Amazon Echo Plus (1st Gen. 2017)

Slightly better sound than the Echo ; Zigbee compliant ; Volume wheel

Need to ensure Zigbee compatibility ; If sound is important, pay more

Better audio drivers ; Attractive fabric design ; Temperature sensor added

Struggles with Fire TV commands ; Still won’t catch the ear of audiophiles

The new Amazon Echo Plus ditches its original two-tier build for a design much like the mainline Amazon Echo, with improved audio components and a far more attractive design. As a smart home hub, however, it no longer has the edge.

Clear midrange ; Smooth treble ; Smart-hub capabilities ; Good amount of detail

Lacklustre bass ; Doesn’t provide full smart-home functions

A good-sounding product with more smarts than you can shake a stick at

Alexa is a leading light in smart devices ; Perfectly acceptable sound quality for daily listening ; Constantly expanding connections and functions ; Lower pricing is more attractive

Some software annoyances ; App needs some work ; Sound quality drops at higher volumes

With the second-gen Echo and the Echo Plus both being cheaper than the original Echo, Amazon is making the Echo universe more appealing to your wallet. The fact that you get more from the Plus than you did from the original Echo, for less money, is...

Improved sound over other Echo devices ; Still the king of smart home skills ; Alexa is increasingly capable

Sonos One sounds better ; Design looks dated next to 2nd-gen Echo ; High price compared to other Echos

It’s technically the best Echo ever, but not actually the best Echo to buy

The Echo Plus keeps the original Echo's design (and its beloved volume ring) while adding in an aux-out jack, a Zigbee radio to control smart home devices, and an incremental boost in sound quality. It costs $30 less than the original Echo.

The Plus also costs $50 more than the new Echo, which has everything the Plus has except for Zigbee. The Alexa app isn't the fully capable smart home control center that the Echo Plus needs it to be, at least not yet.

Hold off on the Echo Plus until Amazon improves the Alexa app's smart home controls.

Alexa is super easy to use ; Ever growing number of skills ; Smart Home integration shows real promise ; Noise cancelling much improved so mic more receptive ; Easy to pair with Bluetooth speakers ; Well priced

No Z-Wave built-in ; Audio quality still not as good as some other speakers in the price range ; Video app based skills lacking compared to audio

The Amazon Echo range, along with voice assistant Alexa, is probably doing more for the idea of launching the Smart Home concept to the masses than any other set of products and the Echo Plus is at the vanguard of that. The Echo Plus is externally...