Amazon Echo review (2019): Low-priced, but not low-end

There's also a 3.5mm port that supports both audio input and output, so you can either play music from a device, or pipe the Echo's sound to an amplifier.Thanks to its speaker improvements, the Echo sounds significantly better than the last model, which disappointed us with its dull audio. Even podcasts and digital radio streams sounded great -- not only do voices come across clearly, but the Echo's musical prowess came in handy for shows like WNYC's New Sounds.Amazon hasn't divulged what if any changes have been made on the microphone front, but in my testing it works just as well as the previous model and the Echo Plus. You can also connect plenty of smart gadgets to any Echo device with Alexa skills -- that's how I control my Hue lightbulbs -- which makes the Pro's smart hub even more pointless.Amazon is also stepping up its privacy efforts after reports emerged that employees were listening to recordings with the goal of improving the voice assistant. There's also the Echo Show 5 ($90), which is a good option if you'd rather see information than hear it.If you're a heavy Android user, or fully enveloped in Google's ecosystem, one of its smart home devices might make more sense.