Amazon Echo Dot Gen 3

Product Description

The third generation of the Amazon Echo Dot is here with a slimmed down minimalist design that will look good in any part of your home or office. Apart from the sleek design, it boasts a more potent internal speaker and can connect to other smart dev

Top Reviews

Better than 2nd Gen! ***HERE'S HOW TO HELP WITH PRIVACY CONCERNS***
by Peter (5 out of 5 stars)
October 15, 2018

Sound quality is the best I've heard on a speaker of this size!!! Definitely worth paying a little extra for this one over the 2nd generation model. I'm not going to discuss the functionality as there's tons of info already out there. One important note: If you set up the Alexa app on your phone, IT WILL IMPORT ALL OF YOUR PHONE CONTACTS. I didn't think I gave it permission to do so but Alexa did indeed import my contacts! You may have read stories how, WITHOUT YOUR KNOWLEDGE, Alexa can record what's being said in your home and then send it to ANY or ALL of those contacts! Yikes! And, I won't want any of my kids to accidentally send messages to or call people on my contact list. So, if you want to keep your contacts from Alexa and prevent that from happening here's how I did it:

Before installiing the Alexa app on your phone, export your contacts to a file and save it for later. Then, go back to the phone and delete those contacts (don't worry, you'll import them back in later). Now, install the Alexa app on your phone and go through the set up process. At some point, you'll have the option to allow Alexa to automatically import any additions to your contacts. Please "disable" that option. After you're done with the installation, you'll notice there are no contacts in your Alexa app! Now, you can import your contacts back into your phonebook using the file that you initially created and you're good to go!

If you already installed the app but want to delete your contacts from Alexa, it's not too late. Simply export your phone contacts to a file and save for later. Then, delete the contacts from your phone. Now, open the Alexa app and click "Contacts." On the Contacts page, click on "Import Contacts" and enable it by moving the button to the right side. This will cause Alexa to replace your existing contacts with the now empty phonebook. After a few minutes, your Alexa contacts will be gone. Go back and disable "Import Contacts" to prevent Alexa from importing them in the future. You can now import the contact file that you created back into your phone.

Of course there may be some contacts you do want to use with Alexa. I simply added them manually by clicking "Add Contact."

I hope this info is helpful as I wasn't able to find an easy way to manage Alexa contacts.
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Love the Dot and its new look, but the sound is still disappointing
by Frederick (4 out of 5 stars)
October 15, 2018

I've been a happy owner of a 2nd generation Echo and three 2nd generation Echo Dots for a year now, and I was glad to add this to the arsenal. After using it for a few days I am generally pleased with it, but it does have limitations, especially when it comes to sound quality (no surprise there!). I will start by summarizing what's new about the 3rd Generation Dot, then I'll describe the device in more detail, and finally I'll add some thoughts about how to choose which Echo device may be best for you.

The most obvious update to the Dot is the new look: it's as if someone took a 2nd generation Dot, inflated it with an air pump, and wrapped the edge in fabric. And it's not bad!

What's different/updated in the 3rd Generation Dot:
1) It is slightly larger than the 2nd generation device, measuring 3.9" wide x 1.7" tall (2nd gen was 3.3" wide x 1.3" tall), and the top and bottom edges are more rounded. It is also substantially heavier at nearly twice the weight of the 2nd generation model.
2) The 2nd generation Dot came in two color options (black and white), each of which had a shiny plastic exterior that I personally thought looked a little cheap. The 3rd generation Dot has a fabric exterior which gives it a classier appearance, and it's available in three colors: heather grey, sandstone, and charcoal. The fabric and rounded edges give the 3rd generation Dot a much softer look than its predecessor.
4) The 3rd generation Dot has a larger speaker (1.6", versus 1.1" on the 2nd gen), which is paired with a larger driver as well. I'll talk below about the effect this has on audio quality.
5) The placement of the microphones is slightly different: while the 2nd generation had seven small far-field microphones on its top surface; the 3rd generation has four microphones.
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Overall appearance
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I purchased the "sandstone" version. The cloth is a polyester woven fabric made up of lighter and darker shades which gives it more visual interest than if it were just a solid, uniform gray. The neutral color blends in with nearly any decor, and the cloth gives the unit a softer look which is great for areas of your house where you don't want something that screams "I'm a device!"

Aside from its larger size and slight convex bulge, the top of the device is nearly identical to that of the 2nd generation Dot: it has four buttons (volume up, volume down, microphone off, and an "action" button) and a multi-colored light ring around the top edge that tells you about the Echo's status. The side of the device has an input for the power cable and a 3.5-mm output jack.

One notable improvement is the shape of the power cable, which sits flatter against the wall than the 2nd generation Dot's cable (see my photo to see them side by side). This may sound like an insignificant change, but it makes a huge difference if you want to plug the cable into an outlet that is behind a piece of furniture.
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Setup
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Setting up the Dot couldn't be easier. You simply plug in the power cable, then use the Alexa app on your phone to connect the Dot to your WiFi network. The app leads you through everything, and the whole process takes less than a minute. Boom.
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Audio
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I did a side-by-side audio comparison of the 2nd and 3rd Generation Echo Dots, first with music (orchestral, a jazz combo, and some AC/DC) and then with a few newscasts. Everything does sound better on the 3rd generation Dot, but to be honest, the sound is still pretty anemic. Compared with the 2nd generation Dot, the sound is slightly fuller, not as annoyingly tinny, and has a small amount of bass presence (not much, but the 2nd generation had none). Newscasts and other spoken texts benefit from the fuller sound as well, but the difference is more pronounced with music. Just for fun, I also compared the 3rd generation Dot with my 2nd generation Echo, and THAT'S where I noticed a big difference. Yes, the new Dot sounds a bit better than its predecessor, but they both sound weak compared to the full-sized Echo. (To its credit, Amazon doesn't claim that the Dot has room-filling sound.)

I'll be blunt: I really like the Dot, but I don't use it to listen to music. At all. With so many other speaker options out there, there's just no reason to use this as your primary music device.
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Voice recognition
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As I mentioned above, the number of microphones on the top surface has dropped from seven to four. I'm not sure what the rationale for this was, but after testing the Dot's ability to pick up my voice from different distances and angles, I didn't notice a substantial difference in the overall microphone sensitivity compared to the 2nd generation Dot. Like the other Echo devices, though, it seems to have more difficulty detecting voices that come from below it (which happens if I talk to it while I'm on the floor playing with my daughter).
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Functionality
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The bottom line is that the overall functionality -- what the 3rd generation Dot "does" -- is nearly identical to that of the previous generations (and of other Echo devices, or at least the ones without screens). This is largely because the Alexa assistant software on which all Echos operate is run on Amazon's cloud, not your individual device. This means that as Amazon adds new features and updates to Alexa they automatically become available on all Echo devices. So, you can use any of them to:
- Stream music via WiFi from multiple sources
- Control smart home devices with your voice
- Make hands-free calls to other Echo devices or phone numbers in North America
- Make purchases from your Amazon Prime account
- Listen to news feeds, podcasts, etc.
- Do anything else in Alexa's ever-growing skill set, such as make shopping lists, set timers/alarms/reminders, play games, tell you your daily schedule, and any other skills Amazon dreams up for Alexa in the future.

If you don't want to use the Dot's built-in speaker, you can connect it to your own speakers via Bluetooth or by using the 3.5-mm output jack.

One new feature for the 3rd generation Dot is a little puzzling to me: You can pair two Echo Dots in a "stereo mode," giving you essentially left and right speakers. I tried this briefly and the results were pretty much what I expected: yes, it's stereo, but it's still weak sound! You can also pair an Echo Sub with the Dots, creating a little 2.1 sound system. Frankly, I'm not sure why you would do this; if I were setting up for stereo sound, I would want speakers that are designed for decent audio performance, not two Echo Dots.

Alexa's skill set is enormous and always growing. In fact, part of the fun of owning an Echo device is seeing what new skills Amazon comes up with (even if many new skills are just silly or entertaining). I'll mention two of my favorite skills here: the Flash Briefing and the drop-in feature. The flash briefing is fully customizable daily digest of news and other information which you can hear any time by asking "What's my flash briefing?" There is a huge list of content you can add to your briefing including news updates, weather forecasts, sports and traffic updates, and educational snippets along with many that are just humorous or entertaining. Using the Alexa phone app or your Echo account page you can select exactly what content you want in your briefing and in what order you want to hear it. For example, I configured mine with news feeds from NPR, BBC, and Reuters. I love having an on-demand synopsis of the latest news from my favorite sources.

My other favorite feature, "drop in," essentially opens a two-way communication channel between any two Echo devices, sort of like an intercom. Simply ask Alexa to "drop in on [the living room, the kitchen...]" and you are instantly connected. My wife and I use this feature to communicate from opposite ends of the house. You can turn drop-in capability on or off for each of your Echo devices individually, and you can also choose whether each device can drop in with ANY Echo device or only those in your own home.
[Note that the drop-in feature is NOT the same thing as Alexa's hands-free calling feature. Hands-free calling allows you to call most phone numbers and Echo devices in the U.S., Mexico, and Canada from your Echo by saying your contact's name or number. Just like with a phone call, the other person must choose to answer your call before you can communicate. By contrast, with the drop-in feature communication is instantly established. For this reason you will probably want to use drop-in only with your closest family and friends, and probably only for certain rooms in your home!]
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A few (minor) complaints
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Unfortunately this 3rd Generation Dot shares an annoying trait of its predecessors: widely varying volume levels within the daily Flash Briefing. As you listen to the briefing, some components (such as BBC News) come through quietly while others (like Reuters) are much louder. Not a deal-breaker, but slightly annoying.

Also, occasionally when Alexa misunderstands a command, you have to "start over," which can be really irritating. For example, if Alexa thinks you asked to turn on a light but you really asked something else, she will repeatedly say "In which room?" until you say "Alexa, stop" and then start over. I'm guessing this type of thing will improve over time as voice recognition software becomes more advanced. This is really more of an Alexa issue than a Dot issue, but it drives me nuts at times.

Finally, I wish the Alexa phone app was easier to use. It works, but its organization is not intuitive and it feels rather clunky to navigate. Again, this is more of an "Alexa" issue than a "Dot" issue, but still... Hopefully Amazon will continue to make improvements to it!
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A few tips
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1) The Dot seems to pick up voices best when placed at or below eye level (i.e., roughly the level from which your voice emits). Mine has trouble detecting voices coming from below it, so I don't recommend placing this on a high shelf.
2) When you select news feeds for your Flash briefing I recommend picking one U.S. source and one international source (I use NPR and BBC - both are excellent). If you add too many feeds you'll get a lot of overlap and hear the same story several times.
3) If you have multiple Echo devices in your home, sometimes speaking to one will cause others to respond as well, especially if they are in close proximity (like in adjacent rooms). One way to prevent this is to change the wake word of one of the devices to "Echo" or "Amazon." The only downside is that you then have to remember which wake word you assigned to each device!
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Echo Dot vs. Echo vs. Echo Plus: Which one to buy?
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(Please note that I am only comparing Echo devices that do NOT have screens.)

When choosing between the Echo Dot and one of the larger Echo devices, perhaps the most important question to ask is "How much do you plan to LISTEN to the device?" This question is important because one of the biggest differences between the Echo Dot and the larger Echo devices is sound quality: the 1.6" speaker of the Dot simply cannot match the fullness and heft of the Echo or Echo Plus. (Remember, they all run on the same Alexa software, which means they all have nearly identical skill sets!)

So, if you don't currently own an Echo device, start by thinking carefully about how you plan to use it. Many Alexa skills fall into one of two broad categories: those that rely heavily on the speaker and those that don't. For example, features that benefit from good sound quality include playing music/newscasts/podcasts, the drop-in feature, and hands-free calling. (This is why I chose an Echo Plus for my kitchen - I use it every morning to listen to the news.) If you plan to use your device largely for these type of features, you would probably appreciate the better sound of the Echo or Echo Plus.

On the other hand, if plan to use the Echo mainly for "non-listening" purposes such as voice-controlling your smart home devices, then the sound quality isn't as important and a Dot is probably all you need. In fact, you could even save some money by purchasing a 2nd generation Dot instead -- especially if it's not going to be in a highly visible location or you don't mind its shiny plastic look. I have several "single-purpose" Dots in my house in rooms where I want to voice-control one thing, such as a lamp in the room, and 2nd generations Dots are just fine for this -- and now that their price has gone down they are a great value!
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Bottom line
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The Echo Dot is an extraordinarily useful and versatile device -- one that becomes more useful all the time as Alexa's skill set expands. The 3rd Generation model has a great new look, but despite marginal improvements in the speaker, it's still pretty unsatisfying as a playback device for music or newscasts. As long as you are willing to accept its acoustic limitations, the Dot can be a wonderful device to have in your home. And if you DO want better sound quality for the features you use most often, you can always connect the Dot to your own sound system via Bluetooth or the 3.5-mm audio jack. Hope this was helpful!
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I'm in love with this little guy! Unending entertainment and usefulness.
by Leah (5 out of 5 stars)
October 17, 2018

I had no idea I'd love Alexa so much - I wake up in the morning and she does the routine I've set up, and she's so comforting and useful and fun overall. My husband and I played Skills trivia games for hours last night. If we had kids it would be even more super useful (kids workouts, stories, games) - we even had a goodnight story read to us by Alexa and it was awesome. I'm really loving it. The Echo Dot itself is pretty great - the sound quality is pretty good, the bass when turned up is not that great, but if you really want to rock out you can connect it to other speakers or just use something else instead. I'm really surprised by how much I like the Alexa app (and the Echo Dot), because I'm a little resistant to technology, but it's pretty easy to figure out and feels like a new little buddy in the home. I'm excited to get some SmartHome stuff now so I can turn on/off lights, heat, etc. The only tiny issue I have is that for some reason Alexa doesn't pick up my husband's voice as much as it does mine - maybe because I've used it more? Really cool, though, overall - I feel like Judy Jetson!
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So loud! So crisp!
by Ramona Pelham (5 out of 5 stars)
June 18, 2019

I cannot say enough about this amazon echo dot. It is WONDERFUL. Loud, crisp, and knows my voice so well. I love the size of this one. It is much more convenient and easy to stow away but still be heard with the far field of sound. My guests have absolutely enjoyed asking questions and about the weather and especially using it with my Spotify. I purchased a wall mount too that works very well. Again I would recommend this to anyone who loves to have music around the house being played. Did I mention the price? Unbeatable. Don't get a knock off! Just get the amazon echo dot 3rd generation and do yourself a favor. I am just over the moon about this item. Thanks amazon!

EDIT - After two months using I am so satisfied with my proud bird wall mount! It fits my echo dot perfectly! I have already bought another!
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Slightly louder but not as good as Google Home mini
by Amazon Customer (2 out of 5 stars)
October 16, 2018

I was excited when they said it had a better speaker as the echo dot's are disappointingly quiet. Meanwhile the google home mini of the same size is VERY loud and crisp. This new version the 3.0...is somewhere in the middle. A little louder but not quite enough. I was hoping to have one in the kitchen and have it play my audio books while i clean/cook, but its still difficult to hear ti clearly over the kitchen activity. No such problem with the google home mini. Also a downside, they changed the charge port to an old fashioned pin style instead of the micro USB. This limits the places I can use it I have a small powered hub in the living room I connect my devices too and I was going to get another one of these for that, but I won't now since I can't connect it easily where I want to. I also used to bring one onto the back patio and have it powered by my Anker usb battery, but I can't do that with this one anymore. Not sure why they suddenly abandoned the micro usb style. It can easily meet the 15 watt demand the 3.0 requires.

Also if you need/want a wall mount for this version, you can get one to print on thingiverse.

UPDATE:

Within a few minutes of leaving this review I got multiple calls from Amazon asking me to explain my review....not offering to take it back or to exchange it or solve anything for me...but asking me to explain myself. The girl by the end of the call seemed nice enough, but the fact that within a few minutes of a review I got multiple calls on my personal cell asking me to "explain myself" seems almost like they're trying to intimidate you away from giving an honest review. Especially since I think I gave all the relevant details in my review. Afterwards I was kind of thinking...is this like a modern "mafia thing? Are my orders going to arrived busted up or just go missing now?
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Overall improvement, but lost its flexibility
by Clintre (3 out of 5 stars)
October 15, 2018

I have 5 Echo Dots (gen 2) and we use them throughout the house for just about everything, being we have a fairly smart home. What I liked about the gen 2 versions, were that they were compact and very flexible on how you could use them. They were easy to mount in different positions and being that they used a fairly standard USB interface for the power, you could really be flexible on how and where you mounted them. The one thing that they really missed on? The well known sound quality.

Enter the Gen 3...

I really like the improvement in sound. Sure it is not a high quality speaker system, but for the size it is pretty good. Especially when you consider that you can pair them and add a sub for pretty good sound. The look is improved over the gen 2, however it does lose a little bit of the customability that the gen 2 had. With the gen 2, you could purchase different wraps, stands, clock mounts, wall mounts, etc. You could really customize it. The gen 3 is a bit bigger and has a much more rounded shape. While it makes it look better by itself, it lacks the ability to really customize it. It surely would not work as a power socket mount, like you could do with the gen 2, just due to the additional weight.

That is before you get to the horrendous power cord and adapter. The power adapter is twice as big as the gen 2 and the power cord went away from the, easy to find, usb style cord to a old style input style and it is permanently attached to the power adapter. This is really my biggest complaint as it took away so much flexibility, that you could enjoy with the gen 2. Don't get me wrong, I am sure there will be several new cords and adapters put out to fill the gap, but that is not as easy as using cords many already have. Just makes no sense. Not to mention the cord is really long, so in areas where you want it to be a bit more discreet, this thing sticks out like a sore thumb.

What I like...

Sound Quality is a step up

Sound Volume is much improved

Base look is much improved

What I dislike...

Much less flexibility on how it is used versus previous version

Non-standard power cord

Bulky adapter

Ugly long cord
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Don't rely on it for anything important
by Marc D. (1 out of 5 stars)
November 2, 2018

I'm forced to use the online Alexa app because I don't own any Apple or Android device and my Windows 10 PC doesn't have the app. I'll list just a few of the problems I've had:
1) It often fails to understand what I say. 2) It often fails to respond to my voice at all, though it's only two or three feet away. It responds to dead silence just as often as to my voice commands. 3) Many commands are not executed. For example, it will not make adjustments to the audio equalizer; it will not give my daily briefing items; it will not play stations saved to my iHeart favorites. 4) There's no product support. I've sent a number of email requests to support and received no response. 5) I had a bunch of recurring reminders set up, and they worked for a couple of days. Suddenly they all vanished. These were important work-related reminders. Of course, there's no way to back them up or save them. So, they're simply gone. 6) The audio quality is poor and sounds muffled no matter what I do. Speech is sometimes unintelligible. 7) Volume is unstable. During some music it will constantly decrease and I have to keep turning it up. Then when an announcer comes on, it's loud enough to take the paint off the walls.

If I'd paid significant money, I would be returning it. For 99 cents, I can't be bothered. Maybe they will improve it in the future, but for now it serves no purpose; there's nothing it can do reliably. So I put it back in the box and stored it away.
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Actually impressed.
by Lorenzo Martin (5 out of 5 stars)
October 17, 2018

I was debating between this and the regular echo. I've had both and we both know what the echo does so all I'll talk about is the sound quality.

I'm going to get to the chase. This is the BEST speaker I've ever heard for under $50. The functions of the echo along with the music playing functionality and the sound quality makes it a steal at this price point.

The sound is great for its size. It can get pretty loud but the bass is definitely lacking. The bass isn't god awful but it just isn't there.

Now I will say this... if your primary motivation for a speaker is to listen to music, go with the echo. If it is but your budget is under $50 then go with the dot. It won't blow anyone away during a get together in your living room but it'll get the job done. The dot will only flourish is an enclosed space. It needs walls nearby to bounce off to cover up the weakness of the bass.

If I had to compare the sound to another speaker, I'd say the UE Wonderboom or the older Beats Pill, all of which suffer from weak bass. For the size, I was impressed by the sound but with the Echo at its refurbished price of $69 I'll have to aim towards that direction.

I'd recommend this for someone who needs an echo for their kitchen, bedroom or bathroom. It's just not going to hold down a living room unfortunately but overall, I like the sound and if I need a second echo, I'll definitely get a dot.
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Great personal assistant for all kinds of things
by A. DeMarco (5 out of 5 stars)
September 12, 2019

I purchased my Echo Dot several weeks ago and I have been loving it. It is a very handy household assistant.

Alexa is often funny and always helpful.

So I was browsing Amazon for Alexa related products and I found this

GGMM D3 battery base.

I thought I would try it and I am pretty happy about that!

This base charges my Echo Dot for 8 hours so I can take Alexa to my yard, my pool, my hot tub, and anywhere else my signal goes. It's so awesome to always a timer, a clock, and a handy assistant with all my music everywhere I want it.
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Works fine -- note equalizer controls
by Bob Dobbs (4 out of 5 stars)
October 22, 2018

It's louder with better bass response compared with the 2nd generation Dot that I also have. I listen to a lot of speech and that sounded muddy compared to 2nd gen. I learned from technical support that equalizer controls are avialable. They are accessed as follows:
1. In the Alexa App, tap on the Devices icon at the bottom-right
2.Tap on Echo & Alexa at the top-left corner
3. Down below, tap on your Echo Dot
4. Down below, tap on "Sounds"
5. Then tap on the Equalizer -- here you can adjust the Bass / Mid / Treble

Turning the bass way down and boosting the midrange helped a lot. It sounds more natural and is not as tinny as the 2nd gen model. Speech quality is not great but it's OK. For the price I think the sound quality is fine.

One problem I note is that the volume steps when using voice volume control ("Alexa louder," "Alexa softer") are large around my range of interest. It is either too loud or too soft. Using the controls on the Dot I get finer volume control and can get the volume just where I want. I had better voice volume control with the 2nd gen. Dot.
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Love the Dot and its new look, but the sound is still disappointing
by Frederick,Top Contributor: Baby (4 out of 5 stars)
October 15, 2018

I've been a happy owner of a 2nd generation Echo and three 2nd generation Echo Dots for a year now, and I was glad to add this to the arsenal. After using it for a few days I am generally pleased with it, but it does have limitations, especially when it comes to sound quality (no surprise there!). I will start by summarizing what's new about the 3rd Generation Dot, then I'll describe the device in more detail, and finally I'll add some thoughts about how to choose which Echo device may be best for you.

The most obvious update to the Dot is the new look: it's as if someone took a 2nd generation Dot, inflated it with an air pump, and wrapped the edge in fabric. And it's not bad!

What's different/updated in the 3rd Generation Dot:
1) It is slightly larger than the 2nd generation device, measuring 3.9" wide x 1.7" tall (2nd gen was 3.3" wide x 1.3" tall), and the top and bottom edges are more rounded. It is also substantially heavier at nearly twice the weight of the 2nd generation model.
2) The 2nd generation Dot came in two color options (black and white), each of which had a shiny plastic exterior that I personally thought looked a little cheap. The 3rd generation Dot has a fabric exterior which gives it a classier appearance, and it's available in three colors: heather grey, sandstone, and charcoal. The fabric and rounded edges give the 3rd generation Dot a much softer look than its predecessor.
4) The 3rd generation Dot has a larger speaker (1.6", versus 1.1" on the 2nd gen), which is paired with a larger driver as well. I'll talk below about the effect this has on audio quality.
5) The placement of the microphones is slightly different: while the 2nd generation had seven small far-field microphones on its top surface; the 3rd generation has four microphones.
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Overall appearance
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I purchased the "sandstone" version. The cloth is a polyester woven fabric made up of lighter and darker shades which gives it more visual interest than if it were just a solid, uniform gray. The neutral color blends in with nearly any decor, and the cloth gives the unit a softer look which is great for areas of your house where you don't want something that screams "I'm a device!"

Aside from its larger size and slight convex bulge, the top of the device is nearly identical to that of the 2nd generation Dot: it has four buttons (volume up, volume down, microphone off, and an "action" button) and a multi-colored light ring around the top edge that tells you about the Echo's status. The side of the device has an input for the power cable and a 3.5-mm output jack.

One notable improvement is the shape of the power cable, which sits flatter against the wall than the 2nd generation Dot's cable (see my photo to see them side by side). This may sound like an insignificant change, but it makes a huge difference if you want to plug the cable into an outlet that is behind a piece of furniture.
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Setup
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Setting up the Dot couldn't be easier. You simply plug in the power cable, then use the Alexa app on your phone to connect the Dot to your WiFi network. The app leads you through everything, and the whole process takes less than a minute. Boom.
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Audio
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I did a side-by-side audio comparison of the 2nd and 3rd Generation Echo Dots, first with music (orchestral, a jazz combo, and some AC/DC) and then with a few newscasts. Everything does sound better on the 3rd generation Dot, but to be honest, the sound is still pretty anemic. Compared with the 2nd generation Dot, the sound is slightly fuller, not as annoyingly tinny, and has a small amount of bass presence (not much, but the 2nd generation had none). Newscasts and other spoken texts benefit from the fuller sound as well, but the difference is more pronounced with music. Just for fun, I also compared the 3rd generation Dot with my 2nd generation Echo, and THAT'S where I noticed a big difference. Yes, the new Dot sounds a bit better than its predecessor, but they both sound weak compared to the full-sized Echo. (To its credit, Amazon doesn't claim that the Dot has room-filling sound.)

I'll be blunt: I really like the Dot, but I don't use it to listen to music. At all. With so many other speaker options out there, there's just no reason to use this as your primary music device.
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Voice recognition
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As I mentioned above, the number of microphones on the top surface has dropped from seven to four. I'm not sure what the rationale for this was, but after testing the Dot's ability to pick up my voice from different distances and angles, I didn't notice a substantial difference in the overall microphone sensitivity compared to the 2nd generation Dot. Like the other Echo devices, though, it seems to have more difficulty detecting voices that come from below it (which happens if I talk to it while I'm on the floor playing with my daughter).
-------------------

Functionality
-------------------

The bottom line is that the overall functionality -- what the 3rd generation Dot "does" -- is nearly identical to that of the previous generations (and of other Echo devices, or at least the ones without screens). This is largely because the Alexa assistant software on which all Echos operate is run on Amazon's cloud, not your individual device. This means that as Amazon adds new features and updates to Alexa they automatically become available on all Echo devices. So, you can use any of them to:
- Stream music via WiFi from multiple sources
- Control smart home devices with your voice
- Make hands-free calls to other Echo devices or phone numbers in North America
- Make purchases from your Amazon Prime account
- Listen to news feeds, podcasts, etc.
- Do anything else in Alexa's ever-growing skill set, such as make shopping lists, set timers/alarms/reminders, play games, tell you your daily schedule, and any other skills Amazon dreams up for Alexa in the future.

If you don't want to use the Dot's built-in speaker, you can connect it to your own speakers via Bluetooth or by using the 3.5-mm output jack.

One new feature for the 3rd generation Dot is a little puzzling to me: You can pair two Echo Dots in a "stereo mode," giving you essentially left and right speakers. I tried this briefly and the results were pretty much what I expected: yes, it's stereo, but it's still weak sound! You can also pair an Echo Sub with the Dots, creating a little 2.1 sound system. Frankly, I'm not sure why you would do this; if I were setting up for stereo sound, I would want speakers that are designed for decent audio performance, not two Echo Dots.

Alexa's skill set is enormous and always growing. In fact, part of the fun of owning an Echo device is seeing what new skills Amazon comes up with (even if many new skills are just silly or entertaining). I'll mention two of my favorite skills here: the Flash Briefing and the drop-in feature. The flash briefing is fully customizable daily digest of news and other information which you can hear any time by asking "What's my flash briefing?" There is a huge list of content you can add to your briefing including news updates, weather forecasts, sports and traffic updates, and educational snippets along with many that are just humorous or entertaining. Using the Alexa phone app or your Echo account page you can select exactly what content you want in your briefing and in what order you want to hear it. For example, I configured mine with news feeds from NPR, BBC, and Reuters. I love having an on-demand synopsis of the latest news from my favorite sources.

My other favorite feature, "drop in," essentially opens a two-way communication channel between any two Echo devices, sort of like an intercom. Simply ask Alexa to "drop in on [the living room, the kitchen...]" and you are instantly connected. My wife and I use this feature to communicate from opposite ends of the house. You can turn drop-in capability on or off for each of your Echo devices individually, and you can also choose whether each device can drop in with ANY Echo device or only those in your own home.
[Note that the drop-in feature is NOT the same thing as Alexa's hands-free calling feature. Hands-free calling allows you to call most phone numbers and Echo devices in the U.S., Mexico, and Canada from your Echo by saying your contact's name or number. Just like with a phone call, the other person must choose to answer your call before you can communicate. By contrast, with the drop-in feature communication is instantly established. For this reason you will probably want to use drop-in only with your closest family and friends, and probably only for certain rooms in your home!]
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A few (minor) complaints
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Unfortunately this 3rd Generation Dot shares an annoying trait of its predecessors: widely varying volume levels within the daily Flash Briefing. As you listen to the briefing, some components (such as BBC News) come through quietly while others (like Reuters) are much louder. Not a deal-breaker, but slightly annoying.

Also, occasionally when Alexa misunderstands a command, you have to "start over," which can be really irritating. For example, if Alexa thinks you asked to turn on a light but you really asked something else, she will repeatedly say "In which room?" until you say "Alexa, stop" and then start over. I'm guessing this type of thing will improve over time as voice recognition software becomes more advanced. This is really more of an Alexa issue than a Dot issue, but it drives me nuts at times.

Finally, I wish the Alexa phone app was easier to use. It works, but its organization is not intuitive and it feels rather clunky to navigate. Again, this is more of an "Alexa" issue than a "Dot" issue, but still... Hopefully Amazon will continue to make improvements to it!
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A few tips
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1) The Dot seems to pick up voices best when placed at or below eye level (i.e., roughly the level from which your voice emits). Mine has trouble detecting voices coming from below it, so I don't recommend placing this on a high shelf.
2) When you select news feeds for your Flash briefing I recommend picking one U.S. source and one international source (I use NPR and BBC - both are excellent). If you add too many feeds you'll get a lot of overlap and hear the same story several times.
3) If you have multiple Echo devices in your home, sometimes speaking to one will cause others to respond as well, especially if they are in close proximity (like in adjacent rooms). One way to prevent this is to change the wake word of one of the devices to "Echo" or "Amazon." The only downside is that you then have to remember which wake word you assigned to each device!
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Echo Dot vs. Echo vs. Echo Plus: Which one to buy?
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(Please note that I am only comparing Echo devices that do NOT have screens.)

When choosing between the Echo Dot and one of the larger Echo devices, perhaps the most important question to ask is "How much do you plan to LISTEN to the device?" This question is important because one of the biggest differences between the Echo Dot and the larger Echo devices is sound quality: the 1.6" speaker of the Dot simply cannot match the fullness and heft of the Echo or Echo Plus. (Remember, they all run on the same Alexa software, which means they all have nearly identical skill sets!)

So, if you don't currently own an Echo device, start by thinking carefully about how you plan to use it. Many Alexa skills fall into one of two broad categories: those that rely heavily on the speaker and those that don't. For example, features that benefit from good sound quality include playing music/newscasts/podcasts, the drop-in feature, and hands-free calling. (This is why I chose an Echo Plus for my kitchen - I use it every morning to listen to the news.) If you plan to use your device largely for these type of features, you would probably appreciate the better sound of the Echo or Echo Plus.

On the other hand, if plan to use the Echo mainly for "non-listening" purposes such as voice-controlling your smart home devices, then the sound quality isn't as important and a Dot is probably all you need. In fact, you could even save some money by purchasing a 2nd generation Dot instead -- especially if it's not going to be in a highly visible location or you don't mind its shiny plastic look. I have several "single-purpose" Dots in my house in rooms where I want to voice-control one thing, such as a lamp in the room, and 2nd generations Dots are just fine for this -- and now that their price has gone down they are a great value!
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Bottom line
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The Echo Dot is an extraordinarily useful and versatile device -- one that becomes more useful all the time as Alexa's skill set expands. The 3rd Generation model has a great new look, but despite marginal improvements in the speaker, it's still pretty unsatisfying as a playback device for music or newscasts. As long as you are willing to accept its acoustic limitations, the Dot can be a wonderful device to have in your home. And if you DO want better sound quality for the features you use most often, you can always connect the Dot to your own sound system via Bluetooth or the 3.5-mm audio jack. Hope this was helpful!

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