Where to Buy Amazon Echo Dot 3rd: Is This The Best Version Yet?

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Since the folks at the big A released their third iteration of their smart speakers in October 2018, there are many wondering where to buy Amazon Echo Dot. The demand has been crazy and for many good reasons.

For starters, the Amazon Echo 3rd gen is designed to be sleeker and have better sound quality than its predecessors. Better still, the Echo dot 3 is just as affordable as earlier models of the Dot.

Just how well does the newest model of the Amazon Echo Dot work? Does it come as advertised?

Where to buy Amazon Echo Dot 3rd gen

It’s always best to get products straight from the manufacturer, so head down to Amazon and check out their current listings. However, Amazon has partnerships with many major retailers and their products can be found at retailers like Walmart.

Now that you know where to buy Amazon Echo Dot, read on to find out what separates the third generation Echo from its predecessors.

Introducing the Echo Dot 3rd Gen

Like previous versions of the Echo, this model of smart speaker serves as Alexa’s ears and doubles as a voice-controlled home automation hub. This means that with the Dot 3, the user can enjoy a wide array of Amazon-compatible devices and services, all integrated through this nifty little smart speaker.

Design

The Echo Dot (3rd Gen) still has a compact hockey puck design. It is only slightly larger and heavier than the Echo Dot 2. It comes with some new improvements. Its casing is made of a textured fabric lining instead of plastic. This allows the Dot 3 to blend in a bit more easily with a room’s décor. The tiny speaker comes in charcoal grey, sandstone and heather grey.

The top of the Echo Dot is framed by the famous light ring. It comes with volume buttons, an activation button and a mute button for the times when you need Alexa to stop listening.

At its rear is a power port and a 3.5mm audio port that are placed side by side. Because the Echo Dot 3 needs more power than the Dot2, Amazon switched out the USB power port for a regular one.

The base of the smart speaker is coated with a generous layer of anti-slide silicon so it can grip surfaces that much better.

Features: Connectivity

To put it online, the user simply has to power the Echo Dot (3rd Gen) and start its pre-installed Alexa app. Alexa will find the home Wi-Fi network, log on and detect any compatible devices connected to the network.

Till now, the Echo was geared more toward voice control, but this model sounds way, way better than the Echo Dot 2. That said, if you want the full sound experience, you will have to channel the audio output of the Echo 3 directly to external audio devices via Bluetooth or the audio port.

One feature that would be a welcome addition is an easy way to cast audio-visual content across devices in the same Wi-Fi network, like how Google has Chromecast. With the dot, the sound connectivity is limited to Bluetooth and the 3.5mm audio jack.

[Read what others are saying about the Echo Dot 3rd Gen]

Features: Functionality

The Echo Dot 3 comes with all the functionality of the latest version of Alexa. That means that you can give Alexa added skills that allow her to perform customized tasks. The Echo Dot (3rd Gen) acts as a voice input and a controller for basic smart home functions like lighting, entertainment, security and multi-room sound control. The ever-useful drop-in feature comes in handy if you need to ‘page’ people that are in different parts of the home.

You can take it a step further and incorporate your favorite Alexa-compatible apps. They allow Alexa to do things like give the latest baseball stats or stream an informative sports show.

The Echo Dot 3rd Generation will even facilitate a conversation between Alexa and the cat if you like.

Pros

• It has a nice design, so there is no need to hide or camouflage it
• Responds well to voice input from across a room, even with interfering ambient noise. In this respect, its performance is better than that of the previous version
• Louder and clearer than previous models, which is especially useful with voice calls
• Costs about the same as the Dot 2

Cons

• The Echo Dot 3 cannot be powered by USB, which can be inconvenient
• It will not connect to peer-to-peer networks
• Although the sound is greatly improved, this smart speaker needs the help of external speakers to play high-quality sound
• It would be awesome if Amazon added a feature that works like Chromecast

Should you buy it?

Sure. The Alexa inside the Echo Dot 3 is a recent build that has added features for you to discover. It also hears better and sounds better than earlier models while remaining affordable. Click here to purchase one.