HIGHLIGHTS
* Echo Pop comes in a completely new form factor.
* Echo Pop has a front-facing directional speaker.
* It is the cheapest current-gen Echo smart speaker you can get.
* The Echo Pop is the latest smart speaker from Amazon.
* It comes in a unique semi-sphere design and in four colour options.
* Here’s all you need to know about the Amazon Echo Pop smart speaker.
Amazon India has introduced its newest affordable smart speaker Echo Pop in India. It comes in a completely new form factor, and as you might have guessed from the name, there are some new colour options too.
It joins the Echo Dot (5th Gen) in the 2023 Echo lineup, which arrived in the country a few months ago. So let’s check out what this new Echo smart speaker brings to the table.
Amazon today launched a new Echo deviced in India. Amazon Echo Pop is a new smart speaker that has a semi-sphere form factor and comes in four colour option.
Just like the other Echo speakers, the Echo Pop also comes with Amazon Echo built-in for hands-free voice commands, and has Bluetooth support.
Amazon Echo Pop: Features
The first thing you will notice about the Echo Pop right off the bat is its design. It comes in a completely new form factor and looks like a semi-sphere. It has a light strip at the top that glows whenever Alexa is active. There is a front-facing directional speaker, so the sound is directed at you and is easier to listen to.
It delivers loud sound, balanced bass, and crisp vocals.
It is powered by Amazon’s new AZ2 Neural Edge processor, which is also available on the latest Echo Dot models. It simply means Echo Pop will be able to process your questions and deliver responses faster than an Echo device with an older processor.
This, essentially less waiting time, is beneficial when you are in a hurry or want to ask multiple questions.
The next new thing about Echo Pop is its colour options. You can choose from Black, Green, Purple, and White colours. This should give you the freedom to pick the one that goes the best with your room’s decor.
Since it is an Echo smart speaker, you get access to hands-free Alexa. You can use Alexa to ask all sorts of questions, get timely updates about sports/weather/traffic, control your smart home appliances, set reminders, pay bills, stream music, and more.
In addition, it can be used as a standalone or Bluetooth speaker by connecting with your smartphone.
The Echo Pop has a total of three buttons on the backside. Two of these are your volume rockers for increasing and decreasing the sound level. The third button, which is actually in between the volume rockers, is the mic-off button.
It will help you disconnect the speaker’s microphones. It adds an extra layer of privacy and gives you the surety that Alexa is not listening. You can also visit the Alexa app settings for more privacy controls.
Amazon Echo Pop: India Pricing
Amazon has priced the Eco Pop at Rs. 4,999 in India, which makes it Rs. 500 cheaper than the latest Echo Dot. You can get Rs. 500 off if purchased along with Fire TV. It has bundle packs with 9W smart bulb and smart plug, but you will need to pay Rs. 200 and Rs. 949 extra, respectively.
Amazon Echo Pop Colours, Design
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The Amazon Echo Pop has a unique semi-sphere design that will definitely make it stand out wherever you keep it. Adding to its unique design are the four colours, especially Green and Purple. It also comes in White and Black colours.
Amazon Echo Pop India Price, Availability
Amazon Echo Pop is priced at Rs 4,999 and it is currently available to purchase on Amazon. The smart speaker can also be purchased offline from Croma, Reliance Digital, Poorvika, and Amazon devices kiosks across India.
Amazon Echo Pop Specs, Features
* The Amazon Echo Pop is equipped with a front-facing directional speaker that is said to deliver loud sound and balanced bass. It is powered by Amazon’s AZ2 Neural Edge processor that is designed to enable faster responses for Alexa requests.
* You can ask Alexa for various tasks such as playing music, bedtime stories, cricket scores, set reminders and more. The Echo Pop supports all popular music streaming apps including Spotify and Apple Music.
* You can also connect to the Echo Pop via Bluetooth to play music from any phone. So you don’t always need Wi-Fi connectivity to play music from the Echo Pop.
* The Echo Pop can also be used to control smart devices such as smart lights and electrical appliances from popular brands like Wipro, Syska, and Xiaomi. There’s also the option to connect to non-smart appliances through smart plugs.
Amazon Echo Pop Review $39.99
THE GOOD
* A bargain at $40
* Nice design — it comes in purple!
* Good sound for its size
* Speedy responses
THE BAD
* Fewer hardware features than the Dot
* Doesn’t hear voice commands as well as the Dot
* No Alexa Action button
Echo Pop vs. Echo Dot
The biggest question, though, is if you’re looking to get a cheap Echo smart speaker, should you get the Pop or the Dot? Here’s a look at how the two stack up.
Sound: The Echo Pop is fine for listening to a podcast or the radio and acceptable for listening to music if you’re in a small room and sitting right next to it. It’s noticeably better when stereo paired with another Pop. But this is not a device to buy for banging tunes.
While the Dot isn’t, either, and actually has a smaller front-firing speaker, it has a richer sound and better bass, so if that’s a consideration — spend the extra $10. Plus, with a Dot, you can tap it to pause music quickly. With the Pop, you have to use a voice command.
If you already have a better Alexa speaker and / or a decent Bluetooth speaker, you can pair the Pop to either of those and save the $10. But neither the Pop nor the Dot has a 3.5mm audio jack.
If you want to add voice control to a dumb speaker using a wire, the third-gen Dot was your cheapest option. But Amazon has discontinued that model, so if you need that feature and can find one, grab it. (The $100 fourth-gen Echo also has an audio jack).
Speed and performance: The Pop and the Dot have the same AZ2 Neural Edge processor, so execute most commands faster than older Echos. But the Dot responded marginally faster in side-by-side testing, picking up my voice quicker from farther away.
If you’re putting a Pop on your desk or bedside table, though, you won’t notice the difference.
Sensors: The lack of a temperature and ultrasound sensor makes the Pop less useful as a smart home controller. With the fifth-gen Echo Dot, you can use its temperature sensor to do things such as adjust your smart thermostat when a room gets too warm or have its ultrasound sensor turn lights on when you walk in.
Both the Pop and the Dot can trigger Alexa Routines based on sound detection, such as a dog barking, water running, or someone snoring.
Size and shape: As mentioned, I prefer the Pop’s look to the Dot’s. While it’s only slightly smaller (3.9” x 3.3” x 3.6” compared to 3.9” x 3.9” x 3.5” ), the design fits better on a desk or bedside table. I am a big fan of the new purple color, too, but I’ve always had a penchant for purple products. The teal is a bit muddy looking, more gray than green, but also more discreet than any of the other Dot colors.
What the Pop? Oddly, the Pop doesn’t have the Action button, which almost every other Echo does. This lets you call Alexa without saying its name. I actually use it a lot and missed it here. The only other Echo without it is the Echo Spot, which this device heavily resembles in form factor (although there’s no screen or camera).
There is also no option for a clock display with the Pop. My favorite Dot is the Echo Dot with Clock, which uses a dot matrix display to show the time and a few other bits of useful info. That’s not an option here, although Amazon did relocate the Alexa LED light from the bottom, where it is in the Dot, to the top, where it appears as a small strip (you can adjust its brightness in the Alexa app).
Should you buy it?
If you are already deep into an Alexa-powered smart home, the Pop makes sense for the one or two rooms where you can’t justify spending $50 on another speaker (or couldn’t wait for one of Amazon’s frequent sales).
It’s also a good upgrade for any aging early-gen Echos you still have, anything older than the third-gen that came out in 2018. It’s worth upgrading from the third-gen, too, if you don’t need that 3.5mm jack, as the Pop is faster, sounds better, and looks way nicer. I wouldn’t replace a fourth- or fifth-gen Dot with a Pop, though, as you lose features.
Faqs
1) Which is the best echo speaker ?
Ans) The Echo (4th Gen) is still my top recommendation for an Echo speaker.
If you’re new to Amazon Alexa, get the Pop if you want to try out this smart speaker malarkey — $40 is a steal for a piece of tech that can do everything the Pop can. Also, consider this if you want to start adding smart devices to your home and are intrigued by the new Matter smart home standard.
This is the cheapest Matter controller you can buy — although it’s Wi-Fi only, so it won’t work with all Matter devices. For full Matter compatibility, you’d need to bump up to one that adds support for the Thread protocol, such as the larger Echo (4th Gen).
The Echo (4th Gen) is still my top recommendation for an Echo speaker, and it’s been on sale for as low as $50. If it’s a choice between a fourth-gen Echo and an Echo Pop — there’s no contest. While the Echo (4th Gen) still doesn’t have Amazon’s latest processor, it is an excellent smart speaker and a more useful smart home hub. It does everything the Dot can, plus adds Zigbee compatibility as well as Thread, and it sounds really good.
2) What is Amazon Echo Pop India price, availability?
Ans) Amazon Echo Pop is priced at Rs 4,999 and it is currently available to purchase on Amazon. The smart speaker can also be purchased offline from Croma, Reliance Digital, Poorvika, and Amazon devices kiosks across India.
3) What are Amazon Echo Pop specs, features?
Ans) * The Amazon Echo Pop is equipped with a front-facing directional speaker that is said to deliver loud sound and balanced bass. It is powered by Amazon’s AZ2 Neural Edge processor that is designed to enable faster responses for Alexa requests.
* You can ask Alexa for various tasks such as playing music, bedtime stories, cricket scores, set reminders and more. The Echo Pop supports all popular music streaming apps including Spotify and Apple Music.
* You can also connect to the Echo Pop via Bluetooth to play music from any phone. So you don’t always need Wi-Fi connectivity to play music from the Echo Pop.
* The Echo Pop can also be used to control smart devices such as smart lights and electrical appliances from popular brands like Wipro, Syska, and Xiaomi. There’s also the option to connect to non-smart appliances through smart plugs.
Also Read: Top 7 Smart Speakers Under Rs. 5,000 from Amazon, Google, and More