The Amazon Echo (2020) is among the best smart speakers on the planet, but unlike portable speakers like the Sonos Move and the Sonos Roam, it has to remain plugged in at all times to work.
However, the company now stocks 'Made for Amazon' battery bases that mean you can take your Echo speaker on the go, using it as a Bluetooth speaker in the great outdoors and beyond.
If you have access to a Wi-Fi connection, you'll be able to use Alexa too, allowing you to control your smart home devices, ask questions, set reminders, and more.
- Read our Amazon Echo (2020) review
- The best smart speakers you can buy today
- How to set up your Amazon Echo
The Mission Battery Base gives you five hours of wireless playback, with your Echo kept securely in place thanks to a thumb screw.
Available in the US since the end of the last year, the Battery Base is now available to buy in the UK too, costing $39.99 / £39.99 (about AU$50).
There's also the Battery Base for for the fourth-gen Echo Dot and Echo Dot with Clock, which costs $34.99 / £29.99 (about $AU45).
Super smart speakers
The latest spherical Amazon Echo was released in 2020, and represents a complete revamp of the company’s flagship smart speaker, with a new spherical design.
That aesthetic overhaul, while impressive, is just the half of it, with improved audio, a built-in Zigbee smart home hub, and a new AZ1 neural edge processor that the company says reduces the time it takes for Alexa to respond to commands (though the chip is currently only active in the US, with a global rollout to be confirmed).
The Echo Dot and Echo Dot with Clock were also given a significant makeover in 2020, sharing the spherical design of their larger sibling – though on the inside, these mini speakers are largely the same as their predecessors.
Still, the ability to take these Alexa speakers on the go gives them an edge over competitors like the Apple HomePod mini, even if you do need to fork out for an additional battery base.
- Read our Amazon Echo Dot with Clock review
