After skipping last year, Amazon is back with a big fall hardware event slated for next week, and we’re expecting plenty of new Echo smart speakers and displays that make the most of Alexa+, Amazon’s AI revamp of the Alexa voice assistant.
Plenty of other hardware will also be unwrapped during Amazon’s September 30 event in New York City; for example, we’re sure to see new Kindle tablets, as well as Fire TV models and perhaps even some Ring cameras. For now, though, we’re concentrating on new Echo devices, and there are a few popular Echo speakers and displays that are ripe for an upgrade.
We’re most interested in how the latest Echo hardware will take full advantage of Alexa+, the generative AI-enhanced Alexa that can carry on flowing conversations, take actions on your behalf, and control smart home devices based on natural-language commands. (It’s worth noting that most existing Echo speakers and displays already are compatible with Alexa+, so there’s no pressing need to upgrade if you don’t want to.)
There haven’t been many leaks or rumors about specific new Echo devices we might see next week. That said, we do have a bead on some older but nonetheless popular Echo speakers and displays that are in dire need of a refresh.
Amazon Echo
What is it: Amazon’s flagship Echo speaker that doubles as a smart home hub
Latest release: 2020 (fourth generation)
List price: $99.99
Michael Brown/Foundry
It’s been nearly five years since Amazon released a new version of its top-of-the-line Echo, making it the oldest speaker in Amazon’s current Echo lineup. It’s high time for a new one.
A larger version of the popular and inexpensive Echo Dot, the Amazon Echo shares many of the Dot’s features, including motion detection, a temperature sensor, and the ability to extend the range of Amazon’s line of Eero mesh Wi-Fi routers. The Echo also houses stereo tweeters and a three-inch woofer, making for a nice upgrade to the Echo Dot’s so-so audio performance.
But the Echo has an ace up its sleeve: a full-on Zigbee home hub, capable of directly controlling Zigbee lights, sensors, switches, and other Zigbee-enabled devices. The Echo also packs a Thread radio, allowing it to act as a Thread border router. Plunk an Echo in your living room, and you have everything you need to launch your smart home—well, aside from a Z-Wave radio, which would be a cool feature for an updated Echo. (We’re not holding on breath on that one, as Z-Wave is not embraced by the Matter standard.)
An all-new Echo would seem like a no-brainer for Amazon’s hardware event next week, complete with beefier hardware for smoother Alexa+ performance and perhaps even a physical makeover.
Amazon Echo Dot
What it is: Amazon’s budget-priced Echo workhorse
Latest release: 2022 (fifth generation)
List price: $49.99
Ben Patterson/Foundry
If the Echo is Amazon’s flagship smart speaker, the Echo Dot is its smaller sibling, shedding the Zigbee smart hub but keeping the motion and temperature sensors as well as the Eero mesh extender functionality.
Priced at $50 but often on sale for much less, the Echo Dot is a smart choice for putting Alexa in every room, what with its handsome design and good-enough audio performance. There are now cheaper Echos in Amazon’s lineup—see the $40 Echo Pop from 2023—but the Echo Dot hits the sweet spot in terms of price and performance.
Now that it’s due to celebrate its third birthday, the Echo Dot is primed for a new Alexa+-enhanced version. I could see it sharing the same overall design as the new Echo—smaller form factor, of course—with a modest audio upgrade and even a Thread border router functionality, which would allow the Dot to act as a hub for Matter devices.
Amazon Echo Studio
What it is: A premium Echo speaker that does Dolby Atmos
Latest release: 2023 (second generation)
List price: $199.99 (no longer available)
Amazon
If you want an Amazon Echo speaker that can truly put on a sonic show, the Dolby Atmos-enabled Echo Studio is the obvious choice—if you can find one, that is. The second-generation Echo Studio has been out of stock for months now, making it a prime candidate for a makeover.
Packing three two-inch mid-range speakers, a 20mm tweeter, and a 5.25-inch woofer, the Echo Studio has all the drivers its needs to belt out audiophile-quality sound. The Echo Studio isn’t just a great music speaker, though. Like the Echo, it offers a Zigbee home hub and a Matter hub.
An upgraded version of the Studio with Alexa+ playing DJ could be a highlight of Amazon’s hardware event next week.
Amazon Echo Show 10
What it is: An Echo display with a pivoting screen that follows you around the room
Latest release: 2021 (third generation)
List price: $249.99 (no longer available)
Michael Brown/Foundry
Hard to believe, but it’s been four years since the Echo Show 10 made its debut, and boy was it a showstopper.
Yes, the Echo Show 10 boasts such smart home features as a Zigbee hub and a Thread border router (the unit’s Matter-over-Thread abilities were enabled after launch), 2.1-channel audio, a 13-megapixel camera, and an impressive 10-inch screen.
But its killer feature was its swiveling display, which could follow you as you strolled around the room. That rotating display made the Echo Show 10 feel like the most aware Echo device yet, so just imagine how that would play with Alexa+ on board, looking out into your kitchen and making suggestions as you prepare a gourmet meal. Sure, Alexa+ can already work on the existing third-gen Echo Show 10, but we’re eager to see a new take on that motorized design.
As with the Echo Studio, the Echo Show 10 has been unavailable via Amazon for some time, leading us to believe that a fourth generation of the display is imminent.
Amazon Echo Frames
What is it: Amazon’s Alexa-powered smart glasses
Latest release: 2023 (third generation)
List price: Varies depending upon style
Ben Patterson/Foundry
With the likes of Meta’s camera-enabled AI glasses on the scene, Amazon’s audio-only Echo Frames are looking decidedly old hat these days.
First announced back in 2019, the Echo Frames came with a handsome design and mini speakers and microphones in the temples that promised to put Alexa in your head. The most recent release from 2023 offered updated looks and plenty of audio refinements, and the Frames are now compatible with Alexa+. Still, the basic conceit and limitations remain: it’s Alexa (or Alexa+) in your head, and only in your head.
Meta, meanwhile, has supercharged the market for smart glasses that allow an AI companion to see the world around you, offering commentary and insights wherever you go (even if the results are a tad uneven). Will Amazon take the fight to Meta with vision-enabled Echo Frames with Alexa+? It’s a bit of a long shot, but I’m not ruling it out.
This feature is part of TechHive’s in-depth coverage of the best smart speakers.
