Echo Dot (4th Gen) | Smart speaker with clock and Alexa | Twilight Blue

I needed a clock as i do not have a cable box any more and the tv does not really tell me the time quickly. Having a clock is the best part. I have alexa on the tv (lg), but if someone makes an announcement in the house. I do not like the fact alexa comes up full screen changing what i am watching over to alexa. Now i have to get the remote to get back to what i was watching. My other tv (using chromecast) just has a pop up. I know first world problems. So i got this and took alexa off the tv. Problem solved. Now i just need the right alexa to answer when i call her.

Love these for all the reasons i love the echo dots but mostly because of the lit up clock that you can easily glance at to see the time day or night but it is not glaringly light at night and thats important to me because i prefer a dark room for sleep. This second one in my guest room lets them ask alexa to turn on the lamp in an unfamiliar room, easy to set an alarm for themselves which can be difficult for a guest with a clock radio, they can request music they like and they can communicate with us in a different room if they need something. I first purchased one of these when i was taking care of a sick relative who needed to call to me for help day or night plus it let them have the benefit of turning on or off their light etc to me this is an absolute necessity for a guest room and especiaaly if you are cring for someone who needs assistance

We really love our echo. It has been easier to tell echo to shut off the lights when we are in bed. We use our echo to play music, tell us jokes and even get the weather. I love the clock feature on this one. We have it connected to our light bulbs (sometimes it doesn’t work to turn the lights on or off but we just manually turn it on or off to reconnect). Overall we have no issues.

I just love this little echo dot with clock.
Perfect for bedroom nightstand. Clock very visible and adjusts for ambient light up and down automatically.
No more opps i forgot to set the alarm and having to get up and hunt for my phone to set alarm, just hey alexsa set alarm and i’m good to go without getting out of bed. Sound is good for its small size and purpose. Play some music at bedtime and set time to turn off and off to dreamland i go. Hooks up easily and connect to other dots in the house for easy announcements. Listen to pod casts or audio books while going to sleep is an option as well. I thought why would i really need this, and would i really use it prior to purchase but now that i got it, it just wouldn’t be the same without it. Love it.

Alexa rocks. This little gem sits on my nightstand and she wakes me up every morning. I have a google home too but alexa blows google away. Ill stream spotify through it and it sounds great. I’ll ask alexa for a stupid joke and she’ll give me a decent one. She makes recommendations too. Sure….it’s all a massive gathering of data that is the “new oil” but i like it anyway.

So i have the regular 4th gen model without the clock on my nightstand. But i wanted to get rid of the alarm clock which i only use to see the time. I was hesitant to buy this because other reviews said the clock was too bright. But you adjust the led brightness in the alexa app. Super easy. Now i can get rid of one thing plugged into my outlet.

This dot 4 replaces a clock radio and a dot 3 in my bedroom. We live in an area that most radios don’t work well due to lack of reception. I did have a clock radio on my night stand primarily to see the time during the night. I also had a dot 3 on my dresser to access the the various features of alexa devices. The clock radio didn’t play music well due to lack of reception and often the time was not correct. I used the dot 3 primarily to for the alarm and to play sleep sounds that help me to get a better night’s sleep. Since my bedroom doesn’t have a usable electrical outlet connected to the wall switch, the dot 3 also controlled all of the lighting in the room. The problem with the dot 3 for commands was that it seemed to need a direct line of communication for it to hear commands.

Since the dot 4 is in my bedroom, i use it primarily for the alarm and to play sleep sounds. All of the lights in my bedroom are plugged into smart plugs connected to alexa, and i have them set up in groups, i.e., dresser, night stand, butterfly (a light on the dresser). I can turn them on or off independently or as a group.

Although there are buttons on the top of the dot 4 to control volume and turn off or on the microphone, this can also be done with voice commands. What i like about the dot 4 over the dot 3 are:
1) a direct line of sight is not needed for the dot 4 to hear me. It hears and understands voice commands much better than the dot 3
2) i don’t have external speakers attached and the sound quality is much better than the dot 3. Granted there is not a booming bass, but the sound quality is much better and tends to fill the room better.
3) although i am sensitive to light in the room when i sleep, the light from the time on the dot 4 does not bother me at all.
4) i can easily see the time when i wake up in the night, but the light doesn’t bother me when i sleep.
5 so easy to set up since all of my preferences and settings are stored in the alexa app. Just had to name the device.

Overall, i very much like this dot 4, and it has replaced a clock radio and a dot 3. I bought one for my husband, and he also loves it. One downside i can think of is that it’s too easy to turn off alarms to sleep longer. The other is that i am without lights in my bedroom when the internet goes down which doesn’t happen very often.

I hope this review was helpful for you. I will update this review if my opinion changes.

I ordered the echo dot preconfigured to my other exho’s. It was as simple as plugging it in and turning it on.
The sound quality isn’t theater quality, but for its size it’s very good.
The clock light is legible during the day and auto-dims down nicely in the dark (it’s on a stand next to my bed).
The microphone is quite sensitive… My wife can call up alexa from across the room while using a conversational voice.
The buttons on top have symbols on them for tactile ‘reading’ in the dark, though i haven’t quite mastered the art of reading with my fingertips. It’s easier to simply know the button layout when referenced to the clock display.
During the first month of service, alexa triggered 3 times, twice from something that was on tv, and once from something i said (not ‘alexa). This possibly was because the echo was still learning sound patterns.
In all, this is an impressive little unit and worth the money.
The echo came with a smart outlet switch. This was quite easy integrate into alexa and did not require installing a 3-party app which would require registering my router ssis and password with a foreign company (as most other smart switches do). I only wish that it was easy to purchase more switches like what came with the echo at a reasonable price.

Our alarm clock, though ancient, decided to end working. My husband saw a print ad for this clock, brought it to my attention, and would i like it. Big eyed, a strong yes! Needless to say i was excited awaiting amazon delivery. We ordered the midnight blue color, we both agree this is the best choice. While the round echo dot with clock is only 3.5′, the sound quality is excellent. We had our echo dot paired with our account info, which made it easy to set up. Also, i recommend reading the information on echo dot at amazon.com. We would definitely buy it again!

I have had amazon echo dots for several years. This is my 3rd but first ball shaped one. Love having a lit up clock! Replaced my bedroom one with this & put older one out on covered back porch! I’m spoiled! I ask them weather as i go to pick out my clothes, it reads to me when i need to rest my eyes & answers questions when i dont have time to google stuff. It turns lights on or off at night & changes my tv channel when i can’t find the remote. I feel like i have a maid! If only she would clean the house!

Overall, the clock makes it worth the upgrade. But the mic is not as good as before.

Coming from 2nd gen echo dot , this 4th gen echo dot with clock is overall a decent upgrade. It is aesthetically pleasing. The led ring is now on the bottom making is less visible but still effective.

Clock (excellent)
the clock is the highlight of the device. This is a simple yet essential feature that i was missing in my setup. In my tv cabinet , having a clock nearby to tell time makes it so convenient. I have been using it to check the time so many times a day since i had the device. It’s a simple yet essential feature. The brightness of the clock effectively auto adjust depending on ambient light level. I can see the time clearly in day time and it’s not overally bright at night time.

I thought about getting echo show 5 instead but echo show 5 cannot constantly show a big clock on the screen. When idling, echo show 5 would shrink the time to the top left corner of the screen while showing many ads (trending topics or alexa tips) would interfere the display even after you disable it in the options. With the clock display shrunk to one corner, the fonts are too small to tell the time when you are a few feet away from the echo show 5 (say in a living room). With this echo dot with clock, i can tell the time 10 to 12 feet away. So this echo dot with clock is a better option to have an alexa device that shows the time.

Mic (no good)
2nd gen echo dot had 7 mics. This 4th gen echo dot only has 4 mics. Of course the number doesn’t always mean much. However in my real world test, the 2nd gen echo dot can pick up my voice commands even with noisy tv sound on. It is just that good. However, with this 4th gen echo dot, i would need to mute my tv for it to hear my voice. Sometimes if tv volume is not too loud , it could hear me if i shouted the command. But with the 2nd gen echo dot, i did not have to mute tv or lower the volume nor do i had to shout for it to hear. So in this regard, it is definitely a downgrade. Under normal situation with no ambient noise, the 4th gen echo dot with clock can hear voice command with no problem. I.e. It works, just not outstanding.

I wish they come with a black color. The blue is ok but the mesh still looks closer to a light grey color from afar.

Overall this is a decent upgrade solely because of the clock. And if the clock feature is important, i strongly suggest this device over the echo show 5.

The product is amazing and advance for english speakers. I loved the fact that i can set up different type of routines such as custom and skill routines. I love the fact i can control smart devices as well! However, being a first language arabic speaker i was very excited to buy one for my parents and myself but the english skills are not compatible with arabic. This is huge issue since there isn’t really any arabic skills out there. They are very limited. Please either make english skills compatible with arabic so we can create arabic routines linked to skills. Another thing is the music. The options of music is so frustrating. Alexa can’t find the right thing on spotify or other features. Please stop being greedy and add free youtube music.

By far a phenomenal improvement from its predecessors, this echo dot by far is my most favorite.
Its listening capability is far superior to that of the older versions likewise understanding of what is spoken!
Getting the people detection to actually work was a bit of a challenge but once it started to work, it’s quite accurate in detecting. I have placed the device in my office and love the way it welcomes me to my office every morning, on detecting me! Pretty cool and a nice feel!!
The clock is very useful, more useful than expected.
Sound quality, especially the base effect is noteworthy considering the size of the speaker.
Overall a pretty handsome piece of hardware that i would recommend for those looking for an echo without the display.

I like mine but i don’t like how bright the led time showers. I did turn it down to zero but when it’s dark in my bedroom, it’s bright. Your able to not have the time show, which i did turn off. So i’ll put this one in my garage and since i ordered one that doesn’t have the time, it will go into my bedroom. I have several around my house. I love having as many as i do (bedroom, kitchen and family room) because when i play my music, it sounds great. I gave it a 4 because of the brightness of the clock.

I purchased this for my son, because he needed an alarm clock, and he’s been loving it. The only thing that kept me from giving it a 5 star review is that the power cord is too short. Make sure that you buy an extension for the power cable if you want to put it anywhere other than near the outlet. I purchased one, and now i am enjoying alexa anywhere in the room!
The sound quality is okay for this little speaker. You can’t really expect much from something that only has one small speaker. I’m going to buy the echo dot premium speaker, which has multiple speakers and a subwoofer, to use in the livingroom for a good sound source.

Having six or seven other dots (mostly generation 2), getting this one was only because it also has a clock. I didn’t realize how great the clock was at first, and then i learned the time changes to the time remaining on an active timer, too. Since we use timers on that dot often, that feature was helpful. I recently pulled down a wall clock and stopped wearing a watch, so this echo dot with clock has been extremely useful in its short time on my end table.

I notice that while i’m looking directly at this dot and speaking with a clear line-of-sight, another dot (generation 3) around the corner and approximately the same distance away picks up my voice and responds. That gets annoying after a while.

The sound quality is better on this fourth generation dot than on my second generation dots. I don’t often use this one for music, though i would have no problem using it for amazon music instead of one of my bluetooth speakers.

If i had to start over with dots, i’d probably buy a bunch of fourth generation dots, having a few of them with clocks.

English review
note: i’m using this alexa with latin american settings/language
i was on the fence about going google home or alexa, however, my devices seem to work better with alexa also the ball design its prettier imo.
It has been working great for controlling stuff, setting alarms, even setting routines, i have lights and switches from many manufacturers and it has not been a problem, however it has trouble figuring some instructions like playing the same music on two alexas on different rooms, or sending the sound to another alexa, and it seems like you cant give it two instructions on a single sentence (e.g. Alexa turn on the bedroom and entrance light) i guess the spanish language its not as developed as the english one
i dont really use it for controlling media since i like to manually choose stuff while watching tv, but it opens apps on the only roku device i have.
The sound is good for a device of this price range, i set it to 6-7 when i want to hear music, 3-4 for everything else, just dont expect to throw a party with this thing as your only speaker

about the clock: it looks good at night, even on daylight and ceiling lights, but if you have a light aiming it directly, the clock can get lost on the shine of the mesh…

Tldr: it has been working good for smart living (lights, switches, routines, alarms), has trouble figuring some elaborate instructions (switching or doubling sound to another alexa, turning on two different lights at the same time)

reseña en español
nota: estoy utilizándola con lenguaje español latino
estuve dudando sobre usar google home o alexa, pero al parecer mis dispositivos funcionan mejor con alexa ademas de que el diseño de bola es mas bonito, ha estado funcionando bien para controlar cosas, poner alarmas y rutinas, tengo luces y switches de varios fabricantes y no ha habido problema para configurarlas… Pero, tiene problemas con algunas instrucciones, como poner la misma musica en dos alexas o enviar el sonido a otro cuarto (otra alexa), al parecer no detecta instrucciones dobles en un mismo enunciado, (ejemplo: alexa prende la luz del cuarto y la entrada), supongo que el lenguaje en español no esta tan desarrollado como el de ingles
al decir verdad no la utilizo para controlar multimedia ya que me gusta controlar manualmente los dispositivos, pero abre apps en roku al indicarselo.
El sonido esta bien para un dispositivo de este precio, lo pongo en volumen 6-7 cuando quiero escuchar música fuerte (puedes indicarle, ‘alexa bajale/subele al 1/2/3/4/etc…’) y lo pongo en 3-4 para todo lo demás, nada mas no esperes hacer una fiesta con un alexa como tu única bocina.

Sobre el reloj: se ve bien de noche incluso con luz de día o focos de techo, pero si tienes una luz apuntándole directamente, el reloj no se aprecia muy bien (lo tengo ubicado enfrente de un espejo con luz y las luces del espejo hacen que la luz del reloj se pierda con el brillo de la tela de malla )

resumen: funciona bien para un smart home, pero a veces tiene problemas con instrucciones elaboradas o combinadas, tienes que separar tus instrucciones

I thought my wife wouldn’t like it in our bedroom – but i was wrong, she uses it more than i.
I wish it had more options for wake up (like simply using alexa’s voice). I also wish it had a brighter night lite that could stay on for periods that you ask.
Otherwise it is a great addition.

This was an upgrade from the 2nd gen and the sound is much better. I also love the clock and design of the device.

The two reasons why it s not a five star is
1) has a power connection to the echo is not usb-c
2) unlike the more expensive devices it cannot function as a thread border router

I am spending a lot of time trying to figure out routines to make it dim at night. I read a suggestion to tell it to make the display turn red. That doesn’t work; it’s seemingly white only. The first night, it scared my husband by speaking loudly after we were in bed (unable to discipher what it said that time, though usually it speaks clearly) i set a routine for ‘do not disturb’–although i never understood what particular actions that covers. It doesn’t seem as user friendly as i had expected after using an original alexa echo model in the kitchen all these years. There are just so many pages to wade through and click on in the alexa app now.