Is Amazon Echo Dot 3 voice assistant worth to buy? Review

Welcome to our notice, Review and price comparison devoted to third generation Amazon Echo Dot speaker. Marketed in September 2018, it follows the second generation Amazon Echo Dot by providing improvements on the design and the sound quality. Its launch price is 59.99 euros. This model exists in black, White and Grey ((model that we tested).

Review | Amazon Echo Dot 3, a sober and elegant design

The design of the Amazon echo DOT 3 presents better quality finishes than its predecessor.

The enclosure is surrounded by a fabric covering available in three colours ((black, gray or white).
The lower surface in rubber is well suited and of good quality. It allows thesmart health connected speaker ofadhere to plans, avoiding the risk of falls. The anterior surface is, in turn, in plastic and flatters the whole thing. The fingerprints for example, do not mark.

Regarding your weight, it takes almost 300 grams. Its size is 9.9 cm in diameter and 4.3 cm tall.

TheAmazon Echo Dot 3 understands 4 buttons arranged in a cross ((and not tactile):

• The first for increase the volume,
• The second for decrease the volume,
• The third allowssend a request to Alexa when it goes to sleep, without having to call it,
• The fourth for turn off the microphone and voice assistant.

A colorful circle surrounds the enclosure and lights up according to use:

• In blue, when Alexa is listening to you. Note that the blue beam covers more or less the entire circle depending on the volume requested.
• In red, when Alexa is on standby, the microphone is muted,
• Orange color is reserved for system configurations.

The connectors of the’Amazon Echo Dot 3 speaker includes two entrances: one single plug and an 3.5 cm mini-jack. Indeed, compared to the Echo Dot 2, thecharger input is no longer a standard power outlet but it is unique to this smart health connected speaker. You can no longer use any charger. The second entry allows you to listen from another speaker, thanks to theAlexa app. This functionality is also possible in bluetooth.

In addition, this device incorporates a Zigbee Hub which allows detect and of set up quickly different elements of the smart health connected house (bulbs, sockets, thermostats… etc).

Finally, it should be noted that theAmazon Echo Dot 3 does not have IP67 / 68 certification and is therefore not not suitable for use in a bathroom.

An audio quality questionable

Thevoice assistant Amazon Echo Dot 3 is above all a smart health connected speaker. The sound quality is limited at full power. You can hear some bass but the sound saturates quickly as soon as you exceed 3/4 of the maximum volume offered.

The Amazon Echo Dot 3 is not dedicated to a festive musical listening but can satisfy in addition or for a background music in small groups. That’s probably why we can connect it per socket or bluetooth to any outdoor enclosure.

We noted that the Alexa voice recognition on the Amazon Echo Dot 3 hears better female voices. She wears up 2 to 4 meters according to the voices and the ambient noise. In addition, the Amazon Echo Dot 3 does not fire automatically if it is not called specifically, unlike “Siri” for example.

For the price and size, we can be very satisfied with the value for money, especially against its competitors at Apple. The getting started is easy thanks to Alexa (see our Review on the Amazon Echo Plus 2 to discover the Alexa features).

However, the moot point is the audio quality. This device does not come close to a quality speaker but can be smart health connected to it by bluetooth or mini jack. The number of features are expected to increase significantly in the coming months and years. Its price is very competitive. In its range, the Amazon Echo Dot 3 therefore presents a Very good value for money. We recommend it.