Amazon’s 2018 Echo devices are mostly worthy upgrades: Echo Dot, Plus, Show and Sub

While Amazon announced a flurry of products a few weeks ago during a keynote at the company’s Seattle, Washington head office, in typical fashion, only select devices are making their way to the Canadian market.

First and most importantly, the e-commerce giant is finally bringing the Echo Show to Canada for the first time. The 2nd-generation Echo show is a significant step above its predecessor thanks to its sizeable 10-inch display and surprisingly impressive sound quality.

Amazon also launched the third-generation version of its tiny Echo Dot, along with a fabric-covered 2nd-generation iteration of the Echo Plus, the company’s highest-end smart speaker.

Finally, Amazon also released the Echo Sub, the company’s first subwoofer, a device that’s capable of adding significant bass to an Echo-powered speaker setup.

Echo Dot 3rd-generation

The latest version of the Echo Dot is by far the best version of Amazon’s pint-sized smart speaker yet, though it still lacks 3.5mm audio input. However, Bluetooth connectivity is still possible.

The tiny smart speaker’s audio quality is substantially improved over the 2nd-generation version of the device, as well as a cut above the generally horrible sounding Google Home Mini. That said, the new Dot only features a single 1.6-inch 360-firing speaker. The improvement this year is the 360 sound, which results in fuller audio that’s surprisingly capable of filling a room despite the Dot’s small size.

Further, the new Dot responds to voice commands more consistently when compared to earlier versions of the smart speaker thanks to its more sensitive array of four far-field microphones. The Dot has also been revamped on the outside, thanks to a new fabric cover that moves its design more in-line with Amazon’s 2nd Gen Echo.

Still, if you’re the type of person who cares about audio quality, the Echo Dot isn’t the smart speaker for you. The new Echo Dot is available in ‘Charcoal,’ ‘Heather Gray’ and ‘Sandstone’ for $69 CAD.

Echo Plus 2nd-generation

The new Echo Plus features a friendlier, fabric wrapped design when compared to its 1st-generation counterpart. The latest version of the speaker still features Zigbee home automation hub integration, though a new built-in temperature sensor has also been added to the device that could come in handy if you’re also using a smart thermostat of some sort.

Concerning sound quality, the new Echo Plus still features omnidirectional Dolby Audio and a 0.8-inch tweeter, coupled with a larger 3-inch subwoofer. The speaker features noticeably more bass when compared to its predecessor, but lacks the high-end fidelity of other smart speakers like Apple’s HomePod or the Sonos One. In general, there’s a rather substantial gap between the way the speaker outputs high and low frequencies.

The Echo Plusstill features a 3.5mm headphone jack, allowing it to be connected to external speakers or a pair of headphones. The Plus is also now capable of being paired with an additional Plus speaker for stereo sound.

The new Echo Plus is available in ‘Charcoal,’ ‘Heather Gray,’ and ‘Sandstone’ for $199 with a free Philips Hue light bulb.

Echo Sub

Given Amazon’s habit of not bringing products to the United States at the same time as Canada, it’s interesting the company has opted to release the Echo Sub in the Canadian market.

The Sub’s bass is deep, powerful and, at times, overwhelming depending on the genre of music you’re listening to. Spec wise, the subwoofer is down-firing and features a 100-watt amplifier pushing a 6-inch woofer.

The Echo Sub can be connected to a pair of two Echo speakers that are the same, for example, the Echo Dot or the 2nd-generation Echo, or with a wide range of Echo devices following that initial pairing. For instance, I paired the Sub with the Echo Plus, then set up multi-room audio with the Sub and Plus couple selected along with the Show, Dot and 2nd-gen echo. This created possibly the most impressive room-filling sound I’ve ever encountered.

Unfortunately, there doesn’t seem to be a way to control the Sub’s volume or intensity, which seems like a strange move on Amazon’s part. The Echo Sub also lacks a 3.5mm line.

The Echo Sub is priced at $169 and is set to release on November 19th.

Echo Show 2nd Gen

I can’t help but feel that Amazon’s Echo devices that feature a display, particularly the Show, feel very limited in the Canadian market.

Similar to the alarm clock-like Echo Spot, there are very few Canadian video Skills worth checking out, with CBC News and CTV News being the only two standouts. Further, while it’s great to have relatively easy access to YouTube unlike previous versions of the Show, the device’s version of Firefox is limited, mainly when using it to watch content on Google’s video-sharing service.

The device also doesn’t officially support Netflix, though it is possible to access a web version of the platform through the Echo Show’s built-in web browser.

Even trying to watch Amazon Prime Video content on the Echo Show is a frustrating experience. For example, I couldn’t find a way to watch the 4th season of Man in the High Castle, with the device online launching the last episode I watched of the TV show regardless of how specific my voice request was.

On the plus side, the ability to control lights connected to the Echo Show via the device’s touchscreen is a welcome addition, as is the complete redesign. The new Show looks less like a device you’d find in a doctors office and now feels more in-line with other smart home devices out there thanks to its fabric covered rear and sizable display. Spec wise, the show features a 10-inch touchscreen that measures in at 1,280 x 800 pixels. The device also features Zigbee smart home hub integration, just like the Echo Plus.

In general, the Echo Show features great sound that tends to be heavy on the bass, though this can be easily shifted through the device’s built-in equalizer. Finally, the Echo Show also features a 5-megapixel camera that supports HD video calling, though this isn’t a very I have spent significant time testing.

Given that the device features a display, it would, in theory, make sense for Amazon to allow the user to interact with the touchscreen more frequently rather than voice commands, though that, unfortunately, isn’t the case right now.

With the Canadian release of Google’s likely more capable Home Hub still looming on the horizon, the Echo show remains a tough sell. The Echo Show with a free Philips Hue light bulb is priced at $299.99 in ‘Charcoal’ and ‘Standstone,’ and is set to ship on November 8th.

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