What Is Amazon Tap In 2026? (All You Need to Know)

Hey friend! Have you heard of the Amazon Tap speaker before? If not, no worries at all. The Amazon Tap was actually discontinued way back in 2018, so you‘re not alone in wondering – what exactly was this thing?

In this comprehensive guide, I‘ll fill you in on everything you need to know about the short-lived Tap. I‘ll cover what it was, why Amazon killed it off so quickly, and how Alexa smart speakers have evolved since.

Here‘s a quick little overview of the Tap before we dive in:

The Amazon Tap was a portable Bluetooth speaker launched in 2016 that had Alexa built-in. It was kind of like a smaller, battery-powered version of the Echo meant for on-the-go use.

However, it had one big limitation – you had to physically tap a button to activate Alexa instead of having hands-free access. And at $130, it was priced way too high compared to the $50 Echo Dot available at the same time.

So Amazon quickly realized the Tap was a dud and discontinued it after less than 2 years. It just couldn‘t compete with better, cheaper Alexa devices. Nowadays you can still find some renewed Taps for sale, but it‘s old technology that‘s not really worth buying anymore.

Alright, now that you‘ve got the basics on the Tap, let‘s dive into the details!

What Were the Key Features and Capabilities of Amazon Tap?

When the Amazon Tap launched in March of 2016, it generated some initial interest for combining Alexa voice control with a portable Bluetooth speaker design. But what exactly could this thing do?

Here are some of the key features that made the Tap stand out:

• Portable and lightweight – Weighing just 16.9 oz, the Tap could be carried around the house or taken on the go. It fit easily into bags and backpacks.

• Rechargeable battery – The built-in battery lasted for up to 9 hours of continuous music playback per charge. Not amazing, but decent.

• 360° audio – Dual 1.5" stereo speakers and Dolby audio processing delivered immersive 360-degree sound.

• Tap to talk button – A physical mic button allowed you to activate Alexa instead of having hands-free access. Tap and hold to speak.

• Wi-Fi and Bluetooth – Connect via Wi-Fi to access Alexa skills or Bluetooth to stream audio from your phone.

• Alexa voice assistant – Get weather, news, control smart home devices, set timers, listen to music, and thousands of other Alexa capabilities.

• Calling and messaging – When connected to your phone, you could make and take calls on the Tap as well as send voice messages.

• Music streaming – Stream tunes, radio, podcasts, and audiobooks from Amazon Music, Spotify, Pandora, Audible, and more.

So in theory, the Amazon Tap gave you access to the full Alexa experience in a portable package. But there were some significant downsides compared to other Alexa devices that soon became clear…

How Did the Amazon Tap Compare to the Echo Dot?

The biggest competition the Tap faced was the Echo Dot, which launched at nearly the same time in March 2016. Both put Alexa in a small, affordable device. But the Dot ultimately crushed the Tap.

Here‘s how the two models stacked up:

Spec	Amazon Tap	Echo Dot (2nd Gen)
Price	$129.99	$49.99
Dimensions	2.7" x 2.7" x 6.1"	1.5" x 3.3" x 3.3"
Weight	1 lb	5.7 oz
Speakers	Dual 1.5" 360° speakers	Single 1.5" speaker
Microphones	2 far-field mics	7 far-field mics
Connectivity	Wi-Fi, Bluetooth	Wi-Fi, Bluetooth
Battery life	Up to 9 hrs music playback	Plug-in only
Alexa activation	Tap-to-talk button	Hands-free
Audio quality	Very good, Dolby processing	Good, not as rich
Call support	Call out/in via paired Bluetooth phone	No calling

As you can see, the Tap and Dot were similar in some ways, like the built-in Alexa support and Bluetooth streaming.

But the Dot had some big advantages – mainly the hands-free Alexa access and incredibly cheaper price. And audio quality on the Tap was better, but for most people not nearly good enough to justify paying 2-3x more.

This table makes it easy to see why the Tap just couldn‘t compete. Amazon realized quickly that the Dot was the better product to promote and develop further.

Why Did the Amazon Tap Fail?

With the benefit of hindsight, it‘s easy to see why the Tap never took off and was quickly discontinued. There were a few major factors:

The high price tag – At $129.99, the Tap was just too expensive for what you got. For a bit more, you could buy the full-size Echo. Or for a lot less, the Echo Dot. The price left the Tap in no man‘s land.

Minimal advantages over the Echo Dot – Apart from slightly better audio quality, the Tap didn‘t offer much that the Dot didn‘t. And certainly not enough to justify 2-3x the price.

No always-listening Alexa – Having to manually tap the mic button each time crippled the Alexa experience. Customers realized instantly the Echo Dot was far superior.

Mediocre battery life – The 9 hour battery life was okay, but not great. And remembering to charge yet another device was a chore.

Underwhelming sales – Clearly consumers were not thrilled with the Tap. Amazon never released sales figures, but they were by all accounts very low.

Little developer support – Unlike the Echo, developers showed minimal interest in optimizing skills and integrations for Tap specifically. So it didn‘t gain strong app support.

Quickly overshadowed – Within just months, Tap was largely forgotten as other Alexa devices like the Dot and even the Echo Buttons got more attention.

Within less than a year of release, it was abundantly clear that the Tap was set to become a failed product. Amazon cut its losses and pulled the device in 2018 to focus on its other, better selling Alexa products.

How Good was the Audio Quality on Amazon Tap?

One of the few advantages of the Amazon Tap was its audio quality. With dual stereo speakers and Dolby processing, it produced very good 360-degree sound for the size.

Here are some key details on the Tap‘s audio capabilities:

• Dual 1.5” full-range drivers and passive bass radiator
• 360° omnidirectional audio
• Frequency range of 75Hz – 20kHz
• Dolby processing to enhance clarity and volume
• Dedicated dual-microphone array for echo cancellation
• Bluetooth streaming from devices up to 33 feet away

For a compact portable speaker, the Tap delivered impressive room-filling sound. In terms of pure audio performance, it outclassed the smaller Echo Dot which only had a single 1.5” driver.

However, sound quality alone couldn‘t make up for the Tap‘s other flaws. And while better than the Dot, it still didn‘t match larger and more expensive Bluetooth speakers.

Here‘s how some pro reviewers judged the Tap‘s audio capabilities compared to rivals:

 

Reviewer	Audio Quality Opinion
CNET	"Loud, full bass, better audio than Echo Dot."
Wired	"Better than expected sound but trails more premium Bluetooth speakers."
Pocket-Lint	"Excellent 360-degree sound for the size."
Digital Trends	"Impressive at medium volumes but distorted at max volume."

 

So overall, most agreed the Tap sounded very good for a portable Alexa speaker. But its audio capabilities alone couldn‘t justify the high price when other options offered smarter features or better sound at lower costs.

What Happened After Amazon Discontinued the Tap?

After Amazon quietly pulled the plug on the Tap in 2018, Alexa powered forward with big upgrades and innovative new devices:

• Multiple Echo generations – The original Echo and Dot have gone through 3 major iterations to improve sound and smarts.

• Echo Show – In 2017, Amazon launched the first Echo Show smart display with touchscreens.

• Echo Auto – Allowed drivers to add Alexa to cars when it launched in 2018.

• Echo Buds – 2019 saw Alexa-powered wireless earbuds hit the market.

• Celebrity voices – Alexa later gained celebrity voice options including Samuel L. Jackson.

• Customizable sounds – Users could set custom alarms, ringtones, and sounds for Alexa responses.

• Conversations – Alexa eventually could handle back-and-forth conversations more naturally rather than single commands.

• Home robot – In 2018, Amazon announced the Echo companion robot Astro aimed at home automation.

• Expanding ecosystem – Alexa is now built into phones, cars, thermostats, lightbulbs, appliances, and thousands more smart home products.

• Improved intelligence – Underlying AI and NLP advances have made Alexa far smarter over the years.

Clearly, abandoning the Tap allowed Amazon to put all energy toward making Alexa an intelligent voice assistant that could reach people anywhere. The technology has come a long way since 2016!

Should You Buy an Amazon Tap in 2024?

Okay, so now you know all about the ill-fated Amazon Tap – what it was, why it failed, and how Alexa has blossomed since.

If you stumble across a renewed Tap today for sale on Amazon, eBay, or Craigslist, should you buy it?

Honestly, I would not recommend it. Here are a few reasons why:

• No warranty – Amazon provides no warranty. You‘d have to rely on the seller‘s policy if any.

• Potential battery/performance issues – Used Taps may have degraded batteries or lag from outdated components.

• Lack of ongoing support – No more firmware updates or bug fixes from Amazon. Could become unusable over time.

• Missing features – No access to Alexa‘s latest capabilities, devices, voices, apps and skills.

• Security concerns – Outdated security could make Taps vulnerable to hackers.

• Other renewed options – You can buy a renewed Echo Dot for around the same price, which is a much smarter purchase.

For tech products, buying renewed/refurbished is always a bit of a gamble. And for a discontinued device like Tap with no warranty or support, it seems too risky in 2024.

I‘d say it‘s better to spend a few extra bucks for a renewed 3rd or 4th gen Echo Dot. That way you still save money but get a supported device that will work seamlessly with the latest Alexa features.

The Tap just feels too outdated at this point to recommend buying in 2024, even if you find one cheap. Alexa has moved far beyond what that little speaker can do. Hopefully this guide gave you all the background you needed on the Tap as you consider smart speaker options. Let me know if any other questions come up!