Amazon Echo Pop: How is this tiny smart speaker priced at ₹4,999?

Amazon has added yet another device to their Echo smart speaker line-up – Amazon Echo Pop. After the release of the Amazon Echo Dot (5th Gen) review earlier this year, this is Amazon’s second launch to hit the floors. While the Echo Dot was a generationally upgraded product, the Echo Pop is a completely new speaker, slated right below the Echo Dot (5th Gen), priced at ₹4,999. 

I got my hands on the Amazon Echo Pop before it was released in India and spent some time playing around with the device, testing out its capabilities, to gauge whether it stays true to the standards set by its predecessors or not. 

While I’m still testing the device, here are my first impressions of the newly launched Amazon Echo Pop –

Build and Design

On first look, this device looks like an Echo Dot sliced in half. The mesh-covered front with a small arc lighting lining up on the top bezel of the device gives the Echo Pop a distinctive look while still retaining its essence of being an Echo Device. 

Also read: Amazon Echo Dot (5th Gen) review

We have a barrel plug going into the back of the device, powering it up. Up top, we have a three-button cluster, helping us change tracks, mute/unmute the mic, etc. The device is available in four colours.

The build quality and materials used here seem to be solid. The mesh covering on the front gives it a really nice, modern aesthetic. There’s a nice heft to the device as well, which, when coupled with its rubber feet, makes sure that it doesn’t move when placed on smooth surfaces. 

Even when you are playing tracks at the highest volume, there will be no rattling. At least, that is what my time with the device so far has shown.

The cable feels secure, and the branding, which there’s very little of, is concealed at the bottom of the speaker. So, if you pick the right colour, the Echo Pop should fit right into your setup without any issues.

Features

Amazon has loaded this device with the basic features that we come to expect with smart speakers. There are not many features, but they work well. Starting off with voice control for smart devices. In the office, I connected this to a couple of smart devices that I could find, and the time taken by the speaker between getting the command and triggering the action on the nodal device was not that much. 

There was a slight delay, but that is expected and can be attributed to a ton of factors. The responsiveness of the speaker is not one of them though.

Apart from that, the time taken between a command being said out loud and it being executed was negligible, at par with the pricier Echo devices, like the Echo Dot (5th Gen). I can confidently say that if you are looking to take the plunge right at the time of launch, then this is the safest bet that you can hedge your funds on.

Performance

During my initial days with the device, I stuck to familiar tracks, and I loved the clarity of vocals that this speaker has. In tracks like Rescue Me by OneRepublic, which is also a part of our audio testing suite of tracks, the speaker performed exceptionally well. The loudness was also adequate to fill a small room, which is, I assume, a device of this size would be placed in.

One thing that I found missing on both the Echo Dot (5th Gen, 2023 release) and the Echo Pop, was the bass response, despite Amazon heavily advertising it. There’s an equaliser baked into the app, which can be used to add some amount of bass boost to the audio. 

But, out of the box, the device lacks the thumpy bass. This might be a bummer for folks who are into EDM, pop, and other such genres of music which tend to have an emphasis on the bass.

As for the microphone and responsiveness of the device, I have spoken about that in the last section, and it is essentially the best you can get. 

Wrapping up…

I am still testing the device, so my observations might change by the time I come to writing the full-fledged review of this device. However, from the experience that I have had with the device so far, I can safely say that very few things might change in my opinion, if at all. 

The Amazon Echo Pop makes for a great device. However, if you are planning to take the plunge right away, you might want to consider the Echo Dot (5th Gen) as well. In my opinion, it makes for a better value-for-money purchase for the ₹500 extra that you are paying for it.

Stay tuned to Digit.in for my full review of the Amazon Echo Pop.

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Satvik Pandey

Satvik Pandey, is a self-professed Steve Jobs (not Apple) fanboy, a science & tech writer, and a sports addict. At Digit, he works as a Deputy Features Editor, and manages the daily functioning of the magazine. He also reviews audio-products (speakers, headphones, soundbars, etc.), smartwatches, projectors, and everything else that he can get his hands on. A media and communications graduate, Satvik is also an avid shutterbug, and when he's not working or gaming, he can be found fiddling with any camera he can get his hands on and helping produce videos – which means he spends an awful amount of time in our studio. His game of choice is Counter-Strike, and he's still attempting to turn pro. He can talk your ear off about the game, and we'd strongly advise you to steer clear of the topic unless you too are a CS junkie. View Full Profile