Echo Dot (3rd Gen) - Smart speaker with Clock (Scratch & Dent)

I bought this as a replacement for both an Echo Dot (2nd gen) and a digital clock I had on a bedside shelf, in order to make some room on the shelf, and also to get better sound for music streaming. On the latter, it delivers, as the sound is richer and deeper, compared to the less full sound the 2nd gen produced. My main gripe with it though - and one thing anyone for whom the LED display brightness is a significant factor might want to consider before purchasing it - is that the sensor for adaptive brightness is on top of the device, around where the buttons are. Therefore, if the location you intend to place the Echo Dot in is a relatively enclosed space where its top might be obscured from direct ambient lighting, rather than an open-top (such as a nightstand or desk), chances are its sensor would NOT detect the environment lighting correctly in order to adjust the brightness accordingly. It would then assume that the room is dim, and consequently keep its LED brightness relatively low the whole time, so you'll find it really hard to make out the display if there is any amount of ambient light in the room at all. Sure, you could forgo the adaptive brightness option and simply set a fixed brightness value for better visibility, but you'll probably find it far too bright at night. (I've set mine to 20% brightness, which keeps the display brighter than if I'd left the adaptive brightness on, but it's still too dim to read most of the day, or when the room light is on, but is just about tolerable at night). This odd sensor placement is probably why there are so many mixed reviews on the LED's adaptive brightness - some are saying it's too bright, while others (like me) find it far too dim. My previous digital clock that this replaced had its adaptive brightness sensor on the front where the display face was, so the LED brightness was in sync with the light detected on the surface which I was reading it from, which makes perfect sense to me. Obviously this can't be fixed on the device hardware itself, but a software-based fix could partially resolve this, like an option to set the LED brightness based on a timed schedule (so I can set its brightness to increase to a high value in the day, then have it dim to a much lower value at night). Unfortunately, this device is a couple of years old now, so I don't expect anything like this is forthcoming. Anyway, if all that isn't important to you and you'll be placing it somewhere where the display brightness doesn't matter (say, your living room), then it's definitely a great upgrade on any existing older Echo Dots you already own.