Amazon Echo Pop review: A portable smart speaker for small spaces

For the biggest audio brands like Sonos and Sony, bigger speakers often translate to better sound. But not everyone is looking for a great, top-of-the-line speaker for everyday listening.

Many of us take advantage of both options; A loud, room-filling speaker for home theater and also a small, compact option for oldies to play while taking a relaxing bath.

Regardless of size, the idea of ​​adding a smart speaker can prove intimidating to many people, especially those new to the smart home. New $40 Amazon Echo PopHowever, there is a good way to start.

If you’re like me, you might be wondering: Why would Amazon launch a smart speaker with as many smart speakers as there are on the market? That’s what I expected during my week-long test of the Echo Pop.

Specifications

What’s new in this model

This small, compact speaker packs a punch that you wouldn’t expect from its size, but its portability is arguably its biggest draw compared to competing smart speakers.

1. Echo Pop can fit almost anywhere

Amazon is marketing the Echo Pop speaker as a perfect fit for small rooms and bedrooms. If you like to do housework while listening to podcasts or audiobooks, an Echo Pop might be the best fit for your lifestyle. Given its compact nature, the speaker can fit almost anywhere, from shelves to office desks to nightstands.

I have several Echo speakers around my house, including a Show, STUDIOAnything else echo dots And when I unboxed the Echo Pop, I still didn’t know where I was going to put it. I have one in my bedroom Sonos Era 100 For both Alexa and TV sound, while the bathroom’s Echo Dot can control my blinds and play music when I want to shower, so I didn’t need another device in there.

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After testing the Echo Pop in my living room and finding it too small for such a large open space, I settled for the kids’ bedrooms. The space-saving design on the Echo Pop means it’s a perfect fit on a bookshelf, desk or side table, but it also makes it significantly less powerful than other speakers, such as echo dot,

My two older kids share a 250-300 sq ft room where we’ve installed some smart lights. Naturally, adding a smart speaker for easy control made the most sense. There are also kids in the room who often organize their own dance parties, so having an Echo Pop in there was a win-win.

2. The sound quality is surprisingly good

Setting up the Echo Pop with the Alexa app is easy, thanks to Amazon’s Frustration-Free Setup (FFS), which connects your new devices to your Wi-Fi network, making the entire setup process no more than one to two minutes She goes.

To my ears, the Echo Pop sounds much better than similarly sized speakers, although the quality isn’t as good as the latest, fifth generation echo dot, The Pop has a 1.95-inch front-facing, powerful directional speaker, which is slightly larger than the Echo Dot. The speaker is powerful, capable of getting loud in small spaces, so much so that it can become a problem if you accidentally turn up the volume.

That being said, the design and technology within the new Echo speakers result in improvements over the older versions of the Echo Dot, if you’re considering upgrading from an older speaker.

Too: Best Echo speakers: How do Amazon’s Alexa devices compare?

While the Echo Pop takes up more than half the space of an Echo Dot (see image above), its comparable sound quality is good enough to compete with other compact speakers such as jbl flip lineup, which costs a lot.

Since setting it up in the kids’ bedrooms, I’ve used the Echo Pop’s Alexa built-in feature to control the kids’ lights, as well as set bedtime routines. It also functions as an alarm clock, complete with Spongebob Squarepants tones to wake them up for school in the morning. Oh, and it also includes Eero built-in and Matter support.

what i would like to see in the next model

Here are some changes I’d like to see with the next iteration of the Echo Pop, which would take it from a smart speaker that’s good enough to a must-have purchase for me.

1. Improved microphone array — or Alexa button

Because of the oomph the speaker produces in smaller rooms, this can be a challenge when you’re trying to speak to Alexa in the middle of a song. The lack of a dedicated button to call up Alexa is frustrating, as my kids will often change their mind about a song or want to move on to another activity and the speaker simply won’t hear them or me.

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Without a button for Alexa, you’re stuck trying to speak over any audio playback, shouting out the wake word as needed. This is a problem with many smart speakers, not just the Echo Pop, but it’s one I rarely encounter with the microphone array of the 5th-gen Echo Dot or even the Sonos Era 100.

2. crackling sound

The Echo Pop produces vocals with plenty of clarity, but they aren’t as crisp as other speakers and it feels like the overall sound quality suffers from that signature, compact sound quality notable for with compact speakers.

However, this speaker is made for small rooms, everyday listening, and smart home control, so it’s unlikely someone is looking for the Echo Pop, a small smart speaker that can be placed on a shelf with even the loudest clarity Looking for balance, and details. If Amazon can make any improvements to the audio frequencies, I’d say it’s a win.

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amazon echo pop

The $40 Amazon Echo Pop is perfect for everyday listening and smart home utilities.

ground level

Amazon’s new echo pop Proved to be a great smart speaker for small spaces like bedrooms and bathrooms. It’s also been handy to use Alexa (or Ziggy, which is the wake word we’ve given it) to control accessories like smart lights and help my kids learn to wake up with an alarm during the school day.

The Echo Pop, which comes in four different colors (Charcoal, Glacier White, Lavender Bloom and Midnight Teal), is available now for $40 on Amazon,

should i buy one?

As a simple smart speaker, the Echo Pop makes a great addition for those who want great sound and a smart voice assistant without consuming precious square footage in their living space.

Given that the Pop is only $10 cheaper than the Better-Sound 5th-gen Echo Dot, I’m not sure this savings is worth compromising on audio quality and extra features; I’d pay $10 just for that Alexa button. But for anyone looking for a small speaker to listen to their favorite True Crime podcast or workout music, or even if they have roommates or students in the dorm room, as far as smart speakers go, Echo Pop is one of the safest options. Concerned.

options to consider

Best Amazon Alternative

Amazon Echo Dot (5th Generation)

If you want to stick with Alexa and are willing to pay a little more for better sound quality, the latest generation Echo Dot is the middle ground between the Pop and the Echo.

best google alternative

google nest mini

One of the most direct options to consider, especially if you prefer to use Google over Alexa as your voice assistant.

best apple substitute

apple homepod mini

Although more expensive, at $100, the HomePod mini is Apple’s most compact smart speaker. This is a great option if you prefer a smart speaker with Siri built-in.