Prime Day deals feature a lot of excellent discounts on tech, but while the majorly discounted price of the Amazon Echo Dot Gen 3 is certainly tantalizing, shoppers shouldn’t rush to put it in their cart without knowing the full story.
The Echo Dot Gen 3 is a quality speaker and smart home device that comes with a hearty recommendation, especially for the Prime Day price of $18. However, for just $2 more, you can snag the Echo Dot Gen 4.
Amazon Echo Dot (Gen 3) — $18, was $40:
Amazon Echo Dot (Gen 4) — $20, was $50:
Why you should skip the Echo Dot Gen 3 on Prime Day
There’s plenty to love about both devices, but when it comes down to it, the Gen 4 Echo Dot has the Gen 3 beat. The differences between the two aren’t astronomical, but seeing as the Gen 4 is priced at just $20, it’s hard to say that someone should buy the Gen 3 for $18.
Both the Echo Dot Gen 3 and 4 feature quality speakers, but because of the Gen 4’s spherical design, it’s able to reduce the amount of speaker rattling when playing music and other audio at a high volume. The speakers are the same size (clocking in at 1.6 inches each), but with the difference in design, the Gen 4 has much nicer sound staging, making the auditory experience much clearer.
There’s no shortage of features in either device. Both allow you to control other “smart” elements of your home such as lights, door locks, and security features. In terms of pound-for-pound uses, there isn’t much difference between Echo Dot generations. Amazon has done a good job at supporting its older hardware even after new hardware launches, so the Gen 3 Echo Dot isn’t a bad deal when looking at its continued support since the Gen 4’s release. But because the Gen 3 first debuted in 2018, it’s likely on the edge of slipping out of the pool of regular updates, and will instead likely be relegated to receiving support on a much less consistent basis.
One final thing to consider
The only major reason why anyone should consider going with the Echo Dot Gen 3 over its newer counterpart is its smaller hockey puck-esque design that the 4th-Gen device ditched. The Echo Dot Gen 3 (and all previous Echo Dot devices for that matter) is very compact and can be tucked away on a shelf or counter much easier than the Gen 4’s spherical design. Obviously, the puck design has drawbacks like its reduced speaker capacity, but if you’re looking for something subtle, then the Gen 3 is likely more appealing.
Although there’s plenty of merit to preferring the more understated design of the Gen 3, in just about every other category, the Gen 4 Echo Dot is better — or at the very least on par with what previous Echo Dots offer. If you’re looking to grab one during Prime Day 2022, avoid the Gen 3 deal pricing it at $18 and instead pick up the Gen 4 for $20.
Amazon Echo Dot (Gen 3) — $18, was $40:
Amazon Echo Dot (Gen 4) — $20, was $50:
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