Best for TV

  • Offers voice control, 4K Ultra HD content, and smart home compatibility

  • Faster than the first-generation model

  • No way to remove ads from the home screen

The Kindle has long been a favorite with readers everywhere, but the newest Kindle Paperwhite is worth the upgrade. It’s now waterproof, not just water-resistant, and is the thinnest model yet. Combined with a 300 PPI glare-free screen, there’s now no excuse not to do some serious reading at the pool or beach.

Best for Reading

  • Waterproof e-reader with 300 PPI glare-free screen

  • Works with Audible for Bluetooth-enabled listening

  • Available in 8GB or 32GB

  • Frequent readers would appreciate longer battery life

The Paperwhite is offered in Black or Twilight Blue, along with the option of 8 GB or 32 GB storage. It can also pair with Audible to turn your Kindle into an audiobook, and Wi-Fi and cellular connectivity mean you’re always able to download your next read.

Kindle claims the battery will last six weeks, but that’s based on a half-hour of reading per day without wireless connectivity. In practice, avid readers are likely to go through the battery in days, not weeks.   

Best for Alexa

  • Attractive new look

  • Improved design

  • Environmentally friendly materials

  • Still has 3.5mm jack

  • Few internal improvements over predecessor

  • No keyhole mount

The aesthetic design is brand new too, along with a number of performance upgrades. The 4th generation has ditched the cylindrical look of previous models in lieu of a sleek looking (and kind of adorable) spherical design. This isn’t just a visual upgrade: it also improves sound quality. This cute sphere is available in three color variations, as well: charcoal, glacier white, and twilight blue. It looks a bit more premium, blends in with all kinds of decor, and features that signature gradient light ring, now on the bottom of the unit.

“The new Echo Dot is a great speaker at a great price…for first-time buyers, it’s a no brainer.” — Erika Rawes, product tester

The Echo Show 8 is a great smart home hub, thanks to its large, 8-inch HD screen, intuitive controls, and built-in privacy safeguards. The latest edition from the Echo Show family of home hubs, the 8 is a perfect mix of the smaller Show 5 and the larger Show, with a 10” screen.

Best Smart Hub

  • Functional and intuitive smart home hub, with an 8-inch screen and dual two-inch speakers

  • Control your smart home, view photos, watch videos, or cook along to recipes with Alexa

  • Video calling limited to friends and family who also have Echo Shows

It can also double as an entertainment screen for playing Prime Video, music, or to guide you through recipes. It’s also very useful for calling and video calls, but the latter is currently limited to friends and family who also have Echo Shows—we’d love to see them become Skype or Zoom-enabled.

Best for Music

  • Large size can look out of place in a smaller apartment or room

Although the Echo is certainly an impressive product, its larger size may be a bit overwhelming in smaller rooms. The surround sound market is also so saturated with quality products already, it’ll be interesting to see how the Echo stacks up.

Best All-purpose

  • New round design

  • Improved sound

  • Includes Zigbee Hub

  • Temperature sensor built in

  • Faster processing

  • One less mic

  • Takes up more desk space

That aesthetic design, like the Dot’s, eschews the old cylindrical form factor for a visually pleasing sphere, with the indicator light ring moved to the bottom. It will softly illuminate whatever surface its perched on, and the new Echo looks at home in practically any room or amongst any decor.

“A worthwhile investment, the new Echo looks better, sounds better, and it performs better in just about every category.” — Erika Rawes, Product Tester

Best for Exercise

  • Alexa-enabled wireless earbuds, allowing you to stream music, order food, or get directions – all hands-free

  • Clear, crisp audio, enhanced by Bose Active Noise Reduction Technology to minimize background noise

  • Adjustable sizing

  • Shorter battery life than some of its competitors

The Echo Buds are compatible with Alexa, via the Alexa app, allowing you to have full voice control, hands-free. Although the battery life is decent, offering up to five hours of music playback per full charge, this isn’t quite as long as some of the other wireless earbuds on the market.

Best for Kids

  • A kid-friendly nightlight that works with Alexa, but isn’t equipped with an Echo microphone, ensuring privacy

  • Fun settings like campfire mode and color flow

  • Rainbow Timer is useful for morning and bedtime routines

  • Expensive for what is essentially a color-changing nightlight

Morning alarms can be set via the Glow, and the Rainbow Timer feature, which counts down the time by changing color, is useful for helping develop routines. The fun color changing settings are popular with kids, such as campfire mode and color flow, and we can certainly see how the Glow could inspire creativity during playtimes.

The Echo Flex is a compact Echo that plugs into any wall socket in your home, allowing you to extend the reach of Echo to additional rooms. Although it may seem excessive, the Flex is a budget-friendly way to expand your smart home’s reach, and its small size makes it unobtrusive. Despite being little, it works well for voice control and is an easy way to bring Alexa into additional parts of your home. 

Best Smart Plug

  • Super affordable

  • Can plug in anywhere in your house

  • Built-in USB port is handy for charging or motion sensor

  • Most useful features require separate accessories

The Flex also comes with a USB port, which is useful for phone or device charging, or it can also be used for one of the Flex’s accessories, which can be purchased separately, such as a motion sensor or a night light.