Amazon Echo Dot 3rd Gen (Grey)

”For not a lot of money you get a whole load of smart voice functionality and decent sound.”– ‘What Hi-Fi’ – 5 Star review. Tested at £50

New speaker for improved sound
Featuring a new speaker, with distinctive wraparound grille, the new Echo Dot not only sounds louder than before but also smoother and richer, too. Although still a small speaker, the Echo Dot V3 gives a fuller sound for more lifelike speech and natural music.

Smooth new style
As well as the new speaker grille, the distinctive Echo Dot features a smooth new style that’s easier on the eye. Available in black, grey or white, it blends with your décor as seamlessly as ever.

Enhanced accessibility
Designed to be easier to use, the latest Echo Dot now uses multi-colour lights to indicate function changes. You can also alter the volume via voice command.

Connect to the Internet and go
Setting up an Amazon Echo Dot is easy. Simply plug it in, connect to your wi-fi and you're good to go. Easy access to a massive range of tailored services is just a voice command away.

Voice recognition
Simply say the word "Alexa" and request what you'd like to listen to and from which service. This could be as general as, "Alexa, play indie from the 90s." To something more specific, such as, "Alexa, Play Despacito from Spotify." (Premium Spotify account required). You can even sing some of the song for Echo Dot to find them on Amazon Music Unlimited! With far-field voice recognition, Echo Dot hears you anywhere in the room, even in noisy environments or when playing music. For privacy, the microphone can be switched off.

The perfect Echo for your existing Hi-Fi – via cable or Bluetooth
With 3.5mm and Bluetooth outputs, the Echo Dot plugs into a vast range of Hi-Fi and speaker systems. Simply use a 3.5mm - Phono lead, connect to your AUX input and your existing Hi-Fi or speaker system is now part of the amazing Alexa voice system. Alternatively, use the Bluetooth connection to send a wireless signal to your Bluetooth speaker.

Bluetooth enabled
As well as connecting to your Wi-Fi, Echo Dot also connects to local devices via Bluetooth. This lets you stream popular music services like Spotify or Amazon Music directly from your phone or tablet.

Smart ability
As well as playing back music, Echo Dot also works with third party Alexa Skills to provide news, weather, recipes and much more. Some of the connected services currently include Just Eat, Uber, Jamie Oliver, EDF, Sky Scanner and National Rail. The list is growing continuously, while at the same time Alexa becomes smarter. For example, you can now send messages via voice or text to anyone with an Echo device or the Alexa App. Alexa calling and messaging is available at no additional cost—to get started download the latest version of the Alexa App on a smart phone with iOS 9.0 or higher, or Android 5.0 or higher, and verify your mobile number. Voice control lets you order a taxi, check your train times or order food.

Control your smart home
As part of your smart home system, Echo works with systems such as Nest, Hive and Philips Hue, giving you voice control of your lighting and heating systems. Ask Alexa to switch the lights on before your get out of bed or reduce the temperature once you're in - a simple voice command does it all.

Alexa app
For when voice control may not be practical, there's the comprehensive Alexa app to hand. Available for Apple iOS, Android and Fire OS systems. The app connects to existing services you may already use, such as Spotify and Google Calendar. It also lets you set up smart home devices from WeMo, Philips Hue, Hive, Netatmo and more.

Small but mighty, the Amazon Echo Dot V3 is the perfect introduction to Alexa.