, the Dot 3 also controlled all of the lighting in the room. The problem with the Dot 3 for commands was that it seemed to need a direct line of communication for it to hear commands. Since the Dot 4 is in my bedroom, I use it primarily for the alarm and to play sleep sounds. All of the lights in my bedroom are plugged into smart plugs connected to Alexa, and I have them set up in groups, i.e., dresser, night stand, butterfly (a light on the dresser). I can turn them on or off independently or as a group. Although there are buttons on the top of the Dot 4 to control volume and turn off or on the microphone, this can also be done with voice commands. What I like about the Dot 4 over the Dot 3 are: 1) A direct line of sight is not needed for the Dot 4 to hear me. It hears and understands voice commands much better than the Dot 3 2) I don't have external speakers attached and the sound quality is much better than the Dot 3. Granted there is not a booming bass, but the sound quality is much better and tends to fill the room better. 3) Although I am sensitive to light in the room when I sleep, the light from the time on the Dot 4 does not bother me at all. 4) I can easily see the time when I wake up in the night, but the light doesn't bother me when I sleep. 5 So easy to set up since all of my preferences and settings are stored in the Alexa app. Just had to name the device. Overall, I very much like this Dot 4, and it has replaced a clock radio and a Dot 3. I bought one for my husband, and he also loves it. One downside I can think of is that it's too easy to turn off alarms to sleep longer. The other is that I am without lights in my bedroom when the internet goes down which doesn't happen very often. UPDATE 09/09/23: I have been using this Echo Dot for about 1 1/2 years, and I still love it. I depend on it for my alarm to wake me, and can set different wake times for different days if I want to. At times, I have had to get up earlier to make an appointment and can easily change the wake time for only the next day. Alexa will ask if I want to change the wake time for every day. If I say "No", the wake time is changed for only that day. You can choose to be woken to a chosen alarm sound or you can choose a specific song to wake you. For a couple of days, I tried "Eye of the Tiger" thinking it would get me out of bed faster, but it didn't work for me. As mentioned previously, all of the lighting in my bedroom is controlled by Alexa. Sometimes I wake in the night and don't feel like turning over to look at the clock on this Echo dot, so I just ask Alexa what time it is. It is so easy to become dependent on the conveniences offered by electronics. I hope this review was helpful for you. I will update this review if my opinion changes.

Well, first thing I would like to say is that, before submitting a review, specially a bad review, because you can't do this or that with the Echo Dot, please learn how to use it. Alexa even guides you to things to do and configure during the initial setup. With that said, I gotta say that it is more than I expected. It was setup very easily, the Alexa App is very useful and easy to understand with few practice. Alexa system is straight forward and I like that, as I am not into the "super conversational/human mimic" system, I just want an assistant to understand my orders and my request, and Alexa does it very well, so far. For those complaining about the sound quality, I can say that, as someone that enjoy music and HiFi sound, as someone used to the Bose, Sennheiser, JBL, AKG or Harman Kardon sound quality, the Alexa speaker has a good and decent sound quality, considering its size. I read many people saying it has zero bass, but that is not true, It does have a bass level, of course it won't be like having a subwoofer, but it does have, specially when listening to EDM, Pop, Classic Music or Jazz, it sounds very good (refer to the attached video, please use headphones or good speakers to appreciate the sound), and the best part about its sound is the Alexa App Sound settings with a 3-Ways Equalizer, I can't be more satisfied. If I want louder sound with extra super ultra HiFi quality, I can use the 2.1 Speakers connected to my gaming computer. I also read some reviews stating that the display is too bright, well, it can be also adjusted with the Alexa App, there is even an Adapative Display Brightness, perfect for me, when I turn off the lamp next to my bed, the Echo Dot reduces the display brightness automatically to a point it does not bother while readable in the dark. I can even listen to my favorite radio stations via TuneIn service, I just ask Alexa and she plays it. Same applies for the audio streaming or music services, I just ask Alexa to play my music from Spotify and she does it! So basically it is just matter of getting familiar with the Alexa App and it all runs smoothly. Just setup the Skills you want and enjoy, including the funny ones. It can also controls the Amazon TV without the remote control. Super cool! All around, so far so good. I do recommend it.

The Echo Dot (4th Gen) with clock and Alexa is a perfect addition to any smart home. The Twilight Blue color is modern and vibrant, easily complementing my room decor. The built-in clock is super convenient, making it easy to check the time without needing to ask. The sound quality is impressive for its size — clear, balanced sound that fills the room, and Alexa’s responsiveness is spot on. I’ve integrated it with my smart home devices, and it controls everything effortlessly. It’s also fun to use for playing music, setting timers, or even just asking for weather updates. ✅ Pros: Sleek, modern design with a built-in clock Great sound for a compact speaker Alexa integration for controlling smart devices, setting reminders, and more Twilight Blue color adds a vibrant touch to your space ❌ Cons: Volume may not be sufficient for large rooms, but perfect for smaller spaces 💡 Tips: Pair it with other Alexa-enabled devices for a full smart home experience. Use the Do Not Disturb mode at night to avoid interruptions. The clock display brightness can be adjusted to your preference in settings. Bottom Line: The Echo Dot (4th Gen) with clock and Alexa is a great, affordable speaker that brings smart home convenience, great sound, and sleek design to any room. Highly recommend it for anyone looking to start or expand their smart home setup.

Overall, the clock makes it worth the upgrade. But the mic is not as good as before. Coming from 2nd Gen Echo dot , this 4th Gen Echo dot with clock is overall a decent upgrade. It is aesthetically pleasing. The led ring is now on the bottom making is less visible but still effective. Clock (excellent) The clock is the highlight of the device. This is a simple yet essential feature that I was missing in my setup. In my TV cabinet , having a clock nearby to tell time makes it so convenient. I have been using it to check the time so many times a day since I had the device. It's a simple yet essential feature. The brightness of the clock effectively auto adjust depending on ambient light level. I can see the time clearly in day time and it's not overally bright at night time. I thought about getting echo Show 5 instead but Echo Show 5 cannot constantly show a big clock on the screen. When idling, Echo Show 5 would shrink the time to the top left corner of the screen while showing many ads (trending topics or alexa tips) would interfere the display even after you disable it in the options. With the clock display shrunk to one corner, the fonts are too small to tell the time when you are a few feet away from the echo show 5 (say in a living room). With this echo dot with clock, i can tell the time 10 to 12 feet away. So this Echo Dot with clock is a better option to have an alexa device that shows the time. Mic (no good) 2nd Gen Echo dot had 7 mics. This 4th gen echo dot only has 4 mics. Of course the number doesn't always mean much. However in my real world test, the 2nd Gen Echo dot can pick up my voice commands even with noisy TV sound on. It is just that good. However, with this 4th gen echo dot, I would need to mute my TV for it to hear my voice. Sometimes if TV volume is not too loud , it could hear me if I shouted the command. But with the 2nd Gen Echo dot, I did not have to mute TV or lower the volume nor do I had to shout for it to hear. So in this regard, it is definitely a downgrade. Under normal situation with no ambient noise, the 4th gen echo dot with clock can hear voice command with no problem. I.e. it works, just not outstanding. I wish they come with a black color. The blue is ok but the mesh still looks closer to a light grey color from afar. Overall this is a decent upgrade solely because of the clock. And if the clock feature is important, I strongly suggest this device over the echo show 5.

I will state from the start that I bought this to upgrade from the Echo Dot 2nd generation I have not had the 3rd generation so I can't compare it to that. I was interested in this new dot because the reviews said the sound was good for the size and I liked that it has a clock on it. Overall I have been very happy with it so far. The sound quality is fantastic compared to the 2nd generation. Is it perfect no of course not but for the price and size I think it's good. I bought the blue one and like it but don't understand why they could not have made it in black as well. I like the clock it works well and I can set a routine to turn the clock off when I go to bed at night since I don't like having it on at night. I wish they had built in a setting to have it turn off for a set time but thankfully using routines did that trick. I know some people don't like the round shape of the new dot but I don't mind it I was kind of sick of the hockey puck and so now I have a bowling ball I guess but I like the look overall. In the end, I am quite happy with the 3 I bought and I am glad to see Amazon doing better with sound quality with each upgrade. I highly recommend this product.

This is a nifty little device and I think it looks like an adorable little sphere on my nightstand. The blue color is beautiful as well. It’s actually smaller in person than I had expected, and the sound quality and max volume are louder than I had expected. As a bonus it has an digital clock display, which I do not find to be too bright at all in a dark room, as some others have mentioned. I think it’s perfect in its brightness and actually reduces brightness when it’s dark in the room. I also enjoy that it has a mic off button for when you don’t want to accidentally trigger Alexa. Picked this up on prime day for an incredible price too that I would have paid for just a regular standard digital clock, which I had been meaning to buy anyway. I wake up in the middle of the night frequently and tend to check my phone for the time - the blue light of the phone and any distracting notifications on it can pull you out of sleep mode so having a digital display for the time is super helpful. As far as night light goes I was expecting the whole sphere would be illuminated but for that I think you’ve gotta buy the glow. The nightlight isn’t that useful on this because it just pulses a blue green light on the ring at the bottom. There’s no way to stop it pulsing. On the other hand if you turn the mic off at night, you can have a red ring stay illuminated at the bottom and that is kind of like a nightlight too + it doesn’t pulse.

This is my third Echo Dot. I’ve had the 2,3 and now 4 with the clock. Mine is in twilight blue as I thought the white might be hard to see the clock. However, I doubt that would be a problem as the LED display has a wide range of dim to bright. Much better than I expected. Alexa is quicker to the ready when I say her name, and so far has not had any problems understanding what I am asking her to do. The 3rd generation was my worst experience with this issue. Too many times and too often, Alexa would tell me there was no such device as a “back door light”, although it had been set up for the entire time. Many other things would be misunderstood also. The newest one though has not. I’d like to address the sound. Some people have said they prefer the sound of the 3rd gen to this one. I was always disappointed with the sound in the 3rd. While it was louder than the 2nd, I felt the quality of it was bad: a louder, but kind of a hollow sound. I used a Bluetooth speaker to listen to music. With the 4, the music is beautiful, rounded out and much more pleasant to listen to. I haven’t even turned on my Bluetooth speaker yet. There is an equalizer in settings to adjust Bass, Midline and Treble ranges. It really makes a big difference. I believe this is the best speaker yet. Big thumbs up on this. Overall, after having all three, this is the best so far! The sound quality, the response time, understanding what is being said, etc.. If you’re buying one for the first time, I’d say “Go for the gold”. The 3rd gen left a bad taste in my mouth, but felt like this one deserved a try, having the option to return it. No return from me though.

I preordered this echo dot with clock and began using the first day available on November 5th 2020. I have multiple 3rd generation echo dots with clock and I love the upgrade to the 4th generation echo dot with clock. I chose the Twilight Blue color and it’s great looking in person. It’s a nice break with additional from the charcoal and sandstone color but still looks elegant and sleek in design. The light ring on the base and digital clock display and brighter and more crisp than the 3rd generation dot. It’s very easy to read. The speakers and microphone are improved as well. The wire is a light grey color and the 15w Adaptor is rectangular in shape versus the square shape of the 3rd generation 15w power Adaptor. The manual buttons to control the echo are on top similar to last years model, but slightly recessed towards the back so they are not in view when staring directly and the front of the digital clock face. The speaker is more full in front of the dot and raises in the back where the wire plugs into dot. Setup was easy. I am considering trading in my older 3rd generation echo dots with digital clock for additional 4th generation echo dots with digital clock instead.