Amazon Echo Pop
The Echo Pop takes the Echo Dot, removes some of the finer features, and almost literally cuts the design in half to deliver a simplified Alexa-powered smart speaker. It does its job well, however, for the standard $40 price tag, we don’t think it’s really worth the money. At just $18, though, it’s a good value for the money, offering a basic smart speaker that sounds good and works reliably.
The newEcho Pop, which just came out in May of this year, falls into a strange spot among the other options in Amazon’s line of Echo smart speakers. Essentially taking theEcho Dotand trimming it down in both form and function, it’s meant to be a more basic — and cheaper — alternative to one of Amazon’sbest smart speakersto date. However, at its standard $40 price tag, it’s hard to justify a purchase when you realize that the Echo Dot is only $10 more. WithAmazon Prime Dayin full swing, two deals are here that take over 50% off this nifty little smart speaker and drop it down to a much more acceptable $18 for the speaker alone and $19 for the speaker with a Sengled smart bulb bundled in.
Why the Echo Pop is worth your money
While the design of the Echo Pop is the most notable difference between it and its sister speaker, the Echo Dot, there’s a bit more than meets the eye with this Echo redesign. The driver has been bumped up to a 1.95-inch front-firing speaker, compared to the Echo Dot’s 1.73-inch speaker, to offer slightly better and more directionally focused sound quality. It’s not a massive difference between them, but it’ll be noticeable in music and when listening to Alexa chime off. However, the halved design of the Echo Pop makes it ideal for smaller rooms, so it’s the better option if you need something for your bedroom, bathroom, or any smaller spaces within the home.
Thankfully, Alexa works just as well with the Echo Pop as it does with the other Echo speakers available. Running off Amazon’s AZ2 processor, it’ll process commands just as quickly and effectively as it does with the other speakers. You’ll be able to connect and control other smart devices with it, and the full gamut of Alexa’s tricks are accessible via voice commands whenever you need them. Better still, you’ll also be able to set up privacy settings like you would any other Echo smart speaker, letting you personalize and control how Alexa operates in your home. It’s also gotEerowireless capabilities built-in and can function as an extension point of your mesh network if you’ve got one.
There are few things missing in the Echo Pop, including motion detection capabilities and a temperature sensor, but if these aren’t critical to have in your mind, then the extra $20 savings is more than worth it. Alone, the Echo Pop is going for $18 right now, but there’s a sweet package deal going on as well that offers the speaker plus a Sengled multi-colored smart bulb for just $1 more. It’s a cool little bundle that offers a fun way for you to amp up your living space with voice controlled lighting. Both deals get you one of these nifty smart speakers at a good price, and the savings alone make them worth the buy.
