The Amazon Echo Dot 5th gen (released October 2022) is the best-selling smart speaker in the UK, and for good reason. At around £54.99 it packs in a bigger speaker than its predecessor, a built-in temperature sensor, ultrasonic motion detection, and eero Built-in Wi-Fi mesh support — all in the same compact spherical shell. Whether you are new to Alexa or upgrading from an older Dot, this review covers everything you need to know.
Specifications
Improved audio over the 4th gen. The Echo Dot 5 uses a 1.73-inch front-facing speaker, up from 1.6 inches in the 4th gen. Amazon's custom audio tuning delivers noticeably improved bass and less distortion at higher volumes, making it good enough for casual music and podcast listening in a small room. It has three far-field microphones for voice pick-up and retains the familiar fabric-covered spherical design.
Notable specs at a glance:
- Speaker: 1.73-inch front-firing driver
- Microphones: 3 far-field with noise cancellation
- Built-in temperature sensor (ambient room temperature)
- Ultrasonic motion detection sensor
- eero Built-in for Wi-Fi mesh extension (up to 1,000 sq ft at up to 100 Mbps)
- Wi-Fi: dual-band 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (2.4 and 5 GHz)
- Bluetooth: 5.0
- No 3.5mm headphone jack (removed from this generation)
Temperature Sensor and Motion Detection
The headline additions over the 4th gen are two sensors that open up new automation possibilities. The built-in ambient temperature sensor lets you create Alexa routines based on room temperature — for example, automatically switching on a smart fan when the room exceeds a set threshold, or adjusting a smart thermostat overnight. Unlike a standalone temperature probe, it is always on and requires no pairing.
The ultrasonic motion detection works by emitting and detecting inaudible sound waves to sense occupancy without a camera or PIR sensor. This means it can trigger routines when you walk into a room (turn on the lights) or after a period of inactivity (turn them off). It is proximity-based rather than directional, so it works across a small to medium room but will not distinguish between people or pets.
eero Built-in Wi-Fi Extension
If you already own an eero mesh router, the Echo Dot 5 can act as an additional Wi-Fi node, extending coverage by up to 1,000 sq ft with speeds up to 100 Mbps and support for up to 10 simultaneous device connections. This is a passive bonus for eero households — no extra configuration required. If you do not have an eero router, this feature simply does not activate.
Alexa Features and Music Services
Alexa is the core of every Echo device, and the Dot 5 delivers the full feature set: voice control for compatible smart home devices, shopping lists, reminders, timers, alarms, calendar events, and the Flash Briefing skill (which supports BBC news and other UK outlets). Music services supported include Amazon Music, Amazon Music Unlimited, Spotify, Apple Music, Deezer, and TuneIn radio. YouTube Music is not supported via voice.
You can also set up multi-room audio groups across Echo devices, so the Dot 5 can play in sync with an Echo Studio or other Echo speakers around your home. For a deeper look at the full Echo range, see our Amazon Echo UK review.
Smart Home Hub: Matter Yes, Zigbee No
One important clarification: the Echo Dot 5 supports Matter as a controller, meaning it can directly pair with Matter-certified smart home devices over Wi-Fi and Thread. This is a significant improvement for interoperability and is part of Amazon's broader push to support the open Matter standard.
However, it does not include a Zigbee hub. If you rely on Zigbee devices (such as Philips Hue bulbs connected directly to an Echo hub, or IKEA Tradfri devices), you will need the Echo 4th gen or the older Echo Plus, both of which have a built-in Zigbee hub. The Echo Dot 5 is purely a Matter/Wi-Fi/Bluetooth controller for its smart home hub functions.
Echo Dot 5 with Clock
For around £64.99, the Echo Dot with Clock variant adds a circular LED display on the front that shows the time, outdoor temperature (via your phone's location), timers, and alarms. The display dims automatically at night, making it particularly suited to bedroom use as a bedside clock-speaker combo. Audio and smart home performance are identical to the standard Dot 5.
Echo Dot 5 vs Google Nest Mini
The Google Nest Mini (2nd gen) is the Echo Dot's closest rival at a similar price. The key difference is the voice assistant: Alexa vs Google Assistant. Google Assistant generally performs better at general knowledge questions and Google-ecosystem tasks (Calendar, Maps, YouTube), while Alexa has a broader smart home device catalogue and deeper third-party skill integrations. Sound quality on the Echo Dot 5 is widely regarded as slightly better than the Nest Mini thanks to the larger driver and improved bass tuning. For a detailed side-by-side breakdown, see our Echo vs Google Nest comparison.
Home Assistant Integration
Home Assistant users can connect Echo devices using the official Alexa integration, which routes through Amazon's cloud. The easiest method is via Nabu Casa / Home Assistant Cloud — a paid subscription service that removes the need to expose your Home Assistant instance to the internet, handling SSL and dynamic DNS automatically. The alternative is a manual setup using an AWS Lambda function and an Amazon Developer Account, which is free but more involved to configure.
A third option is emulated_hue, which tricks Alexa into treating Home Assistant as a Philips Hue bridge over your local network. This works without any cloud account but is limited to simple on/off and brightness control, and requires your Echo and Home Assistant to be on the same network. All three methods have limitations compared to a fully local integration; Matter support is gradually closing this gap for newer devices.
UK Price and Where to Buy
The Echo Dot 5 launches at around £54.99 and the with-Clock version at around £64.99, though prices vary by retailer and Amazon regularly discounts both during Prime Day, Black Friday, and other sale events. You can buy directly from Echo Dot 5th Gen on Amazon UK. It is also stocked at John Lewis, Currys, and Argos.
Verdict
The Amazon Echo Dot 5th gen is the best compact smart speaker you can buy in the UK at this price. The new temperature sensor and motion detection genuinely expand what you can automate, the sound quality is improved, and Matter support keeps it future-proof for the evolving smart home standard. The absence of Zigbee limits its hub credentials, and Nabu Casa adds a recurring cost for serious Home Assistant users — but for most households, the Dot 5 remains the obvious starting point for an Alexa-powered smart home.
