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Our assessment: 7/10
We like:
We don’t like:
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What is the Amazon Echo Pop?
It was reasonably easy for years to choose an Amazon -Smart speaker. The echo studio was for audiophile, the regular echo for buyers with medium range and the Echo point was the best smart speaker for small rooms or households who want Alexa in more rooms. It was a nice and simple three -stage choice with a clear differentiation on every step of the ladder.
The Echo-Pop is now the slightly astonishing entry-level model and it is a bit like a Head Scratcher because it is so close to the upper Echo price in the price. It is still a small Alexa -Smart speaker that lets her control with her voice, but it is even tinier with a design that looks more like a traditional miniature speaker.
It also misses some not essential functions. There can be no more movement and the temperature sensor was also dropped. The possibility of typing onto the top to pause music or run an alarm has also disappeared because there is no accelerometer inside. It has a slightly larger 1.95-inch driver that should improve the sound quality, but as you read it at a moment, I don’t think.
Although she does not miss the functions that Amazon has shortened to achieve the price of £ 44.99, it is only £ 10 less than the echo point, which makes it a difficult recommendation.
How we test intelligent speakers
You can break down how we evaluate intelligent speakers based on the two words that make up the product category.
With the “intelligent” part, we examine the functions that the voice assistant offers, how well he understands spoken instructions and how intelligently the device answers. For the part “speakers” we consider everything, from design and connectivity to sound quality, including the supported music streaming services.
Both parts are completely tested by Living with the Speakers, pop quiz to test the voice assistant and hear different types of media, from rock music to audio books.
Personally, I have a lot of experience in dealing with intelligent speakers after having owned an Amazon echo since the first cylindrical model that arrived in Great Britain in 2016. Since then I have checked most of the Amazon and Google hardware. I know all too well how you can dazzle both in a single afternoon and frustrate.
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Design, setup and user friendliness: 9/10
The Echo Pop can provide location -based weather updates
Amazon has integrated user -friendliness with its Echo products to an visual art. With just one cable and the pop speaker in the box, it leads you through the setup process as soon as you connect you to the net and instruct you to download the Alexa app with a clear, clear voice.
Once in adding the speaker, it is quick and easy to use. It is easy for newcomers to get the linchpin of the echo. Simply say the Wake Word (by default with “Alexa”, but with a number of alternatives that can be selected in the app), followed by what you want to happen.
Say “Alexa, what is in the news?” You get a brief overview of the headlines, while the voice assistant asks to play “The Rolling Stones”, offers access to the immediately rock size of the 1960s (with a live subscription for a streaming service, but later more).
The pop looks a little different from the latest Echo devices, which avoids the futuristic-looking spherical shape for a more traditional flat front and the miniature display of the Echo Spot is missing. The device shaped with headlights is available in four colors, including only a simple black or white as well as a playful lavender or a blue-greener, so that it is less or more reserved than the echo point that fits your personal taste and residential culture.
Sound quality: 6/10
It feels a bit hard to assess the echo pop based on its sound quality, since it clearly does not aim at audiophiles. Indeed, the sound of your own advantages is pretty good for such a tiny loudspeaker and it is quite pleasant if you listen to a small volume during work with a small volume, especially when you hear spoken word content such as podcasts, audio books or radio.
Despite a larger 1.95-inch driver for my ears, the Echo-Pop sounds noticeably worse than the 1.73-inch speaker in the echo point. The explanation can simply be that the round shape of the Audio point spreads more even than the flat cooler grill of the Echo pop at the front, but it sounds less rich and is more susceptible to distortions with higher volumes. Interestingly, even Amazon seems to recognize these differences in its product lists: The Echo Dot offers a “larger lively sound”, while pop offers only “complete sound”.
It is worth noting that you can combine two as stereopaar if you are determined to use the Echo pop for music, and this will improve things. However, if you spend 90 pounds for Echo Pops, you are probably better off to buy the regular Amazon Echo for £ 20 more.
Language assistant: 7/10
Amazon has improved the Alexa voice assistant since the first arrival in 2014 and it is now ripe enough to behave mainly as they hope.
Sentences like “Alexa, what does my commuting look like?” And “Alexa, switch on the bedroom light” reliably and immediately triggers the desired reaction without fuss. Trivia questions that once with a disappointing “Hmm, I don’t know that you would have been amazed” now gets answers more often as long as they are simply formulated.
It is not perfect and can still disappoint, mostly when it asks for certain music. Very often they find it that it plays something completely different from what they asked, even if they have listed the exact name of the track and the artist. Albums with the same name as certain tracks give him problems.
The good news is that Alexa is cloud-based software and will improve further without changing the speakers. For example, an echo of the first generation will be as smart as the latest model.
With pop, the microphones seem to be specifically less reaction, especially if they run with higher volumes. This is more of a problem with this model, since Amazon has removed the physical action status, with which it listens to instructions without the Wake word “Alexa”.
Connectivity: 8/10
The Echo family has no preference for iPhone compared to Android and both platforms have apps with exactly the same functionality. This is good, but in truth not much time to use the app unless you can fix or add new functions in the form of additional apps or smart home devices.
The latter is one of the main sales points of an Amazon echo with a huge series of compatible devices, from intelligent light bulbs to thermostats, all of which can be controlled by the Echo pop (for example: “Alexa, insulate the lights in the living room”).
All of this works because the Echo Pop is directly connected to your WLAN and supports both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz in 802.11ac networks. The bad news is that if your internet fails, the echo pop.
While there is no audio jack, the Echo Pop Bluetooth has on board. In this way you can either output sound directly from another device to pop or put the audio of the pop into a better Bluetooth speaker. You can also put together two echo pops for stereo sound to improve audio in the Alexa app.
Music Streaming Services: 9/10
For Amazon’s credit, there will be no limits for the streaming platform for your music. While the Echo Pop causes you to use the company’s Music Unlimited service by default, it is easy to overwrite it.
Not that you really want. Like his well-stocked competitors, Music Unlimited has a library with over 100 million songs, and you can prevent £ 11.99 per month if you are a prime member. The company even offers a single Echo device service for £ 5.99 per month, which is wasted in pop.
The Echo Pop supports all big hitter: Apple Music, Spotify, Tidal and Deezer have all libraries with hundreds of songs at similar prices. So it’s really about choosing your preference. The only remarkable streamer that is currently not supported is Qobuz and that does not seem to be the decision of Amazon.
It is worth ensuring which streamer you choose, it is worth ensuring that it is the standard player in the Alexa app. That will mean that you can simply say “Alexa, Games Classical Music” instead of playing classical music On Spotify”.
Technical specifications
How you gathered from the text above is the most natural comparator of the Echo point, which was until the arrival of the Pop -Amazon -Billiest Smart speaker. It is tight in the Battle of Echo Pop against Echo Dot. Both are small speakers with an impressive sound for their price and size, the latter for £ £ £ 54.99 are available in retail retail.
Telegraph judgment: 7/10
The Echo pop is a wonderful little smart speaker that offers a lot of stroke despite its tiny size. Although this would be a simple recommendation for testing the water with intelligent speakers, the simple existence of the Echo point is in the way of things.
With five generations behind it, the echo point remains here to stay, and the superior product remains with a movement sensor, a temperature sensor, the TAP control and a better sound that goes in its favor. For £ 10 more, it feels like the reasonable choice, at least for this generation.
£44.99
Buy now
Price at
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Faqs
What is the sound difference between Echo Pop and Echo Dot?
In theory, the Echo pop should have a better sound quality than the Echo point due to its larger driver. In practice, however, I found that the echo point not only produced a more rich sound, but also did not distort so much with high volumes.
Is the echo for a small room loud enough?
Yes, the sound of the Echo Pop can comfortably fill a small room. With regard to the volume, it can be impressively loud, but it distorts quite a bit with higher volumes, which makes it unsuitable for parties.
Can you use the Echo Pop as Bluetooth speaker?
Yes, you can connect another device with the Echo pop to use it as a Bluetooth speaker. You can also spend audio from pop to another Bluetooth speaker if you want this.
In which colors does the echo pop come in?
The echo pop is available in four colors: midnight blue, glacier white, charcoal or lavender blossom. You can also buy sleeves for the Echo Pop to continue to mix things.
Can I keep the echo in the bedroom?
Yes, you can. The Echo Pop is a decent choice for the bedside table, and the physical silent switches above can switch off the microphones if they deal with privacy.
