Amazon Echo Studio 2025 Review: A Smaller Speaker for a Smarter Alexa I still remember testing the first Echo Studio nearly six years ago. My main takeaway was surprise that Amazon had finally built a smart speaker that sounded genuinely good. So when the company revealed a completely overhauled Echo Studio a few weeks ago, promising the same performance in a device forty percent smaller, I was intrigued. The new Echo Studio combines three 1.5-inch full-range drivers and a 3.75-inch woofer, all powered by a new AI-ready processor. After testing it, there is a lot to like about this comprehensive reboot, but there are also some significant caveats. The most immediate change is the design. Amazon has moved from a large cylinder to a much more compact, spherical shape. This new look is an upgrade in my opinion, feeling less like a piece of tech and more like home decor. The signature light ring has been relocated to the front, making it easier to see when you are interacting with Alexa. The controls have also been moved to an angled front panel, offering satisfyingly tactile volume and mute buttons. You also get optional tap controls on the top to snooze alarms or end calls, with an advanced setting for play/pause. On the audio front, Amazon promises powerful bass and crystal-clear vocals. The latter absolutely holds true. The sound has great clarity, with a tuning that favors highs and mids across various music genres. Listening to synth-heavy tracks, the vocals and higher-frequency instruments are prominent and detailed. There is an immersive quality to the soundstage, though it does not quite match the enveloping feel of good headphones. The speaker supports spatial audio formats like Dolby Atmos, and songs mixed in this format do offer more depth and a wider soundstage. However, the bass performance is a letdown. While present, the low-end tone lacks detail and can sound somewhat muted and muffled, making some tracks feel flatter than they should. The heart of this new Echo Studio is its early access to Alexa+, Amazon’s next-generation, AI-powered voice assistant. This is a massive leap forward. Conversations with Alexa+ are far more natural. You can ask multiple follow-up questions without the awkward pauses of old, and the assistant’s responses are surprisingly human-like. In one instance, it correctly assessed my mood from my voice, recalled a previous request I had made, and engaged in a casual, flowing conversation. It was the most realistic interaction I have ever had with a virtual assistant, and at times, it was almost unsettling. It is important to note that this preview is only available in the US in English, and once the early access period ends, you will need a Prime membership to use Alexa+ for free. Some of the speaker’s advertised features are not quite ready yet. Alexa Home Theater, which will let you combine multiple Echo Studio speakers for a surround sound setup with a Fire TV, is not available at launch. Amazon says it is coming in the following weeks, but its absence means one of the most compelling potential uses remains untested. The company has also removed the 3.5mm audio input found on the original model, leaving you with only Wi-Fi and Bluetooth for connectivity. Furthermore, the tap controls for play/pause only work if you start music by asking Alexa directly on the speaker; they will not function if you start playback from your phone. The 2025 Echo Studio is a refined smart speaker built as a home for Amazon’s ambitious new Alexa+. The design is a success, and the new voice assistant is impressively conversational. The audio offers clear vocals and a decently immersive soundstage, but is held back by a lack of detailed bass. With its key home theater feature still unavailable and some minor quirks with the controls, the new Echo Studio shows a lot of promise but feels like it has not yet fully arrived. Update, October 29 2025: This review was updated after Amazon clarified how the tap controls for play/pause are designed to work on the new Echo Studio.
