The new Amazon Echo Dot is still tiny, but now louder and more stylish too

Among the many, many Alexa-powered devices announced today was a very familiar one: the Echo Dot, Amazon’s cheapest and best-selling Echo to date. But this one’s not exactly the same as before. Sure, it’s still a tiny little thing – but instead of looking like a small slice of an original Echo tube (or a hockey puck), this one’s fuzzy on the sides like a fabric speaker grate. No surprise: it looks a bit more like the Google Home Mini. But it might sound better than its pint-sized competitor, as the 2018 Echo Dot packs in a pretty significant upgrade, producing up to 70% louder sound than the last version thanks to a larger 1.6in speaker. Otherwise, the new Echo Dot is much as it has always been: the easiest and most affordable way to put Alexa in your home. It’s out on 11 October at the same £49.99 price.