Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Smart Home
  3. News

Staff Picks: DT’s favorite smart home tech of 2020

John Velasco
By
Smart Home Top Tech 2020: Amazon Echo
Digital Trends/Chris DeGraw

At this point, smart speakers aren’t particularly new. In fact, we’ve seen countless speakers since they rose in popularity a few years ago. Amazon’s own line of Echo smart speakers helped usher in the age of the smart home, but this year’s model isn’t just an incremental update. It’s such a big leap that we think it’s not only the best smart speaker you can currently buy, but also the best smart home product of 2020 as a whole.

Why? Well, first and foremost, the fourth-generation model Echo introduces a brand-new design that’s a refreshing change that features a spherical shape. Some folks were skeptical about the switch (including us), but the orb-shaped look of the Echo (4th Gen) was a necessary one over the cylindrical designs of its predecessors. Other speakers look blah with their predictable designs, which is why the Echo (4th Gen) particularly stands out for its odd design choice. Add to that its dazzling LED light ring, you’ll be entranced each and every time Alexa is activated.

Recommended Videos

Audio quality also continues to be a key area focused by the Echo (4th Gen). It’s no slouch, packing in a 3.0-inch woofer accompanied by dual front-firing 0.8-inch tweeters. The result is a sound performance that’s not sky about its boisterous performance. You can even connect two Echos with a compatible Fire TV device to experience home theater audio. Who doesn’t love a speaker that can fill large rooms?

Amazon Echo Dot (4th Gen) with Clock LED light
John Velasco / Digital Trends

Another aspect that’s often underappreciated is that the Echo (4th Gen) acts as a home hub for Zigbee-compatible devices. This effectively allows users to connect Zigbee devices without the need for setting up yet another bridge in your home to gain remote access to them. For example, you can set up a Zigbee smart LED light bulb all through the Alexa app using nothing more than the Echo (4th Gen). It beats having to set up another physical bridge and installing an app just to get that Zigbee device to work.

Related

And finally, there’s Alexa, which is constantly being improved thanks to the many skills that are available to expand her functions. Things certainly got spicy with the introduction of Samuel L. Jackson as one of the celebrity voices that could be used. We’ll attest that he’s by far the funniest and most amusing voice assistant out there, which makes the Echo (4th Gen) a sweeter package over its rivals.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
John Velasco
John Velasco
Former Digital Trends Contributor
John is the Smart Home editor at Digital Trends covering all of the latest tech in this emerging market. From uncovering some…
Household electrical usage increased in 2020. Here’s how a smart home can help
data shows increase in household energy use 2020 sense home monitor feature 625x417 c

A report released by Sense has revealed that home energy usage increased dramatically throughout all of 2020. Of course, this doesn't come as much of a surprise -- with the quarantine and lockdown protocols ensuring most people stayed at home during this time, the average amount of energy used increased by 9.3%. This translated to an overall average increase of $127 by the end of the year, with the highest increase taking place during the spring and summer months.

U.S. customers overall paid an increase of $1.21 billion, but this added cost was not distributed evenly across the country. Five states in particular saw the highest increase in rates, with residents in New York and Massachusetts facing an increase three times that of Florida. As the pandemic spread throughout the country, demand for electricity continued to rise up to 22%.

Read more
Here’s why the Amazon Echo Dot is the ultimate holiday gift for all ages
amazon drops the price for ring video doorbell 2 and throws in an echo dot with 3

The Amazon Echo Dot (3rd Gen) is a heavy hitter for Prime Day this year. On sale for $19, and down from its normal price of $39, this is a shockingly low price for Amazon's mini smart speaker, and just one of many amazing Prime Amazon Echo deals this year. With the latest (higher-priced) generation of Echo products hitting Amazon and shelves next week, there's never been a better time to nab the 3rd Gen Echo Dot. If you plan on buying for the holidays, it's best to grab it now, as availability dates currently range from early November to December.

For less than $20, the Echo Dot 3rd Gen could be one of the best Christmas gifts you give this year. Available in sandstone, charcoal, heather gray, and plum, and powered by Amazon Alexa, the entire family will love Alexa's amazing skills. Check news and weather; stream music from Spotify, Apple Music, and more; keep tabs on your Amazon notifications; and control all of your smart home gear. Adjust thermostats, set mood lighting, unlock smart locks, and more, all from the convenience of your Alexa app.

Read more
Amazon goes spherical for its refreshed Echo smart speakers
Echo Dot with clock on a counter.

Amazon announced a refresh to its smart speaker line on Thursday. Amazon Echo speakers arguably brought the smart home trend into the mainstream. The announcement brings an update to the series with four new devices, and more importantly, a dramatic design departure from what we know and are familiar with.

Amazon completely redesigned its flagship Echo speaker (4th Gen) into a spherical shape that comes in three colors -- charcoal, glacier white, and twilight blue. The Echo (4th Gen) is covered in a fabric finish and will cost $100. Pre-orders start today and will ship later this year.

Read more