Amazon's new Echo Pop is not a necessity in your smart home lineup

The Echo Pop is one of Amazon’s newest Alexa devices. With a flat speaker on the front, it’s made to sit discreetly in the corner of a room and fill it up with music. Additionally, it shares many of the same Alexa features as Amazon’s other Echo devices.

At $39.99, the Echo Pop is also the least expensive way to add Alexa to your home. As a bonus, it comes in a couple of unique colors that other Echo devices don’t — the gorgeous lavender bloom and trendy midnight teal.

Still, it doesn’t really stand out from the Echo Dot with regards to sound quality, and after using it I was left wondering if it’s really distinct enough from the Dot to be it’s own “thing.”

The Amazon Echo Pop, temporarily relocated from the office to the bathroom for better lighting. Credit: SaVanna Shoemaker / Mashable

How it measures up as an Alexa device

If you’re familiar with the Amazon Alexa ecosystem, then you probably know of the Echo Dot devices. These are Alexa-enabled smart devices without a display. You can set timers, make reminders, add notes to the Alexa app, and ask them questions. 

The Echo Pop is, essentially, a more compact Echo Dot. It’s half the size, but it has nearly all of the same functionality — making it especially handy in the kitchen, for me at least. “Alexa, remind me to check the rice in 20 minutes.” Also: “Alexa, how many tablespoons are in half a cup?”

The Amazon Echo Dot vs. The Amazon Echo Pop… yes there is a tiny spaghetti stain on the Echo Dot, I blame the kids. Credit: SaVanna Shoemaker / Mashable

However, it’s important to note that while the newest gen Echo Dot has a built-in temperature sensor, the Echo Pop does not.

It can also be used to control any of your Alexa-enabled smart devices, just like other Echo devices. Although I do dearly love using an Echo in the kitchen, my house is blissfully low-tech otherwise — so I couldn’t test this for myself.

How it measures up as a smart speaker

Since I already had Spotify connected to Alexa, I was able to start playing my music pretty much as soon as I plugged in the device and set it up. However, it’s important to note that if you don’t use Amazon Music, you’ll need to go through the Alexa app on your phone to connect to your preferred audio app.

Shortly after starting my music for the first time, it stopped mid-song and it seemed like the device froze up for a few minutes. After that one issue, it’s worked fine though.

Compared to my Echo Dot, I honestly think the sound quality seems exactly the same. But full disclosure: I’m not an audiophile, so it could be that my simple ears can’t detect any subtle differences in sound quality between the two devices. Regardless, as advertised, this little device projects really well and fills the whole room with music. 

The Echo Pop ditches the spherical shape of the Echo and Echo Dot. Credit: SaVanna Shoemaker / Mashable

One feature I was particularly interested in was the Echo Pop’s Bluetooth connectivity. Some customer reviews refer to it as a Bluetooth speaker, which had me thinking that it may be able to stream audio directly from my phone without Alexa.

However, this doesn’t really seem to be the case. I tried to connect to it via Bluetooth with my phone (like I would connect to wireless earbuds or a wireless speaker), but I couldn’t find a way to play audio directly from my phone to the Echo Pop without using Alexa as an intermediate.

So yes, it connects to the Alexa app via Bluetooth, sure. But would I call it a Bluetooth speaker? No, not really. 

Additionally, it must be plugged into a wall outlet to work — making it pretty stationary compared to what people are often thinking of when they think “Bluetooth speaker.” That is, something that’s wireless and portable.

Still, you can connect your Bluetooth speakers to the Echo Pop — making it possible for you to lend Alexa voice activation to your whole sound setup.

Is the Echo Pop worth it?

For people who like to keep music playing, and who also use Alexa as a home assistant, the Echo Pop is a perfect addition to any room in the house. 

To be completely honest, it seems a little redundant when it’s so similar to the Echo Dot. Still, at $39.99, it’s $10 less expensive than the newest gen Echo Dot, with essentially all the same functionality and features. That makes it a good choice if you’re trying to save some dough while making your home a little smarter. Or if you already have a suite of Echo devices and are looking to add a little more Alexa to your home.