Amazon just released this powerful Echo Dot smart speaker, and it’s already 20% OFF for the holidays

Buying a cheap smart speaker doesn’t have to compromise your household audio quality, especially with the launch of Amazon’s most powerful smart speaker yet. After releasing the the device earlier this year, the retailer has already launched 20% off the price of the Echo Dot Max.

Beyond its larger build and AI capabilities, the smart speaker also sports both a woofer and a tweeter, offering a richer overall sound quality with a wider frequency range. As a result, Amazon says the Echo Dot Max has three times as much bass as its predecessor, and it includes an upgrade processing chip for faster response speeds.

The speaker also comes with a newer version of the company’s sensing platform, which lets the Alexa Plus system utilize environmental awareness to help further automate smart home tasks. Just a few of the related improvements from previous generations include better wake-word detection, quicker overall responses, and more efficient, local AI processing.

Its compatibility with a range of smart home device brands also makes it an excellent option as a smart home hub, all for under $100 (or just $80 while this deal lasts).

✅Recommended if: you’re looking for the best sounding Amazon smart speaker on the market; you want a smart home hub with advanced AI and voice command features, but you don’t want to spend more than $80; you’re looking for something that can control devices from Matter, Thread, Zigbee, and other smart device brands, as well as connecting to other Echo speakers.

❌Skip this deal if: you don’t need the smart capabilities and you’re simply looking for a good at-home Bluetooth speaker; you don’t really care about audio quality and you’d rather save even more by going with one of the lower-priced smart speakers on the market; you don’t use Amazon or Alexa products and would rather go with one of the best smart speakers from another brand.

Amazon launched the Echo Dot Max a little over a month ago, and it’s already got $20 off from the retailer ahead of the holidays. Beyond featuring a woofer and a tweeter for optimal audio quality, it also comes with the AZ3 Pro Chip for Amazon’s quickest unit yet, as well as Alexa Plus.

The device also comes with Omnisense, which uses data from audio and a range of other household, name-brand sensors to give Alexa Plus improved environmental awareness. This allows the device to, for example, automatically turn off the lights when users aren’t home, remind them that certain doors are open, and perform a wide range of other useful contextual automation tasks.

It also pairs with other Alexa speakers, offering stereo audio or multi-room audio, so it may even be worth grabbing a few of these units while they’re discounted.