Amazon's newest Echo Dot is trying to fend off the Google Home Mini with a 40 percent discount
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Amazon's domination of a booming smart speaker market the e-commerce giant single-handedly created just a few years ago is probably safe for the foreseeable future, but while the "regular" Google Home doesn't feel like a serious threat for the Echo, the Home Mini may have already surpassed the popularity of the Echo Dot both in the US and around the world.
Of course, that's primarily due to those frequent bundle deals and freebies available at Google, various third-party retailers, and even music streaming providers, designed to put Google Assistant in as many homes as possible, regardless of the impact on the search giant's hardware profit margins. For its part, Amazon is at least reviving its best offer to date on the third-generation Echo Dot, once again charging $20 less than the list price of the company's smallest Alexa-powered speaker in its newest iteration.
That equates to a massive 40 percent discount, although the latest Amazon Echo Dot (3rd Gen) deal is still obviously not as attractive as a free Google Home Mini paired with a Home Hub, Google One subscription, or Spotify Premium account.
Then again, it's worth pointing out that the newest Echo Dot model was deemed far superior to its key rival in terms of sound quality in our in-depth review, also earning great praise for its refined, diminutive design, as well as the inclusion of Bluetooth connectivity and a 3.5 mm jack supporting external speakers for even more powerful audio.
Naturally, the 50,000+ Alexa skills you can easily access using just your voice are the main selling point of this substantially marked-down smart speaker, allowing you to do pretty much everything the larger and pricier Echo is capable of, from answering general questions by looking them up online to controlling your favourite music streaming platform, reading the news, updating you on the weather, setting alarms, and managing compatible smart home devices.
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