10 Best Alexa Smart Speakers 2025 in the United States

The newest Amazon Echo Dot offers an improved audio experience with clearer vocals, deeper bass, and vibrant sound, making it a great choice for bedrooms, dining rooms, and offices. It performs well in terms of sound quality, a critical aspect for smart speakers. The built-in microphone array ensures Alexa can hear your commands accurately, even from across the room. Its compact, stylish design in charcoal fits easily into various home decor styles without taking up much space. While it lacks a display screen, it compensates with robust voice control and smart home integration features.

You can control compatible smart home devices, set routines based on motion or temperature, and enjoy seamless music streaming from multiple services like Amazon Music, Apple Music, and Spotify. The Echo Dot supports various connectivity options, including WiFi, Bluetooth, and Amazon Sidewalk, to extend its functionality and coverage. Privacy features, like a mic-off button and data protections, add a layer of security to your smart home setup.

The device also offers extended software security updates and versatile accessibility options. On the downside, the lack of a display screen may limit its use for visual feedback or video calls, and it primarily relies on voice commands. Additionally, users must have a compatible eero network to benefit from the built-in WiFi extender feature. These minor drawbacks aside, the Amazon Echo Dot remains a solid choice for anyone looking to enhance their home with a smart, efficient, and user-friendly speaker.

The Amazon Echo Show 5 (newest model) offers a compact design with a 5.5” display, making it suitable for smaller spaces. The sound quality has improved with deeper bass and clearer vocals, enhancing your music and video streaming experience. The built-in 2 MP camera allows for video calling and provides a way to check in on your home remotely through compatible cameras and doorbells.

This model integrates seamlessly with smart home devices, allowing you to control lights, thermostats, and more via voice commands, even when you're not at home. The display screen is handy for quick access to news, weather updates, and viewing photos, with Prime members enjoying unlimited cloud photo storage. Privacy features are robust, including multiple layers of controls like a mic/camera off button and a built-in shutter, addressing common concerns about data security.

Connectivity options are strong, supporting WiFi, Bluetooth, and newer standards like Matter, ensuring broad compatibility with various smart devices. The design is both eco-friendly and aesthetic, using sustainable materials. However, the small screen size may limit the viewing experience for some users, and the 2 MP camera may not offer the best quality for video calls. Despite these minor drawbacks, the Echo Show 5 is a solid choice for anyone looking for an affordable, versatile, and privacy-conscious smart speaker with display capabilities.

The Amazon Echo Show 8 (newest model) is a versatile smart speaker that excels in several areas. It features an 8-inch HD touchscreen that delivers vibrant visuals, making it great for watching content on streaming services like Prime Video and Netflix. The inclusion of spatial audio ensures an immersive sound experience, enhancing both music and video playback. The sound quality is robust with its 2 x 2” full range neodymium drivers, and the passive bass radiator adds depth to the audio output.

For video calls, the 13 MP centered camera offers clear and crisp visuals with auto-framing and noise reduction technology, allowing for more natural conversations. In terms of smart home integration, the Echo Show 8 stands out by supporting Zigbee, Matter, and Thread protocols, eliminating the need for a separate smart home hub. You can easily control various smart home devices like cameras and lights through voice commands or the touchscreen display.

The device's design is modern and compact, making it a good fit for most home settings without taking up too much space. The built-in smart home hub simplifies managing connected devices, and the microphone array ensures Alexa can hear you well from across the room. Connectivity options are robust, with dual-band WiFi and Bluetooth support, although it doesn't support ad-hoc WiFi networks or Mac OS X devices for hands-free voice control. While the Echo Show 8 aims to protect user privacy with features like a built-in camera shutter and microphone off button, some users might still be cautious about Amazon's data handling practices. One potential drawback is that certain features and streaming services may require additional subscriptions, which could add to the cost. The device is also designed with sustainability in mind, using 29% recycled materials and responsibly sourced packaging.