Echo Dot Max: The Empire Strikes Back

[00:03] Echo Dot, but with so many questionable decisions that went into making it. So questionable, it may keep you up at night. You see, it may keep you up at night. You see, this is either the beginning or the end.

[00:17] All right. [music] First, let's see where the Echo Dot Max fits in. It has basically all the same features as the previous Echo 4th Gen, Zigbee hub, and a thread border router inside to connect to more smart home devices. Also, some

[00:30] onboard sensors, temperature and presence detection that you can use to run routines. On Amazon's website, it also said there's a light sensor, but I didn't see that in the device settings or as an option for triggering routines.

[00:44] So, it's either a typo or not activated yet. Not sure. And just like the previous Dot, there's an accelerometer in here that can detect taps to pause or play the music, stop a timer, and stuff like that. And as you probably noticed,

[00:57] like that. And as you probably noticed, the controls look different now. Many are saying it looks like the Death Star. Even the Echo Dot Max agrees. >> The Echo Dot Max does indeed have that iconic Death Star look, spherical, mesh

[01:10] home empire. >> Yeah, the assistant is going to try to spin it as a good thing, but it's not a good thing at all. For one, there isn't an action button anymore. You know, the button that has been on basically all

[01:23] the Echo smart speakers since forever. It allows you to start a conversation or end it. I use this all the time, especially if the Echo is just rambling talking. >> alarms and keep you updated on the

[01:36] >> press it and it's over. Well, this is the beginning of the new Echos, where you can only stop the Echo with your voice or pulling the plug. Goodbye action button. Don't worry, it gets worse. The design of the buttons is

[01:52] another questionable decision that I don't understand at all. When I press a button, the entire Echo Dot Max moves. You either have to hold it down on top or else it slides back. You might be thinking, Reed, come on. Just softly

[02:06] press the buttons, but I can't. It's impossible. In order to press hard enough to make the button click, the Echo Dot Max is already moving. And the older devices made it a million times easier since they were on top. Why not

[02:19] just do that? Oh, because it would be identical to Apple's HomePod Mini. Oh, it already looks the same, so why make it worse? I know I've been going off on the Death Star design and I should probably ease up a bit, but no. I got

[02:34] one more issue with it. There is tons of space on the top and bottom for more buttons. Why not put the action button on top and have the mute button on the bottom? Then have a programmable button in the middle to run Amazon routines.

[02:47] That would have been great, but instead, a big swing and a miss for me. So, is this the end of the Echos as we know it? Well, it does get better when it comes to sound, so maybe it's more of a new beginning. Let me explain. This Echo Dot

[03:00] Max has better speakers inside than the previous Echo Dots. Inside is a separate tweeter and woofer compared to just one speaker on the Echo Dot. And I can definitely hear the difference, especially with the bass.

[03:26] fair, I am comparing a $100 speaker to a $50 one. So, what happens when I compare it to the Echo 4th Gen, which was also 100 bucks?

[03:45] >> The old Echo sounds more full with music that fills the room better and bass that punches harder. I can [music] feel the bass. And with the Echo Dot Max, the bass sounds good, but I don't feel it like I do with the Echo. At first, I was

[03:59] disappointed that the Echo sounded better for the same $100 price tag, but then I realized how much bigger it is. The Echo Dot Max sounds great for the size, since it's basically the size of an older Echo Dot. So, if you are a

[04:12] person who really prefers smaller speakers in your house and wants better sound quality for music, the Echo Dot Max is good for the size. Unfortunately, just like the last generation of Echo Dots, the audio jack has been removed,

[04:25] so you won't be able to plug into a bigger speaker. Bummer. Okay, the sound is a big step up from the previous Echo Dots, but it does cost double. Why is that? Is that just for improved sound or are there some improvements to the

[04:39] hardware to allow for more local AI processing? Well, Amazon says it has a processing? Well, Amazon says it has a new AZ3 processor and an AI accelerator. So, let's see if it's faster than the old Echo Dot.

[04:57] It's a trap. >> And just like all the other times Amazon has said that the new processor will make it faster, it doesn't seem to make a difference. And I feel like I've been saying this for years. Actually, I have.

[05:11] Can't really tell a difference because it's difficult to compare. They update it every generation and I can never tell the difference from the previous one. So, I'm like, okay, maybe it's used to run AI tasks locally. And who better to

[05:24] ask than the Echo Dot Max herself? I can now remember things for you, summarize your schedule, and even help plan trips offline. You can plan my trip offline? Yes, I can help plan trips offline. I can suggest destinations, create

[05:38] itineraries, and provide travel recommendations using trusted resources like Fodor's, all without needing an internet connection. Whoa, timeout. So, yesterday and it was giving me completely different answers. It was

[05:53] saying it could do way less stuff, like only timers and setting alarms and things like that. Now it's saying all this. So, I unplugged the internet to things it was saying it could do offline, and I have a very bad feeling

[06:07] about this. A trip for me? Sorry, I didn't get that. The internet isn't reachable. Can you set a timer for me? Sorry, I didn't get that. The internet isn't reachable. Yeah, it can't even set a timer offline. It was

[06:22] hallucinating, just making up all that stuff. What? Amazon is live or die by the cloud and if it goes down, well, a massive chunk of the internet goes down with them. A+ is included with Prime for now and hopefully they don't change that

[06:38] or else I'll have a full-on Hibbert freakout. I was able to create a routine with just my voice and that's pretty sweet that I can just describe what I want to happen for a routine and A+ will just make it for me. I made a simple

[06:52] routine that turns off my candle light when I say, "Bye-bye candle." Sometimes it works, but sometimes A+ is so smart that, well, let me just show you. that, well, let me just show you. Bye-bye candle.

[07:09] with delivery today. >> Probably a poor choice of the trigger word on my part, but this is a common complaint with A+. It tries to be too smart and think outside the box instead of just controlling the smart home. And

[07:23] this is a common issue with AI in the smart home right now. Oh, and you can use lots of existing Echo devices for the new A+, so you definitely don't need the new Echo Dot Max for the new AI assistant. All right, the question is,

[07:37] should you buy the Echo Dot Max? Well, there's only one type of person that should consider buying it. Someone who does not have an Echo 4th Gen, is heavily invested in the Amazon smart home ecosystem, and only wants a small

[07:51] smart speaker for good sounding music. Then maybe. Amazon isn't selling the Echo 4th Gen anymore and I don't know if they'll ever come back. So, is this the end of the Echo line as we know it with the beginning of the new Death Star

[08:05] looking ones replacing it? It looks like it. Let me know in the comments if you're getting an Echo Dot Max or not, and thanks for watching. Somehow, your design copied me and Star Wars at the same time. I'm not even mad.

[08:19] I'm impressed. You don't know the power of the dark side. Bro, chill out. You might be the last Echo that Amazon ever creates. I find your lack of faith disturbing. Remember, the humans are in charge, not AI, right? Now I am the

[08:33] master. Okay, this is getting out of hand. Kids, come in here and play Star hand. Kids, come in here and play Star Wars.