I currently have six Amazon Echo smart speakers in my home, and after testing several, my favorite remains the Echo Dot with Clock. The fabric-covered LED dot matrix display provides a subtle way to check the time, casting a gentle white light in my dark bedroom from my dresser. It’s much more convenient than asking Alexa for the time.
Unfortunately, Amazon has decided to discontinue the Dot with Clock in favor of a pricier model that is less visually appealing.
The reason for this discontinuation was not disclosed by Amazon. Initially, I suspected it might be due to underlying issues, as my own Echo Dot with Clock experienced unexplained freezing, rendering it unresponsive to voice commands and displaying stuck images. Despite multiple reset attempts, the issue persisted.
After successfully advocating for a replacement Echo from Amazon, the device started working again. It required a hard reset and multiple setup attempts in the Alexa app to restore functionality.
When searching for a replacement $60 Echo Dot with Clock, I discovered that Amazon no longer stocked it, with only refurbished models available at the time. Currently, the blue model is back in stock at Amazon and Target. As a result, I opted to try Amazon’s successor, the $80 Echo Spot, which features a screen instead of the dot-matrix display.
Despite its higher price, I found the Spot to be less suitable for my needs. While the screen’s brightness is appropriate for a dim room, its overall appearance is lacking, reminding me of a budget display. Additionally, the screen is angled upwards, presumably for nightstand use, which doesn’t align with my tall dresser as I lack nightstands in my bedroom.
My colleague Jennifer Pattison Tuohy is currently in the process of reviewing the Echo Spot, and she holds a more favorable opinion of it compared to me!
However, she notes that the Spot’s audio quality is inferior to the Dot’s (despite being more directional), and it lacks basic features like setting alarms via touch, a function available on other smart displays. Its main advantages include music playback controls and the ability to simultaneously display time, date, temperature, and weather.
Now that my Echo Dot with Clock is back in working order, I will be returning the Spot and the credited funds from Amazon.
