You’ve got Amazon’s Alexa in the living room, the kitchen, and the bedside table, but do you have it in the car yet? Right now, Amazon is selling the Echo Auto for $20 instead of the usual $50.
The Echo Auto is a basic black box that connects to the Alexa app on your phone and then sends audio to your car’s stereo system. It can do this over an auxiliary cable or via your phone’s Bluetooth—though not all cars work with Echo Auto via Bluetooth.
At first glance, the Echo Auto seems like a silly idea since your phone can already connect to your car’s system, so who needs an intermediary? The key here is that accessing Alexa is easier with the Echo Auto. The device has 8 microphones with far-field technology, making it easier for Alexa to respond to voice commands over interference such as music, an air conditioner at high blast, and even the general noisiness of the street. Thus using Alexa with this box helps you keep your eyes on the road while still listening to the music you want or getting Alexa to answer trivia questions on a road trip.
We reviewed the Echo Auto back in 2019, giving it just three out of five stars. One of our biggest objections at the time was the price. At $50 we didn’t think it was worth the money and thought it was better priced at its invite-only early pricing of $25. At just $20 right now, it’s well worth a look for Alexa fans.