The Echo Pop and Echo Dot are Amazon’s entry-level smart speakers, and both are currently on sale ahead of Amazon’s October Prime Day (aka Prime Big Deal Days), which officially kicks off on October 7th. Both speakers are currently discounted to their lowest prices since the middle of June, which means they’re beating their summer Prime Day prices. Both speakers are screen-free, and allow you to use Amazon Alexa to control compatible smart home devices, set timers, and ask for information about the news, weather, and other goings-on. We’ve found the same discounts at Best Buy and Target, in case you’d prefer to shop there.
The Echo Pop is Amazon’s cheapest Echo speaker, but it can do most of the tasks as the more expensive model — at least those without a screen — and you can pick one up on sale for $24.99 ($15 off) at Amazon, Best Buy, and Target. The Pop is Amazon’s least expensive speaker, and while it won’t win any awards for audiophile-level sound quality, it’s perfectly serviceable for clearly announcing the answers to your questions or sounding an alarm at the end of your timer.
You can use the Echo Pop to control smart home accessories, including plugs, light bulbs, thermostats, and even a microwave, with your voice. Most Echo speakers also allow you to trigger Alexa by pushing a dedicated button, but the Pop doesn’t have one. It’s also compatible with Alexa Plus — Amazon’s updated, generative AI-powered voice assistant — which is currently in early access and was hit or miss in our tests.
The speaker can be used to extend the reach of an Eero Wi-Fi system by up to 1,000 square feet, at speeds up to 100Mbps, which makes it a solid network range extender if you’re looking to eliminate internet dead zones. If you want a smart speaker for turning off the smart lights in your bedroom using your voice, or asking for details about the weather while you decide what to wear for the day, it’s a solid choice.
The fifth-generation Echo Dot is a better-sounding speaker and more capable smart home hub than the Pop, and it’s on sale for $34.99 ($15 off) at Amazon, Best Buy, and Target. The latest Echo Dot has built-in motion and temperature sensors, which can activate compatible smart home accessories when tripped — Amazon gives the example of turning on a fan when the room gets too hot. You’ll need additional hardware to take advantage of the sensors, but it’s nice to have a smart home speaker that’s ready to work with as many accessories as possible.
Those sensors are also found in the Echo Spot, but that smart home speaker is more expensive and has a screen. As with the Pop, the fifth-generation Echo Dot is compatible with Alexa Plus, and can extend the reach of an Eero Wi-Fi network by up to 1,000 square feet at speeds up to 100Mbps. We put the Echo Pop and Echo Dot against one another side-by-side in our review of the Pop, and found the Dot’s smaller-sized speaker had better sound (especially bass).
Neither will blow your socks off, but the Echo Dot is still the better pick for casual music listening. The fifth-generation Echo Dot is a good smart home speaker for its price, and one of the best early October Prime Day deals we’ve seen.
