Verdict
uncommitted in cute finishes with an improved guaranty and a year ’s subscription to Kids+ , the Amazon Echo Dot Kids ( 5th generation ) is well worth the excess tenner over the standard Echo Dot . Amazon ’s paternal controls are brilliant , offering amercement , granular control to keep children of all ages safe . However , if you have an subsist Echo sassy speaker , this can only be converted to kids mode , which could save you some cash .
Pros
Cons
Key Features
Introduction
Across its range of devices , it ’s bonnie to say that Amazon has cop maternal control condition , make safe environments for kids to play in . Last twelvemonth , we had the first Echo Dot Kids speaker , but this year , we have a new rendering with all - newfangled cute designs and improved ironware .
Best for new children , this twist is well worth the extra £ 10 over theEcho Dot ( fifth gen)version thanks to the improved warranty and year of Kids+ subscription .
Design
As with the previousEcho Dot Kidsspeaker , the Amazon Echo Dot Kids ( fifth generation ) is an Echo Dot ( 5th multiplication ) smart speaker with a new rouge chore . Last year , we had a Panthera tigris and a panda ; this class , the option is an owl or , as I have , a dragon . That ’s enough selection to keep most kids felicitous , although I have to say that I somewhat prefer the choices from last year .
Aside from the colours , the layout and control on this theoretical account are the same as on the stock Echo Dot . On top , there are forcible control for volume , deaf-mute and action .
At the back there ’s now just a top executive input , and the 3.5 mm audio output has been removed . That ’s not really an issue , as I always thought it unlikely that you ’d require to hook up a kids speaker to an external sound source .
Bluetooth is available if you do want to do this , and the verbalizer can be used as a Bluetooth utterer itself .
Features and Amazon Kids
There ’s in reality nothing unlike about the Amazon Echo Dot Kids ( fifth generation ) compared to the regular Echo Dot . In fact , you may take any veritable Echo wise speaker unit and turn on paternal control . So why trouble with this model , away from the fancy paint problem ?
First , this speaker default to turning on kids modal value , which make life a little bit easier . Secondly , it comes with Amazon ’s excellent 2 - year trouble - free guarantee , where the speaker will be replaced with no questions postulate if it should get damage .
Thirdly , it comes with a year ’s subscription to Kids+ , which gets you a emcee of books , games and apps spread across any Amazon machine you have , include the Echo , and Fire Tablets . Here , the duplicate include additional game , educational contentedness and some audiobooks . All of these supernumerary make this intersection well worth the extra £ 10 .
I do n’t find Skills as light to find on the Echo , as apps , Good Book and videos are on other devices , as discovery is all via vocalisation . Amazon has essay to make this easier , with the statement , “ Alexa , loose Kids+ ” , and there ’s a list ofEcho Kids+ skills online . Of naturally , all acquisition are filtered by long time range .
My brushup of the steady Amazon Echo Dot ( 5th coevals ) goes into more detail on the standard features , but here I ’ll look at the paternal controls , which are usable via the Alexa app or the entanglement - establish Amazon Parents Dashboard .
With Kids mode on an Echo speaker unit , a profile has to be assigned to the gimmick . By default , the profile disables part purchasing but also turns on extra selection . First , there ’s an option to set bedtime , which stops kid from talking to Alexa when they should be sleep . you’re able to also intermit Alexa , which can be handy , I find , when a child has homework , and I do n’t want them shaft .
Outside of that , Alexa can be very helpful for kids , help them learn how to spell words and afford result to general questions .
I find that my girl loves her Alexa for euphony , so the option to limit medicine choices and remove any song with expressed lyrics is useful . This works on Amazon Music , Apple Music and Spotify .
In many plate , Alexa is n’t just a gadget for music and questions , but a tool for controlling the smart home . Fortunately , the nestling ’s profile lets me disable smart home control , so my kids ca n’t shrink from with the heating , for illustration ( on purpose or by accident ) .
I want more granular mastery . For representative , it would be good if an Echo equipment could be provide to control devices in the same room . That way , my girl could ask Alexa to come together her curtains and turn off her Light Within , without being capable to control devices around the house .
Likewise , more granular control over communication would be useful . As it stand , communicating can be turn on or off . If it ’s on , then kids can send broadcast messages ; if it ’s off , then kids do n’t get program messages . I want an option so kids ’ devices can experience message , but they ’re embarrass from sending them .
The improved water faucet controls are available too : a pat will snooze an warning gadget and works to play / pause music . I find the latter particularly helpful with my kid , as tapping is a quicker manner to control euphony playback than using articulation command .
This speaker also has the temperature sensor that the other new Echo Dot models have , which lets you make Alexa Routines base on the temperature in a room .
Sound quality
As with the Echo Dot ( fifth generation ) , the Amazon Echo Dot Kids ( 5th generation ) has an updated audio system , with a larger 1.73 - column inch speaker than the old generation . The difference is telling and turns the Echo Dot into a able medicine verbaliser .
The high-pitched - end can get a bit coarse , and the speaker ca n’t quite produce the full nicety on all tracks , but book and bass voice are better to the spot where this is a decent music speaker all on its own .
sr. Kid that are a scrap more demanding may favor the Echo ( fourth multiplication ) , but there ’s enough melodic art here to keep most children well-chosen .
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Should you buy it?
If you ’ve produce child and require them to have Alexa , this is the best ( and cutest ) way of life for them to get safe approach .
If you ’ve stupefy a spare Echo speaker unit , you could convert it into a Kyd mode via the Alexa app , saving money .
Final Thoughts
Any veritable Echo Dot or Echo speaker can be converted into a nestling - friendly translation . If you ’ve got an old verbaliser knocking around , then doing this is a respectable and tinny pick . However , if you do n’t have a unembellished speaker unit and desire your kids to have accession to Alexa , then the Amazon Echo Dot Kids ( fifth generation ) is a brilliant selection . paternal controls are excellent , while the gain of Kids+ and the 2 - class concern - free warranty make the extra £ 10 well worth it .
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FAQs
The fifth generation model uses the improved Echo Dot ( fifth generation ) with unexampled tap controls , plus a prominent speaker . The new model is usable in different skins ( owl and flying dragon ) to the original ( Panthera tigris and panda ) .
Any of the existing Echo audio frequency speakers can be used in kids mode .
