Amazon's new Echo Spot makes nightstand clocks cool again with a smart home twist

Amazon is going all out for Prime Day 2024, including launching a new Echo speaker that will be 40% off until after the sales event. The new device is the latest iteration of the previously discontinued Echo Spot. The new Spot is a smart alarm clock that looks like a mix of an Echo Pop and Echo Show, giving Alexa fans the best of both worlds in a single, compact device. 

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As part of Amazon’s promotion, Prime members can purchase the new Echo Spot now through Prime Day for $45, a 40% discount from its retail price of $80. Like the Echo Dot, the Spot is available in black, glacier white, and ocean blue.

Meant to function much like a clock radio, the Echo Spot features a small screen that takes up about two-thirds of the front, with the speaker occupying the bottom chin area. The screen can display the time with customizable clock faces, show alarms, weather, song titles, and even some Alexa illustrations triggered by specific commands.

If successful, the Echo Spot could start a comeback for clock radios, with the added bonus of voice control through Amazon Alexa. Like a traditional clock radio, users can tap the Echo Spot to snooze an alarm when it goes off, but they can also ask Alexa to set up their alarms, turn on their smart lights, and run other custom routines. See how the weather widget, for example, works below.

As someone who has an Echo Show 8 in their bedroom to run routines with voice control, I look forward to testing the Echo Spot and seeing how a more compact device on my small nightstand performs. I like the idea of the smaller smart speaker with a screen to display a clock; it’s something I’ve wished I had from my Echo Dot since I didn’t buy the clock variant.

Also: Amazon Echo Pop review: A portable smart speaker for small spaces

Unfortunately, the microphone arrays of the Echo Pop and Echo Show 5 left me wanting more during months of testing. The devices aren’t nearly as responsive as the Echo Dot or Echo Show 8, so here’s to hoping the Spot’s speakers serve audio justice.

Users can choose from six Echo Spot colors, including orange, magenta, lime, teal, and blue, to match their decor. With the launch of the Echo Spot, Amazon is also releasing four new custom alarm sounds, including Aurora, Daybreak, Endeavor, and Flutter.