Portable Alexa — Amazon Tap


PROS
Battery-powered — take Alexa anywhere
Colored sling covers available to personalize and protect
CONS
Not the best-sounding portable speaker
Doesn't sync with Echo services, like groups
Doesn't get updates as often as the Echos

The Amazon Tap is your regular, rugged, battery-powered Bluetooth speaker with an Alexa twist to it. You can take it anywhere to listen to music with, but if you share your phone's Internet with it, or if it gets hooked up to a Wi-Fi, you get full Alexa functionality out of it.

By default, you need to hold the little side button on the speaker to activate Alexa, but after a software update, you can have a hands-free mode, which will respond to the "Alexa" hot word.

It's not really considered an Echo device, however — you can't sync it to Echos for multi-room music, add it to groups, or make calls with it. It also doesn't sound as good as some other $100 Bluetooth speakers. So, you have to make some sacrifices if you want to have Alexa on the go.

Amazon Echo Plus


PROS
Integrated smart home hub for faster connection and control
Slightly better speakers than Echo (2nd gen)
CONS
Rather generic controls, inferior to dedicated hubs by 3rd party manufacturers

The Amazon Echo already supports some smarthome functionality, but you do have to go in the app and pair it with each individual item at a time. The Echo Plus is a bigger Echo (it's the same size as the 1st gen Echo), which comes with slightly upgraded speakers and an integrated smart hub. Basically, you just ask it to connect to all your devices and it does so. The idea is to streamline the whole process and to make it easier for the end user to quickly add and control smarthome devices. All for the price of $150, it's a nice offer, but it's also a bit basic in what it can do with connected devices and doesn't have more in-depth controls and color fine-tuning like what the Philips Hue offers.

It's a nice package if you want to get started with a smart home, but a rather niche device through and through. Yes, Amazon does issue regular software updates, but hubs that have specific jobs and specific partner brands are still a bit better.

Amazon Echo Spot


PROS
An Alexa-powered... alarm clock?
CONS
Awkward, small, round display
Not the best sound quality

The Echo Spot is a smaller Amazon speaker with a screen. The thing is, it's round-shaped, as it's meant to replace your alarm clock. It does still have the video-calling service with Drop In and it can stream video, but it has a 2.5-inch, round screen. So, it's not the best for that. Its sound quality is OK, but not as good as the bigger versions.

Ideally, the Echo Spot is meant to replace your alarm clock. But for $130, we guess one must really like Alexa to get this exact smart speaker.

Amazon Echo Look


PROS
Your own "Are you really going to wear THIS?" bot
CONS
Tiny speaker
The AI fashion judge can be hit or miss... or not, it's all subjective
Pricey little box

The Echo Look is a "Personal Style Assistant". Basically, it's a voice-activated selfie camera, which you put somewhere around your dressing space. The camera will take a picture of your outfit and the AI will "judge" your style. The Echo Look also has Alexa on board to offer you clothes that fit your style to buy directly from Amazon.

So, yeah, style is subjective and we are not sure whether you should trust the Echo Look over a mirror and your own sense. We do tend to favor the latter, though.