The Amazon Echo Studio is the biggest and most expensive of the Alexa device lineup — it’s one of the best smart speakers you can buy, balancing immersive sound quality, style and voice-activated smarts. Want to listen to your favourite song? Just ask Alexa. Curious as to why the sky is blue? Just ask Alexa. Need to set a reminder to take the bins out? You guessed it, ask Alexa.
I’ve been using the Amazon Echo Studio every day for about two years now, I’ve also tested the entire Echo range and several other smart speakers since 2019, so I’m well placed to give my thoughts. Here you’ll find everything I think about the design, set-up, audio quality and features.
To sum things up, this is a powerful home speaker that can fill large spaces with sound. It’s a great choice for entertaining and will be most at home in a living room or kitchen. It doesn’t have all the features you’d get elsewhere but it still has plenty to offer.
Be sure to look out for the best Echo device deals if you’re planning on buying an Echo Studio, discounts come up throughout the year, particularly during sales like Amazon Prime Day and Black Friday.
| Dimensions | 17.4 x 17.4 x 20.7cm |
|---|---|
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, 3.5mm audio |
| Zigbee hub | Yes |
Amazon Echo Studio review: design and set up
The Echo Studio is the biggest of Amazon’s array of smart speakers, measuring 20.6 x 17.5cm and weighing 3.5kg, so you’ll need a relatively large space to put it. It’s available in two colourways, charcoal black and glacier white. Both fit in well with any modern home. I tested the white version, placing it on a side table in my living room.
The design is completely different to Amazon’s spherical and semi-spherical Echo, Echo Dot and Echo Pop devices. It’s the shape of a tower with a rounded base, similar to the Apple HomePod. Mesh is used across the majority of the speaker, although there’s a plastic control panel on the top and a gap towards the bottom across the width to give space to the sound. It may be a bulky bit of kit, but it still manages to look understated and stylish.
To let you know the assistant is listening, the Alexa ring light circles the top of the speaker when you say the wake word. The light will also shine orange to let you know when it is in setup mode, or red when there’s no connection.
You can control the Echo Studio using buttons on the device as well as by voice. There’s a button to turn the volume up and down, mute the microphone, call the assistant manually and put the speaker into setup mode.
Setting up the Amazon Echo Studio for the first time takes a matter of minutes. All you need to do is plug it in and then download the Alexa app on your smartphone. Tap the + symbol in the top right-hand corner to start the process and the app will then guide you through the rest.
Amazon Echo Studio review: sound and features
As well as being the biggest Echo in Amazon’s lineup, the Studio is also the most powerful. It has an assertive, room-filling sound making it a good choice for entertaining in large rooms or communal spaces.
As well as delivering a whopping 330 watts of power, the Echo Studio has spatial audio processing technology which adapts the sound according to the acoustics of the room it’s in. Plus, there’s support for Dolby Atmos and Sony 360 Reality Audio.
As a result, the Echo Studio is immersive, loud and realistic. It sounds crystal clear and bassy, although it’s not as detailed as some pricier competitors like the Sonos Era 100. The rounded shape of the speaker means audio comes out from every angle and you get the same experience no matter where you stand.
The Echo Studio is jam-packed with useful features. Like any other Echo device, you’ll be able to use it to switch on other smart home gadgets like lights and coffee machines, you can ask for the answers to the weirdest questions, find out the weather forecast, set reminders and the list goes on.
But more than that, the Echo Studio doubles up as a Zigbee hub which means you can use it to connect and manage your other smart home tech. I used this functionality to create a network of Philips smart lights dotted around my home, instead of using a separate Philips Hue bridge.
Unlike the latest Echo Dot devices, the Echo Studio doesn’t have a temperature sensor nor can it be used to extend your Eero mesh WiFi network.
Amazon Echo Studio review: verdict
The Amazon Echo Studio is made for listening to music, rather than simply adding Alexa smarts to the room like some of its smaller siblings. This speaker will fill the space with immersive, energetic sound and it’s powerful enough to entertain crowds.
While the audio quality isn’t perfect, you would have to pay a lot more for something better. At less than £220, the Echo Studio is reasonably priced and delivers great sound quality considering.
Having Alexa built-in is useful and I was very pleased to find you can use it as a Zigbee hub. It’s a shame that there’s no temperature sensor or Eero mesh extension but those are minor quirks in an otherwise very cool gadget.
Amazon Echo Studio review: also consider
If you don’t mind spending a bit more cash, you should buy the Sonos Era 100 instead. It’s Digital Spy’s favourite smart speaker thanks to its impressively clean sound quality, Alexa smarts and Sonos Voice Control. It’s much smaller than the Echo Studio but still manages to produce equally room-filling sound.
For those hoping to spend less than the Echo Studio costs, why not consider the standard Echo device instead? Granted the sound isn’t as big but it will still be good enough for most small or medium-sized living rooms, and you get all the same smarts as you do with the Studio including Zigbee hub integration.
