10 Best Amazon Echo Devices 2025 in the United States

The Amazon Echo Show 21 is a large 21-inch smart display designed mainly for home use, especially kitchens. Its Full HD screen is the biggest in Amazon’s Echo line, making it great for viewing videos, recipes, calendars, and photos with sharp, vibrant colors. The built-in Fire TV adds access to many streaming services like Prime Video and Netflix, which is handy for entertainment. Sound quality is strong for an Echo device, thanks to multiple woofers and tweeters, delivering clear and immersive audio that works well for music or video calls.

Alexa’s voice assistant is responsive and supports many useful commands, including smart home control through the Zigbee, Matter, and Thread protocols, which means it integrates smoothly with a wide range of smart devices. The device’s camera is 13 MP with auto-framing, zoom, and noise reduction, making video calls feel more natural and clear. Privacy is thoughtfully addressed with a physical camera shutter and microphone off button.

The Echo Show 21 is quite large and heavy, which means it’s not very portable and more suited to a fixed spot like a kitchen counter or mounted on a wall. Being refurbished, it comes with a 90-day warranty rather than a full new-product guarantee, which might concern some buyers. While it supports many smart home features, some apps or services may require additional subscriptions or might change over time. This Echo Show is excellent for users wanting a versatile, visually impressive smart display for home organization, entertainment, and video calls, but it’s less ideal if you need a portable or small device.

The Amazon Echo Spot (2024) is a compact smart alarm clock designed primarily for nightstands, offices, or kitchens. Its standout feature is the 2.83-inch touchscreen that shows time, weather, and song info in a customizable display, making it easy to glance at important info. It produces surprisingly rich sound with clear vocals and decent bass, which works well for music, podcasts, or audiobooks in small to medium rooms.

The device integrates smoothly with smart home gadgets via WiFi and supports Alexa routines to automate tasks like adjusting lights or thermostat settings, making it a handy helper for managing your home environment. Voice commands are responsive and Alexa speaks English and Spanish, adding convenience for multilingual users. Privacy is well-considered here, with a mic-off button and multiple controls to protect your data, plus Amazon promises software updates for several years.

While portable enough to move around, it needs to stay plugged in, so it’s not ideal for on-the-go use. The design is modern and compact, fitting nicely on a nightstand without taking much space. One limitation is the small screen size and lower resolution compared to bigger Echo devices, which might feel cramped if you want more detailed visuals. Also, it lacks a camera, so video calls aren’t possible. If you want a stylish, voice-controlled smart clock with good sound and solid smart home support, especially for bedside use, the Echo Spot is a good match. However, if you need a larger display or portability with battery power, other Echo models might serve you better.

The Ring Solar Pathlights and Echo (4th Gen) bundle offers a comprehensive solution for enhancing your smart home setup. The Echo (4th Gen) excels in sound quality, providing clear highs, dynamic mids, and deep bass that adapt to any room, making it ideal for music, radio, or audiobooks. Its voice assistant capabilities with Alexa are robust, allowing you to control compatible smart home devices, stream music, check weather updates, and more with ease.

The Echo (4th Gen) has a sleek and modern look that fits well in various home environments. However, it does not feature a display screen, which might be a drawback for users seeking visual information like weather updates or smart home controls. The Ring Solar Pathlights included in the bundle are an excellent addition for outdoor lighting, being solar-powered and weather-resistant. They provide 80 lumens of light and have adjustable motion detection, making them suitable for pathways and walkways.

The smart home integration is strong, especially when connected to a Ring Bridge (sold separately), allowing for mobile notifications, customizable settings, and integration with other Ring devices through the Ring app. The portability of the Echo (4th Gen) is moderate, as it's designed to be stationary, but the Ring Pathlights are easy to set up and can be moved if needed. A downside is the requirement of a Ring Bridge for full smart features, which adds extra cost and setup complexity. Additionally, a subscription is needed for certain Ring Alarm features, which might not be appealing to all users.