Echo Pop vs Echo Dot: Which Alexa Speaker is Better?
By Naila Syifa
Updated September 2023
Amazon Echo offers a line of smart speakers that can produce high-quality audio and offer voice-controlled assistance for a variety of tasks.
Since its release in 2022, the Amazon Echo Dot (5th Gen) has been the best-selling Amazon smart speaker in the market, owing to its affordability and extensive capabilities. However, with the Amazon Echo Pop newly released in the market, you now have more options to consider.
In this article, we'll compare the two devices in terms of price, design, audio performance, and features to help you decide which one is a better suit for you.
Key Takeaways
Echo Dot is better than Echo Pop, as it can detect temperature and motion to trigger home automation, unlike Echo Pop. Echo Dot can also display clock, weather, or song title on its body, while Echo Pop cannot. Echo Dot also has better audio and is suitable for any room, while Echo Pop is better for small spaces and bedrooms.
Amazon Echo Dot (5th Gen)
Small but Powerful
✓ Available in 3 colors
✓ Lossless High Definition
✓ Motion detection and temperature sensor
✓ Perfect for any room
Amazon Echo Pop
Affordable but Capable
✓ Available in 4 colors
✓ Lossless High Definition
✓ No motion detection and temperature sensor
✓ Better for bedrooms or small spaces
#1 Price
Amazon Echo Dot (5th Gen)
The Amazon Echo Dot (5th Gen) is priced at $59.99, quite an affordable price tag compared to other smart speakers such as the Apple HomePod Mini which retails for $99. However, the Echo Pop offers an even cheaper price at only $40. This makes it an excellent option for those on a tight budget who still want a high-quality smart speaker.
#2 Design
Amazon Echo Pop
The Amazon Echo Dot and Echo Pop are designed quite differently. The Echo Dot has a spherical shape with a dimension of 3.9 inches width and 3.5 inches tall, while the Echo Pop is hemispherical with a dimension of 3.9 inches width and 3.6 inches tall. Both are compact and stylish, making them blend in easily with any home decor.
The Echo Dot is available in 3 colors: charcoal, deep sea blue, and glacier white. Meanwhile, the Echo Pop offers a greater variety of colors, including charcoal, glacier white, lavender bloom, and midnight teal, to match your personal style and preference.
Amazon Echo Pop
Both models feature volume up and down buttons for volume control and a microphone off button for privacy control. The Echo Dot also features an action button that allows you to physically activate Alexa, and it has a version that displays the clock, weather, and song title on its body. These are design elements not found in the Echo Pop.
The Amazon Echo Dot also features a light ring towards the bottom of the device that lights up whenever Alexa is activated or when the speaker is in use. In the Echo Pop, such functionality is carried by a light bar located on the top of the device.
#3 Audio Performance
Amazon Echo Dot (5th Gen)
Both the Echo Dot and Echo Pop deliver high-quality audio. Compared to its previous generation, the Echo Dot (5th Gen) produces an improved audio experience with clearer vocals, deeper bass, and bigger vibrant sound. It has a 1.73" front-firing speaker that disperses sound outward, delivering clear and crisp sound. The resulting audio is of Lossless High Definition quality, making it an excellent choice for anyone who enjoys listening to music.
Supported by its 1.95” front-firing speaker, the Amazon Echo Pop also delivers Lossless High Definition audio. However, its audio performance is not as powerful as the Echo Dot. While the Echo Dot is suitable for any room in your home, the Echo Pop is designed for use in bedrooms and small spaces.
#4 Features
Amazon Echo Pop
The Amazon Echo Dot (5th Gen) and the Echo Pop share some features in common. With Alexa, you can get weather updates, set reminders, control smart home devices, play music, and much more. Both devices also support Matter, so you can connect not only to Alexa-compatible but also Matter-enabled smart home devices.
You can listen to a wide range of music, audiobooks, and podcasts from Amazon Music, Audible, Spotify, Apple Music, SiriusXM, and Pandora, or via Bluetooth. A useful feature called Kindle Read Aloud allows you to listen to your favorite Kindle books by simply asking Alexa to read them aloud.
Both models are also equipped with built-in Eero features. This allows you to connect your Echo Dot or Echo Pop with an Eero WiFi router to extend your WiFi coverage up to 1,000 sq ft and speed up to 100 Mbps, improving connectivity and eliminating dead zones in your home.
Amazon Echo Dot (5th Gen)
The primary difference that sets the Echo Dot apart from the Echo Pop is its temperature sensor and ultrasonic motion detection capability. These features allow you to monitor the room and trigger home automation based on the detected indoor temperature and room occupancy. For example, you can set your fan to turn on automatically when the temperature is beyond a certain threshold and when there's someone in the room. Such automation will not only bring convenience but also help improve the energy efficiency in your home.
Amazon Echo Dot (5th Gen) vs Echo Pop
Final Thoughts
Amazon Echo Pop
At a cheaper price, the Amazon Echo Pop offers high-quality audio suitable for bedrooms and small spaces, as well as a range of smart features for an improved smart home experience. The Echo Dot (5th Gen) offers comparable features, but produces a more powerful audio performance suitable for any room and is further equipped with additional features such as temperature sensor and ultrasonic motion detection.
If you like to read more about Smart Home Speakers, check out our other relevant guides here:
The Best Smart Home Speakers 2023
Apple HomePod Mini Review
Amazon Echo Dot (5th Gen) Review
Apple HomePod (2nd Gen) vs HomePod Mini
Apple Homepod Mini vs Sonos One (Gen 2)
Sonos One (Gen 2) vs Sonos One SL
Amazon Echo Dot (5th Gen) vs Google Nest Mini
Amazon Echo Dot (5th Gen) vs Amazon Echo (4th Gen)
Don't miss out on tech
Subscribe to our newsletter to stay up to date on the latest tech trends and guides on the best gadgets around.
Recommended reading
