That said, based on its size, the Echo Dot is hands-down one of the best smart speakers for a bedroom or smaller living space. The sound has been upgraded, but that’s not all. The 5th-generation Echo Dot also has two new smart home features: a room temperature sensor and eero built-in. For $10 more, you can opt for the 5th-gen Echo Dot with Clock, which has the same audio and smart home performance as the standard Echo Dot but introduces a multi-functional LED display. This lets it double as a bedside alarm clock. Similarly, the new Echo Dot Kids Edition costs $59 / £64 / AU$99. The Kids Edition comes in a few fun animal prints and pre-loaded with parental controls. Otherwise, the Echo Dot looks clean and minimalistic — it might be mistaken for some modern decor at a quick glance. It helps that the controls sit rather flush on top: there are volume controls, an Alexa action button and a mute button, which you can enable when you don’t want Alexa listening for its wake word. You’ll know that the microphone is muted if the light up ring on the base of the speaker illuminates red. Alternatively, if the ring is blue, then you know Alexa is actively listening. Our guide on Alexa flashing colors is good to keep handy if you’re ever confused about what the Echo Dot is trying to tell you.
