Amazon Launches New Echo Speakers With Alexa+ From $100

A few fresh Echo speakers have returned from Amazon. Amazon unveiled the Echo Dot Max, a new Echo Studio, and two new smart displays, the Echo Show 8 and 11, along with a range of new Ring doorbell and Blink security cameras, a new series of Fire TVs, and the new Kindle Scribe Colorsoft. These are the first new Echo devices since Panos Panay, the former head of Microsoft Surface, took over as head of Amazon’s hardware division last year.

The four new Echo speakers from Amazon promise more interaction and higher-quality audio.

The latest Echo devices from Amazon, which were unveiled at a latest York City event, will have improved functionality and sound quality in addition to Alexa Plus integration.

The Echo Dot Max ($100), Echo Studio ($220), Echo Show 8 ($180), and Echo Show 11 ($220) are the four speakers in the line-up.

Amazon is using its own proprietary silicon, the AZ3 and AZ3 Pro chip, in conjunction with its new Echo speakers this time around. These speakers has Alexa+ support, the company’s high-end home assistant, which is equipped with a broad language model which is very similar to that of ChatGPT.

The company’s AI upgrade to Alexa, Alexa Plus, is compatible with the new line. The Dot Max employs the AZ3, and the speakers use the new AZ3 Pro chips, which allow the new “AI Accelerator” to work with future AI models.

The Echo Studio and two new Echo Show smart displays features with more powerful AZ3 Pro chip, while the Echo Dot Max is powered by the AZ3 chip. In order to improve conversation detection, Amazon claims that the new processors are “designed to run AI edge models of the future.”

The Echo Studio, an upgrade to the flagship smart speaker from 2019, is the most unexpected item in the new line. Despite being 40% smaller than the original, Amazon’s new Echo Studio is comparable in size to the 2020 Echo. Complementing its spherical appearance and 3D knitted cover for improved sound quality, the new Studio delivers “premium audio,” featuring Dolby Atmos functionality.

Some hardware changes are mostly focused on sound, but many of the new features will revolve around what users can do with Alexa+. Users can get two drivers with the Echo Dot Max, but the Echo Studio offers additional power with three drivers, a bespoke woofer, Dolby Atmos, and spatial audio. Although the Echo Studio also has new technology, it is actually 40% smaller than the original, and the Echo Dot Max will have three times the bass of the fifth-generation Echo Dot, according to Amazon.

With its upgraded microphone array, the Echo Dot Max ($100) can now identify the selected wake-word up to 50% more accurately.

The new Alexa Home Theatre mode, which allows users to connect up to five Echo Dot Max or Echo Studio to their Fire TV for surround sound, was shown by the firm during the event. It’s interesting to note that although the Echo Sub is no longer available, the system can accommodate a subwoofer.

Omnisense, which is also available on the new Fire TVs, is a function of the new Echo Show 8 and Echo Show 11 that detects when a user is in the room and shows pertinent content.

The new screens, according to Amazon, have “negative liquid crystal design” and provide better clarity in environments that are crystal bright and dark.

Along with front-facing stereo speakers and a specially designed woofer for spatial audio, the Show displays also have an integrated 13-megapixel camera.

Users may view curated “highlights” of previous video feeds and scan their Ring and Blink cameras on the screens. It had a “Wildlife” feed of deer playing in front of the camera, along with others like “Halloween” and “Summer.” CNET observed the demo.

Customers in the United States will have access to Alexa Plus Early Access, and the new Echo devices are available for pre-order now, meaning today. The new Echo Show 8 and Echo Show 11 will go on sale anytime from November 12, while the Echo Dot Max and Echo Studio will be accessible towards the end of October.

Reviews of the new line of Echo speakers will be out shortly, as they haven’t seen any without screens since the Echo Dot in 2023.

Additionally, Amazon unveiled Alexa Home Theatre, a device that allows users to build a home theatre by connecting up to five Echo speakers. Both speakers will “come out of the box” with Alexa+, according to Amazon, but the company did not specify if this is a limited trial that will eventually need payment.