The Echo Dot has always been a bit hard to classify. Is it a speaker? Is it a smart-home hub? Is it a strange orb that sits on your counter and tells you what the weather is going to be like tomorrow? It’s a “yes” to all of those questions, but is it truly great at any of them? The latest iteration from Amazon, the Echo Dot Max, is here to lay claim to being truly great at all of the above. It also happens to be at its lowest price ever right now at just $75, 25% off its usual $100.
This latest model brings the Echo Dot out of the too-small speaker category and places it in the ideal spot for living rooms and even an entire small apartment. The Max brings 3 times the bass compared to the 2022 version of the Echo Dot, with a larger driver and Omnisense technology to adapt to the acoustics of whatever surroundings you place it in, and then adjust if you move it to another space. A smart speaker that can quite literally read the room for audio while also nailing all of the personal assistant and smart-home chores is well worth a long look.
Alexa+ Ready to Roll
The Echo Dot Max’s smart home hub is built in, so you can pair and control lights, locks, and compatible devices directly through the Max without any additional hardware. It also supports eero network extension for compatible setups, which handles Wi-Fi dead spots in larger spaces.
For audio, it works with Amazon Music, Apple Music, Spotify, and SiriusXM out of the box, and can pair with a second Echo Dot Max for stereo sound or connect to compatible Fire TV devices to serve as part of a home theater audio system. The AZ3 chip handles processing, and the Max is designed to support Alexa+, Amazon’s more conversational AI assistant tier that handles more complex, multi-step requests.
Sweet-Spot Pricing
Whether the Echo Dot Max can replace a dedicated Bluetooth speaker in your living room is harder to say without testing it, but for Amazon ecosystem users looking to upgrade from an older Dot, the gap in capability looks meaningful at a price that doesn’t require much commitment. The Echo Dot Max’s easy interaction with the great many other members of the Amazon family, like the eero and the Fire TV, is a huge perk.
At $75 while this Amazon deal is live, the Echo Dot Max lands in an interesting spot. It’s more expensive than the standard Echo Dot but undercuts the full-size Echo on price, and if Amazon’s audio claims hold up, it may make the Dot the more practical choice for anyone who wanted a smarter-sounding speaker without paying for the flagship.