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  1. Table of Contents
  2. Top
  3. Main Differences
  4. Design
    1. Pictures
    2. Style
    3. Portability
    4. Build Quality
    5. Controls
    6. In The Box
  5. Sound
    1. Frequency Response Accuracy
    2. Raw Frequency Response
    3. Soundstage
    4. Dynamics
  6. Active Features
    1. Battery
    2. Voice Assistant
    3. App
  7. Connectivity
    1. Wired
    2. Bluetooth
    3. Wi-Fi
  8. Comments

Apple HomePod (1st generation) vs Amazon Echo Dot Gen 4

Side-by-Side Comparison

Products

Apple HomePod (1st generation)
Amazon Echo Dot Gen 4

Tested using Methodology v0.8

Updated Sep 04, 2024 07:33 PM

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Tested using Methodology v0.8

Updated Aug 14, 2024 02:04 PM

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Apple HomePod (1st generation) Picture
Amazon Echo Dot Gen 4 Picture
Bluetooth
No
Wi-Fi
Yes
Speakerphone
Yes
Voice Assistant
Yes
Battery Powered
No
Bluetooth
Yes
Wi-Fi
Yes
Speakerphone
Yes
Voice Assistant
Yes
Battery Powered
No

Variants

  • HomePod (1st generation) (Space Gray)
  • HomePod (1st generation) (White)
  • Echo Dot (Charcoal)
  • Echo Dot (Glacier White)
  • Echo Dot (Twilight Blue)

Review

See Apple HomePod (1st generation) Review
See Amazon Echo Dot Gen 4 Review
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Our Verdict

Apple HomePod (1st generation)

Amazon Echo Dot Gen 4

The Apple HomePod (1st generation) is a better choice for music, videos, and podcasts than the Amazon Echo Dot Gen 4. The Apple speaker has a more balanced sound profile out-of-the-box and a better soundstage. It can get louder, and it supports Apple AirPlay. That said, it's been discontinued and may be harder to find in new condition. The Amazon speaker, on the other hand, supports Bluetooth and has bass and treble adjustments, unlike the Apple.

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Space Gray
HomePod (1st generation)
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Charcoal
Echo Dot
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White
HomePod (1st generation)
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Glacier White
Echo Dot
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Twilight Blue
Echo Dot
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Main Differences for
Music

Threshold 

0.10

Music 

7.0
5.8

Frequency Response Accuracy 
 

7.3
5.5

Dynamics 
 

6.8
5.6

Soundstage 
 

7.5
6.6

EQ 
 

No
Bass/Treble

Full Comparison

Design

Style  

Style Photo  

Apple HomePod (1st generation) Style Photo
Amazon Echo Dot Gen 4 Style Photo

RGB Lights  

No
No
Show Text 

Portability 
 

4.2
5.8

Dimensions Photo  

Apple HomePod (1st generation) Dimensions Photo
Amazon Echo Dot Gen 4 Dimensions Photo

Volume 
 

203 in³ (3,332 cm³)
45 in³ (730 cm³)

Weight 
 

5.5 lbs (2.5 kg)
0.7 lbs (0.3 kg)

Power Source 
 

AC Only
AC Only

One-Hand Carry 
 

No
Yes
Show Text 

Build Quality 
 

6.4
6.4

Build Quality Photo  

Apple HomePod (1st generation) Build Quality Photo
Amazon Echo Dot Gen 4 Build Quality Photo

Material Quality 
 

Good
Good

Water Resistance 
 

No
Unspecified

Dust Resistance 
 

Unspecified
Unspecified

Impact Resistance 
 

No
Unspecified

Floats In Water 
 

No
Unspecified
Show Text 

Controls 
 

8.0
6.0

Controls Photo  

Apple HomePod (1st generation) Controls Photo
Amazon Echo Dot Gen 4 Controls Photo

Controls Photo 2  

Apple HomePod (1st generation) Controls Photo 2
Amazon Echo Dot Gen 4 Controls Photo 2

Ease Of Use 
 

Great
Great

Feedback 
 

Great
Great

Music Play/Pause 
 

Yes (Tactile)
No

Call Answer/End 
 

Yes (Tactile)
No

Volume Up/Down 
 

Yes (Tactile)
Yes (Physical)

Track Next/Previous 
 

Yes (Tactile)
No

Microphone On/Off 
 

No
Yes (Physical)

Additional Controls 
 

Yes
Yes
Show Text 

In The Box 
 

In The Box Photo  

Apple HomePod (1st generation) In The Box Photo
Amazon Echo Dot Gen 4 In The Box Photo
Show Text 
Sound

Frequency Response Accuracy 
 

7.3
5.5

Frequency Response Graph  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Slope 
 

0.19
-1.08

Std. Err. 
 

2.35 dB
3.37 dB

Low-Frequency Extension 
 

53.4 Hz
118.1 Hz

High-Frequency Extension 
 

19.1 kHz
17.5 kHz
Show Text 

Raw Frequency Response 
 

Raw Frequency Response Graph  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Binaural Recording @ 1m 
 

Binaural Recording @ 2m 
 

Soundstage 
 

7.5
6.6

Directivity Graph  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Directivity Index 
 

0.97 dB
2.69 dB

Stereo 
 

No (mono)
No (mono)
Show Text 

Dynamics 
 

6.8
5.6

Dynamic Range Compression  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

SPL @ Max Volume 
 

88.5 dB SPL
78.4 dB SPL

DRC @ Max Volume 
 

2.41 dB
2.51 dB
Show Text 
Active Features

Battery 
 

0.0
0.0

Battery Life 
 

N/A
N/A

Charge Time 
 

N/A
N/A

Power Saving 
 

No
No

Charging Port 
 

No Battery
No Battery

Battery Powered 
 

No
No
Show Text 

Voice Assistant 
 

10
10

Alexa 
 

No
Built-in (Wi-Fi Only)

Google Assistant 
 

No
No

Speakerphone 
 

Yes
Yes

Siri 
 

Built-in
No

Voice Assistant 
 

Yes
Yes

Voice Activation 
 

Yes
Yes

Microphone Mute 
 

Yes
Yes

Far-Field Performance 
 

Excellent
Excellent

Ambient Noise Performance 
 

Excellent
Excellent
Show Text 

App 
 

6.6
9.3

App Picture  

Apple HomePod (1st generation) App Picture
Amazon Echo Dot Gen 4 App Picture

App Name 
 

Apple Home
Amazon Alexa

iOS 
 

Yes
Yes

Android 
 

No
Yes

EQ 
 

No
Bass/Treble

Stereo Pair Mode 
 

Yes
Yes

Party Mode 
 

Yes
Yes

Multi-Room 
 

Yes
Yes
Show Text 
Connectivity

Wired 
 

Aux Input 
 

No
Yes

USB Audio 
 

No
No

Other Ports 
 

No
No
Show Text 

Bluetooth 
 

0.0
7.5

Bluetooth 
 

No
Yes

Bluetooth Version 
 

No Bluetooth
Unspecified

Bluetooth iOS Latency 
 

N/A
111 ms

Bluetooth Android Latency 
 

N/A
163 ms

Bluetooth Range 
 

N/A
214.9 ft (65.5 m)

Multi-Device Pairing 
 

No
No
Show Text 

Wi-Fi 
 

8.1
6.5

Wi-Fi Version 
 

Wi-Fi 5
Wi-Fi 5

Wi-Fi Frequency Band 
 

2.4GHz & 5GHz
2.4GHz & 5GHz

Wi-Fi 
 

Yes
Yes

Apple AirPlay 
 

Yes
No

AirPlay Latency 
 

37 ms
N/A

Google Chromecast 
 

No
No

Chromecast Latency 
 

N/A
N/A
Show Text 

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Space Gray
HomePod (1st generation)
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Charcoal
Echo Dot
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White
HomePod (1st generation)
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Glacier White
Echo Dot
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Twilight Blue
Echo Dot
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Back to Top

Apple HomePod (1st generation)

Amazon Echo Dot Gen 4

Comments

  1. Comparison
 • Posted 1 year ago

Apple HomePod (1st generation) vs Amazon Echo Dot Gen 4: Main Discussion

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