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Amazon Echo Dot (5th generation)
The cheapest mainstream smart speaker in the UK. Amazon's 5th-gen Dot adds a temperature sensor, eero mesh, and noticeably richer sound vs the 4th-gen.
4.3 / 5
☆☆☆☆☆
★★★★★
Pros
- Cheapest way into the Alexa ecosystem in the UK — lowest barrier of any smart speaker on the market
- Sound is genuinely noticeable better than the 4th-gen — clearer mids, less muddy bass, listenable for podcasts and casual music
- Built-in temperature sensor enables real Alexa routines (turn on a fan when bedroom hits 24°C) without buying a separate sensor
- eero Wi-Fi mesh extender is built in — if you have an eero router, the Dot doubles as a range extender for free
- Matter support means it works as a Matter controller for any future Matter-compatible smart-home devices
Cons
- Mono speaker — for stereo you need two Dots paired together (and the cheapest path to genuine stereo is still a single Echo or a Sonos)
- No 3.5mm audio output — earlier Dot generations had one, this one removed it, so you can't hook it to existing speakers
- Privacy footprint is meaningful — always-listening mics + Amazon account integration; the mute button is hardware but the trust ask is still real
- Best prices land during Prime Day, Black Friday, and the January sales — buying at full RRP rarely makes sense
- Locked into the Amazon ecosystem — switching to Google Home or HomeKit means the Dots become bricks for voice
Specifications
| Specification | Value |
|---|---|
| Speaker | 1.73-inch front-firing speaker |
| Audio output | Mono (use two for stereo pairing) |
| Microphones | Far-field (4 mics) with mute toggle |
| Wireless | Wi-Fi 5 (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac), Bluetooth 5.0 |
| Smart home protocols | Matter, Thread (planned), Sidewalk, eero built-in |
| Voice assistant | Alexa |
| Sensors | Temperature, motion (Tap to Alexa), accelerometer |
| Display | LED ring (Echo Dot 5) or LED clock display (Echo Dot 5 with Clock variant, +£10) |
| Power | 15W power adapter (mains, not battery) |
| Dimensions | 100 × 100 × 89 mm, 304g |
| Typical UK price | £54.99 RRP, regularly £29-39 in Prime Day / Black Friday |