Amazon’s flagship Echo Dot just got miles cheaper and it beats older models

The Echo Dot Max stands out for one main reason

An updated version of Amazon’s speaker, the Echo Dot Max, brings boosted sound in an upgraded design. I’ve been using the new version of the staple Alexa-packed speaker for months and it easily beats the older models.

Thanks to a flurry of enhancements, the tiny speaker picks up on my voice better, even from another room in my flat, and has a handy quick-touch ‘tap to pause’ which my older 1st Gen Echo Dot does not have.

Not forgetting that the sound is crisper, sharper, and reaches every corner of the room it plays in, a major reason why I’d pick it over an older, cheaper, model. But its features aren’t the only standout element to the device. There’s also been a price drop.

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Now £79.99, instead of £99.99, it’s back to its lowest ever price, cutting £20 off the cost in a surprise Amazon device sale. There’s also the option to trade-in, which means anyone with an older device can hand it over to get an even bigger discount.

At the launch unveiling last year Amazon told me, and a room full of tech fans, that the device is ‘game-changing for music’. Having used it myself I can confirm that there’s boosted bass and cleaner audio. I have the much bigger (and pricier) original Echo Studio in our living room and the Echo Dot Max trumps its sound quality, despite its minute size in comparison.

Echo Dot Max

£99.99

£79.99

Amazon

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The Echo Dot Max is Amazon’s newest 2025 speaker, which has been redesigned to help boost sound, has improved bass, and adapts sound to users’ spaces.

• Great sound
• Alexa is responsive
• Bass is noticably improved
• New mesh design – for an improved look and sound

• Price – much more expensive
• Alexa+ is not out in the UK, yet

I’m not the only one to think so either, as shoppers rate it highly on Amazon. Calling it a ‘worthwhile upgrade’, one user said: “I bought this as a replacement for the previous model Echo, which was requiring frequent resets and was dropping out on BT sound. I was surprised that this was much physically smaller, i.e. more compact.”

Another highlighted they thought the sound was better too, calling it ‘superior for music’. They said: “I was unsure whether to buy one, already having a Echo Dot 5th Gen, however, the sound is by far superior.

“I use mine purely for music. I appreciate that it can do a lot more than that; however, I am not that tech-savvy. I am very happy with it.”

There are, however, some downsides.

One being that a huge selling point of this new device is its compatibility with Alexa+ which helps boost performance. But this functionality is yet to be rolled out in the UK, meaning shoppers will miss out, for now at least.

One reviewer highlighted this and said: “A well-made solidly built item which I bought mainly for Alexa plus. Unfortunately, I have not been able to test this because it is still not available in the UK.”

The 2025 Echo Studio was launched alongside the Echo Dot Max and is 40% smaller than before, but with boosted sound and improved spatial audio and Dolby Atmos. As a higher-end alternative for shoppers, this is on sale for £194, down from £219.

For a similar price to the Echo Studio, shoppers could also consider the Sonos Era 100, a wireless smart-speaker for £199. It has a compact design and it’s still compatible with Alexa.