I already had an Echo Dot, and some TP-Link Smartplugs I use to control lights throughout the house. The Echo Dot is in the kitchen, and I found it irritating to have to walk back out to that part of the house and says, "Alexa, turn on bedroom light," just to turn the bedroom light on or off (or, failing that, open the app on my phone to do it). So, it became apparent I needed another Alexa device within earshot of the smartplugs that were outside the range of the microphone on my kitchen Dot. I saw this on sale for $25, and figured I'd give it a try. Here are the pros and cons:
Pros:
- despite that it "only" has two microphones, as opposed to the seven the Dot supposedly has, I found it "heard" me just as well as the Dot, and was possibly even more sensitive than the Dot (e.g., I didn't need to talk to it in a loud voice for it to hear me)
- the unit is sleeker and a better design than the Dot. The top of the unit is flat without any holes, so it is easier to clean and less likely to get dust inside the unit than the Dot is. Additionally, it's more aesthetically pleasing, unlike the Dot, which looks like a hockey puck and almost requires that you buy a decorative case to dress it up. . .
- the sound is better than the Dot. I actually thought the sound was great, for a speaker that size, and you can crank it up pretty loud
Cons:
- even though it would "hear" me say a command, because it acknowledged "Alright," sometimes it would not execute the command. For example, I'd ask it to turn a light on or off, and it would acknowledge it did, when really it hadn't. The Dot also has this problem.
- music would inexplicably turn off about ten or fifteen minutes into listening (via the Amazon Music that is the default for Alexa). Other times, I'd have the music on and say, "Alexa, stop," and it would stop and listen to my command, then go right back to playing music until I said it again louder and more forcefully.
- you have to install the Eufy Home app and create an account in order to set it up, then (and only then) you can add it to Alexa. Who needs more apps and accounts, in a world where our phones are already cluttered with apps we only use occasionally but still "need" to have?
- it does not have bluetooth, so if you want to connect it to another speaker, you have to use a 3.5 mm cable to do so.
- it does not have the phone call, intercom, and "drop in" features the Echo devices, including the Dot, have. This was not a big deal to me as I don't use those things, but could be a deal breaker for others.
- it does not properly interact with other Alexa devices such as the Dot. For example, if both the Eufy and the Dot hear me, both respond. My understanding is that two Dots would know which one was closer to me and only that one would respond. I'd ask it to play music, and then the Eufy or Dot would recognize that the other device was already playing music and would ask me if I wanted to switch devices and, even though I said "yes," it would not switch over, and both would continue playing music
All in all, I think the Eufy is a great entry device IF you catch a sale where it is only $20 or $25, and IF you don't need bluetooth, the calling features, integration between multiple devices, and IF you don't mind telling it to restart your music after it has inexplicably stopped playing it, etc. However, if you can wait for a sale on the Dot (like right now, how it is a Cyber Monday Week deal for only $30 instead of the regular $50), you are better off buying that.
Updating my review from three stars to five stars to reflect the absolutely wonderful customer service I've received from the Eufy support team. They saw my review and reached out to advise me that a firmware update was coming, and would address most, if not all, of the issues I raised, and gave me advice on how to update the firmware to address the known sensitivity issue. I have bought Anker products before, and was going to continue buying them regardless of my experience with the Genie, but the level of customer service I received just affirms that even more.
Ask to play music, hear the news, control your smart home, and more with this smart speaker.
Alexa Built-in Learn more
Alexa Built-in
This smart speaker has been certified by Amazon for its built-in Alexa functionality, providing a voice-forward experience to play music, read news, control other smart home devices, and more.
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From the brand
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At eufy we believe all great smart home products need to be thoughtfully built from the start. From whole-home security to smart cleaning solutions, eufy's technology brings you expert protection and deep cleaning that's tailored to your lifestyle and creates human-first technology that enlivens the lives of everyone around you.
Because care is what makes a house a home, everything we build is built with care for you.
eufy, Built with Care
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From the manufacturer
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Control Your HomeUse Alexa to control other Eufy smart home devices and more brands that work with Alexa. |
Instant Daily UpdatesAccess your calendar, set alarms, and get the latest news, weather, and sports updates. |
Unlimited ServicesOrder food or call a ride without touching your smartphone. |
Get AnswersAsk any question and hear the reply. |
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Simple Setup1. Plug in Eufy Genie. 2. Connect Eufy Genie to the Internet. 3. Sign in with your Amazon account. 4. Explore and do more with Alexa. |
Do More With AlexaAccess 10,000+ ‘skills’, covering every service the Internet has to offer, including Domino’s Pizza, Pandora, Uber, ESPN, NPR News and much more. |
Always Getting SmarterLook out for new features in future updates. |
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| Eufy Genie | Lumos 2.0 -White | Lumos 2.0-Tunable White | Eufy BodySense Smart Scale | Lumos-White | Lumos-Tunable White | |
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| Control With Voice | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| Alexa Compatible | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| EufyHome Compatible | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Videos
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4:52
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Customer Review: Eufy Genie - a good low-cost alternative!
Derrick
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3:21
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Customer Review: Video Unboxing and Review!!!
skyforce95
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0:11
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Customer Review: Just buy the authentic Echo Dot
Harris
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0:51
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Customer Review: Almost as good as the Dot
APC Houston
Reviews with images
After having this for about 6 months. It’s response ...
After having this for about 6 months. It’s response seemed to really slow down. Andore often times now that it does not umderstand what I command it to do (before I never had problems). There are instances that it won’t stop playing music after commanding it to stop for around 15xUpdate: 4/10/18I just wanted to customers buying from ANKER know how very PROFESSIONAL these people are, and have pride on their work. I hope they stay like this forever.So I reviewed this product Eufy Genie, I can not say that I’m fully satisfied (see original review above). To my surprise, I received an email from them, I would like to shout out her name in this review, (hi Vanessa from Anker). They really are reading their customer’s experiences with their products and do everything to make them happy. (At least that’s how I feel)Their customer service is top notch, hands down, including return policy, all of it.I would never hesitate to buy any Anker product again as to I know I’m backed up with their product PRIDE and best customer service.I tried their cheapest Anker bluetooth speaker also, and it sounded really good. I was not expecting very much from it since it was their entry level but to my surprise the flatness of the sound it produces is the same as the Cambridge Oontz Angle 3 plus which has more than thousands of positive reviews. Clear highs without harshness, mids are warm which is very good. Bass is enough to enjoy the music but you don’t expect that from a small BT speaker though.So hands down ANKER. Keep up the good work. I’ll deal with your product again in the future.
Top reviews from other countries
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Eufygenie product
Reviewed in India on May 18, 2023
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Reviewed in India on May 18, 2023
At the same time Amazon's Alexa product is too good and is very easy to setup.
I am writing this because I want to cancel the order and want refund.
I don't want the replacement because the problem is with their software...
So Amazon please try to make refund.
Already I had a talk with Amazon Executive online and asked for refund. Monday 22nd the return pickup is scheduled and also the refund...
Thanks
Images in this review
Aniruddh
Exact same functionality of Alex with echo dot at Rs. 2000
Reviewed in India on March 24, 2019
itassistors
Worthy deal for Rs.1500
Reviewed in India on June 18, 2018
itassistors
Reviewed in India on June 18, 2018
Amazon reviews work in the classic pros & cons segregation way and I'm gonna stick to it. Here's my list of pros and cons.
PROS :
* The speaker with the glossy bottom and the matte finish top looks clean and slick. In fact, if you're not a big fan of the echo dot's flat cylindrical design, then this one is a worthy alternative to look for.
* It has a 2 watt mono speaker at the bottom and it sounds just fine. It is not fair to expect crystal clear audio quality and glass shattering bass from a budget smart speaker like this but the speaker can fill a whole house with it's sound and there are no noticeable distortions or anything
* With just upward facing microphones what this little thing can do is an absolute wonder. I even tried triggering it with my voice approximately 8 meters away from the speaker and it did recognize my command nice and clear.
* The addition of a 3.5mm jack at the back is a good addon as it makes the speaker double as a normal speaker by hooking it to an external source.
CONS :
* The top has a rubberized finish and underneath it lies the control buttons which are extremely hard to press and there are no software based way to control the speaker.
* While starting up the speaker it takes like more than 50 seconds to load up which makes you wait even to listen to your favorite beat.\
* Being a smart speaker with good audio output, I use it most of the time for music streaming and that comes with a serious downside. After playing or while playing music if I try access the speaker, it fails to respond and throws a big red light on my face indicating that it is having trouble understanding me. I even tried updating the firmware but I had no luck even then.
* The dual mic is all good and clear provided that there is no background noise. With increased background noise, the mic fails to recognize my command even when I am near to it.
* The eufy home app doesn't have much options to access or control the speakers which makes the app useless beyond the point of setting up the speaker. Even though the amazon alexa app could do a few things happen, it'd have been better to have some software based accessibility options from the manufacturer them self.
* Last but not the least, the downside which makes me avoid this speaker is alexa (irony...right??). Alexa is good, but it is not as good as it is to power a full fledged smart home appliance which is my opinion. It stutters to respond back with the appropriate response for some complex queries and it failed me a few times.
That's all with my reasons to get this speaker and avoid this speaker. Initially I gave it just 3 stars as it was priced same as the old echo dot but now considering the Rs.1500 price tag, this one's with no doubt a great deal. It lacks a few features which are present in the echo dot but for 1500 this one's a worthy smart speaker.
If you're interested to watch the full video review covering more tests like audio sample test and mic range test, then head over to my YT channel -- it assistors
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Harshit ojha
Alexa dose not listen
Reviewed in India on November 15, 2023
Harshit ojha
Reviewed in India on November 15, 2023
Can't connect to other devices like Bluetooth speakers like home theater big speaker.
Bad in connectivity
Bad in listen
Bad in power adapter (not Indian)
Bad in language (no hindi support)
Wasting of money.
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