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Best Cheap Alexa Devices of 2023 – CNET [CNET]
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David Priest Former editor
David Priest is an award-winning writer and editor who formerly covered home security for CNET.
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At a glance, it may seem like all smart home devices are expensive but that’s not the case. There are many great smart home products that won’t put a huge dent in your wallet but will make an impact in your home. Amazon’s Alexa-enabled devices are well within most people’s budgets. At CNET, we’ve helped set up hundreds of smart devices for testing and review purposes to help you make the best choices. Between light bulbs, speakers, video doorbells and security cameras, it can get pricey if you stray further than Amazon.
The days of $180 Amazon Echo speakers and $200 smart cams are drawing to a close. Amazon’s Echo Dot speakers cost $50, and they’re usually significantly discounted. Blink cameras — also from Amazon — are similarly cheap, costing as little as $24 before discounts.
The question is, which devices should you buy to have an Alexa-powered smart home without blowing all your money? Here are the best ones on the market.
” superlative=”Best smart speaker” imagegroup=”{“alt”:”amazon-echo-dot-and-dot-with-clock-3″,”caption”:”
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Amazon is switching up the design for its most popular smart speaker.
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” overridecredit=”Chris Monroe/CNET” linktext=”Read our Echo Dot (2020) review” linkurl=”https://www.cnet.com/home/smart-home/amazon-echo-dot-2020-review-wait-for-a-sale/” techobjectinfo=”{“uuid”:”614fad19-fbc6-4880-a778-968c74d4cd3d”,”slug”:”echo-dot-5th-gen-2022-release-p”,”name”:”Echo Dot (5th Gen, 2022 release) – P”,”productType”:”SERIES”,”updateType”:”AUTOPID”,”mod”:1681260024309,”displayDate”:”Wed Apr 12 2023 01:40:24 GMT+0100 (British Summer Time)”}” usepricing=”true” data-key=”cnetlisticle__5458e8ff-1a8b-4940-a5cd-c40da61088f3″ index=”1″ imagecredit=”Chris Monroe/CNET” tagslugs=”nest,amazon-prime,august,alexa,wyze,amazon,philips” contenttype=”Best List – Precap” isbestlistredesign=”true” filtershortcodetypes totalfilteritems=”0″ pagelayout=”Default – Article Page” showdetails=”true” tocheadlineitem=”[object Object]”>
The cheapest smart speaker Amazon offers is the Echo Dot. This speaker has impressive sound quality for the size if you want to play music (Spotify Premium, Amazon Music, Apple Music and more), along with voice control and all the smarts of the higher-end, more expensive speakers. Place Echo devices in different rooms of your house for multiroom audio. Not only is the Amazon Echo Dot a reasonable $39, but you can also catch it on sale for much less.
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Amazon is switching up the design for its most popular smart speaker.
Chris Monroe/CNET
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” superlative=”Best cheap smart display” imagegroup=”{“alt”:”echo-show-8-2nd-gen-1″,”caption”:”
“,”credits”:”Chris Monroe/CNET”,”imageData”:{“id”:”65a31fcc-c98c-4085-bba9-a5a8678e643d”,”title”:”echo-show-8-2nd-gen-1″,”filename”:”echo-show-8-2nd-gen-1.jpg”,”path”:”https://www.cnet.com/a/img/hub/2021/06/09/65a31fcc-c98c-4085-bba9-a5a8678e643d/echo-show-8-2nd-gen-1.jpg”,”caption”:”
“,”size”:10086352,”width”:6000,”height”:3375,”dateCreated”:{“date”:”2021-06-09 19:23:51″,”timezone”:”UTC”,”timezone_type”:3},”dateUpdated”:{“date”:”2021-06-09 19:23:58″,”timezone”:”UTC”,”timezone_type”:3},”needsModeration”:false,”mimeType”:”image/jpeg”,”deleted”:false,”credits”:”Chris Monroe/CNET”,”alt”:”echo-show-8-2nd-gen-1″,”restricted”:false,”startDate”:null,”endDate”:null,”preferred”:false,”watermark”:false,”doNotCrop”:false,”doNotResize”:false,”primaryCollection”:null,”vanityUrl”:null,”notes”:null,”crop”:null,”cropGravity”:0,”preservedRegion”:null,”isNew”:false,”keywords”:[],”primeColor”:null,”hasWarning”:false,”typeName”:”content_image”},”uuid”:”65a31fcc-c98c-4085-bba9-a5a8678e643d”,”imageAltText”:”echo-show-8-2nd-gen-1″,”imageCaption”:”
“,”imageCredit”:”Chris Monroe/CNET”,”imageDoNotCrop”:false,”imageDoNotResize”:false,”imageWatermark”:false,”imageFilename”:”echo-show-8-2nd-gen-1.jpg”,”imageDateCreated”:”2021/06/09″,”imageWidth”:6000,”imageHeight”:3375,”imageParallax”:””,”imageCrop”:””,”imageEnlarge”:false}” overridecaption=”
” overridecredit=”Chris Monroe/CNET” linktext=”Read our Echo Show 8 review” linkurl=”https://www.cnet.com/home/smart-home/amazon-echo-show-8-second-gen-review-great-upgrades-for-video-callers-good-updates-for-everyone-else/” offer=”{“id”:”e4ecd947-f823-4866-9bf3-5ff0e1d2db9e”,”slug”:”amazon-echo-show-8″,”label”:”Amazon Echo Show 8″,”edition”:[“US”,”ES”],”imageId”:”26777f92-446a-4b1d-ad86-cdcf94fe0dce”,”imgWidth”:5491,”imgHeight”:3089,”objectType”:”content_product_series”,”typeLabel”:”Series”,”imgUrl”:”/content/image/redirect/26777f92-446a-4b1d-ad86-cdcf94fe0dce/resize/75×56″,”icon”:”type-icon ct-cmg-tech-product-series ct-small”}” techobjectinfo=”{“uuid”:”e4ecd947-f823-4866-9bf3-5ff0e1d2db9e”,”name”:”Amazon Echo Show 8″,”slug”:”amazon-echo-show-8″,”productType”:”SERIES”,”updateType”:”PRISM”,”mod”:1674852084637,”displayDate”:”Fri Jan 27 2023 20:41:24 GMT+0000 (Greenwich Mean Time)”}” usepricing=”true” data-key=”cnetlisticle__7d21805b-4963-43a6-b7f6-e9226b8b4d04″ index=”2″ imagecredit=”Chris Monroe/CNET” tagslugs=”nest,amazon-prime,august,alexa,wyze,amazon,philips” contenttype=”Best List – Precap” isbestlistredesign=”true” filtershortcodetypes totalfilteritems=”0″ pagelayout=”Default – Article Page” showdetails=”true” tocheadlineitem=”[object Object]”>
The $75 Echo Show 8 is an Alexa-compatible display that marries all the voice assistance of a speaker to the touch controls of a tablet. The second-gen version, launched in 2021, includes a 13-megapixel camera that will follow you around the room while video chatting. No, it’s not technically the cheapest Echo smart display, since the Echo Show 5 is $40 cheaper. But this device really gives you the screen size to use it often as a display — not just a fancy clock. Plus, you can regularly find the nearly as good first edition on sale for much less.
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Read more: The Case for Putting an Alexa Device in Every Single Room of Your Home
” superlative=”Best cheap video doorbell” imagegroup=”{“alt”:”ring-video-doorbell-wired-intro-tablet-696x5222x”,”caption”:”
“,”credits”:”Ring”,”imageData”:{“id”:”73b37adc-d489-42fb-a61e-e0027dd8af5d”,”title”:”ring-video-doorbell-wired-intro-tablet-696x5222x”,”filename”:”ring-video-doorbell-wired-intro-tablet-696x5222x.jpg”,”path”:”https://www.cnet.com/a/img/hub/2021/01/26/73b37adc-d489-42fb-a61e-e0027dd8af5d/ring-video-doorbell-wired-intro-tablet-696x5222x.jpg”,”caption”:”
“,”size”:138618,”width”:1392,”height”:1044,”dateCreated”:{“date”:”2021-01-26 16:41:20″,”timezone”:”UTC”,”timezone_type”:3},”dateUpdated”:{“date”:”2021-01-26 16:41:24″,”timezone”:”UTC”,”timezone_type”:3},”needsModeration”:false,”mimeType”:”image/jpeg”,”deleted”:false,”credits”:”Ring”,”alt”:”ring-video-doorbell-wired-intro-tablet-696x5222x”,”restricted”:false,”startDate”:null,”endDate”:null,”preferred”:false,”watermark”:false,”doNotCrop”:false,”doNotResize”:false,”primaryCollection”:null,”vanityUrl”:null,”notes”:null,”crop”:null,”cropGravity”:0,”preservedRegion”:null,”isNew”:false,”keywords”:[],”primeColor”:null,”hasWarning”:false,”typeName”:”content_image”},”uuid”:”73b37adc-d489-42fb-a61e-e0027dd8af5d”,”imageAltText”:”ring-video-doorbell-wired-intro-tablet-696x5222x”,”imageCaption”:”
“,”imageCredit”:”Ring”,”imageDoNotCrop”:false,”imageDoNotResize”:false,”imageWatermark”:false,”imageFilename”:”ring-video-doorbell-wired-intro-tablet-696x5222x.jpg”,”imageDateCreated”:”2021/01/26″,”imageWidth”:1392,”imageHeight”:1044,”imageParallax”:””,”imageCrop”:””,”imageEnlarge”:false}” overridecaption=”
” overridecredit=”Ring” linktext=”Read Ring Video Doorbell Wired review” linkurl=”https://www.cnet.com/home/security/rings-60-video-doorbell-wired-is-the-best-cheap-doorbell-cam/” usepricing=”true” data-key=”cnetlisticle__850fdb81-a5c4-47b3-8c5d-1072661fefe1″ index=”5″ imagecredit=”Ring” tagslugs=”nest,amazon-prime,august,alexa,wyze,amazon,philips” contenttype=”Best List – Precap” isbestlistredesign=”true” filtershortcodetypes totalfilteritems=”0″ pagelayout=”Default – Article Page” showdetails=”true” tocheadlineitem=”[object Object]”>
Ring’s wired video doorbell is a super affordable smart buzzer. For $65, you get a Ring doorbell with live streaming, two-way talk and motion alerts. If you subscribe to Ring’s $3-a-month service, you can get cloud storage, motion zones and a few other perks, too. While other developers have made super-cheap buzzers, this is the most reliable one we’ve tested — and you can even find it on sale for under $50 if you keep an eye out during popular shopping seasons. Ring also offers certified refurbished models for $55.
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” superlative=”All the options” imagegroup=”{“alt”:”august-lock-third-gen-produc-photos-8″,”caption”:”
“,”credits”:”Tyler Lizenby/CNET”,”imageData”:{“id”:”1d657488-f75c-4f80-a8e9-9887a9cf54f3″,”title”:”august-lock-third-gen-produc-photos-8″,”filename”:”august-lock-third-gen-produc-photos-8.jpg”,”path”:”https://www.cnet.com/a/img/hub/2017/09/18/1d657488-f75c-4f80-a8e9-9887a9cf54f3/august-lock-third-gen-produc-photos-8.jpg”,”caption”:”
“,”size”:2286193,”width”:2560,”height”:1920,”dateCreated”:{“date”:”2017-09-18 19:13:04″,”timezone”:”UTC”,”timezone_type”:3},”dateUpdated”:{“date”:”2017-09-18 19:16:33″,”timezone”:”UTC”,”timezone_type”:3},”needsModeration”:false,”mimeType”:”image/jpeg”,”deleted”:false,”credits”:”Tyler Lizenby/CNET”,”alt”:”august-lock-third-gen-produc-photos-8″,”restricted”:false,”startDate”:null,”endDate”:null,”preferred”:false,”watermark”:false,”doNotCrop”:false,”doNotResize”:false,”primaryCollection”:null,”vanityUrl”:null,”notes”:null,”crop”:null,”cropGravity”:0,”preservedRegion”:null,”isNew”:false,”keywords”:[],”primeColor”:null,”hasWarning”:false,”typeName”:”content_image”},”uuid”:”1d657488-f75c-4f80-a8e9-9887a9cf54f3″,”imageAltText”:”august-lock-third-gen-produc-photos-8″,”imageCaption”:”
“,”imageCredit”:”Tyler Lizenby/CNET”,”imageDoNotCrop”:false,”imageDoNotResize”:false,”imageWatermark”:false,”imageFilename”:”august-lock-third-gen-produc-photos-8.jpg”,”imageDateCreated”:”2017/09/18″,”imageWidth”:2560,”imageHeight”:1920,”imageParallax”:””,”imageCrop”:””,”imageEnlarge”:false}” overridecaption=”
” overridecredit=”Tyler Lizenby/CNET” offer=”{“id”:”51b2c9c0-621e-464b-a64a-c0635b913eb7″,”slug”:”august-smart-lock-2017″,”label”:”August Smart Lock (2017)”,”edition”:[“US”,”ES”],”imageId”:”5a2ca4bf-f3cc-4b9d-8311-bbcc79e5aeec”,”imgWidth”:2560,”imgHeight”:1920,”objectType”:”content_product_series”,”typeLabel”:”Series”,”imgUrl”:”/content/image/redirect/5a2ca4bf-f3cc-4b9d-8311-bbcc79e5aeec/resize/75×56″,”icon”:”type-icon ct-cmg-tech-product-series ct-small”}” techobjectinfo=”{“uuid”:”51b2c9c0-621e-464b-a64a-c0635b913eb7″,”name”:”August Smart Lock (2017)”,”slug”:”august-smart-lock-2017″,”productType”:”SERIES”,”updateType”:”PRISM”,”mod”:1676399067592,”displayDate”:”Tue Feb 14 2023 18:24:27 GMT+0000 (Greenwich Mean Time)”}” usepricing=”true” data-key=”cnetlisticle__71833566-beab-4cad-82a3-9ea596a05ca4″ index=”6″ imagecredit=”Tyler Lizenby/CNET” tagslugs=”nest,amazon-prime,august,alexa,wyze,amazon,philips” contenttype=”Best List – Precap” isbestlistredesign=”true” filtershortcodetypes totalfilteritems=”0″ pagelayout=”Default – Article Page” showdetails=”true” tocheadlineitem=”[object Object]”>
One category where prices still hover over $100 is smart locks. Wyze has a $100 smart lock that CNET hasn’t reviewed yet, but many of the best smart locks — including August’s Smart Lock — tend to be around $150 or more.
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