Amazon is rolling out five new Alexa devices built around its latest voice assistant, headlined by a new Echo Dot that adds a built-in smart home hub for the first time. Every device includes the newest version of Alexa, with some of the more advanced features tied to Alexa+, which Amazon says comes with a Prime membership. The lineup also includes an Echo Studio with a camera, a larger Echo Show 16 smart display, a new Echo Time bedside clock, and an Alexa Photo Frame, plus a new Alexa Home Map feature for managing connected devices.
Echo Dot adds a built-in smart home hub
The new Echo Dot starts shipping today and now includes a built-in smart home hub so it can control compatible devices without separate hardware. The hub supports Zigbee, Matter, and Thread, which lets it connect directly to supported lights, locks, and thermostats.
Amazon also built in an eero Wi-Fi extender that can add up to 1,000 square feet of coverage to an existing eero network. Inside, the Echo Dot runs on Amazon’s AZ3 silicon with an AI Accelerator to handle more processing on the device itself instead of relying only on the cloud.
Amazon says the new Echo Dot delivers 50% more bass than the previous generation. There is also a kids edition of the Echo Dot that comes with a year of Amazon Kids+ included.
Echo Studio gains a built-in home camera
Echo Studio with Home Camera keeps the same audio architecture as the existing Echo Studio and starts shipping today. It includes the same high-excursion woofer and support for Dolby Atmos audio, but adds a built-in camera for home monitoring and visual Alexa features.
Through Live View in the Alexa app, users can check the room while they are away. With Alexa+, the device can recognize what is held up to the camera, such as explaining the rules on a board game box or recognizing a cereal box to help reorder it.
Amazon says pairing Echo Studio with Home Camera to compatible Fire TV devices for video calls is coming “soon.” A built-in LED turns on when images or video are streaming to the cloud, and there is a button to turn off both the microphones and the camera. For those who prefer a speaker without a camera, the camera-free Echo Studio remains on sale.
Echo Show 16 brings a larger screen and Fire TV
Echo Show 16 introduces a 16-inch full HD display and opens for preorder today, with shipping set for “later this year.” Amazon says the device is nearly 40% thinner than before and will be offered with a Nanomatte anti-glare option to reduce reflections and improve visibility.
Fire TV is built in, and a Fire TV remote comes in the box, so the screen can act as a streaming display as well as an Alexa device. Echo Show 16 features three Screen Styles that can be used as a family organizer, a smart home dashboard, or a photo frame.
On the front, Echo Show 16 includes a 13-megapixel wide-angle camera with auto-framing so people stay centered during video calls. For the first time on an Echo Show, the camera also supports night vision.
Echo Time focuses on sleep sensing without a camera
Echo Time is a new camera-free smart alarm clock with a 3.2-inch round touchscreen, and it is available today. The screen supports hundreds of clock faces so the look can be customized.
Optional smart alarms on Echo Time use Omnisense sensing to wake people during lighter stages of sleep within 10 to 60 minutes of their set alarm time. Omnisense factors in presence, room temperature, and ultrasound for breathing to estimate when sleep is lighter, with no wearable needed.
This sleep sensing feature is opt-in, so users can choose whether they want to turn it on. Echo Time has earned the National Sleep Foundation’s SleepMark, which recognizes products that support better sleep according to that organization’s criteria.
Alexa Photo Frame blends photos with voice control
Alexa Photo Frame is available now and brings Alexa into a traditional-looking digital frame. Amazon describes it as the first photo frame with Alexa built in.
The device features a 10-inch anti-glare touchscreen, offered in a black frame or in real birch or walnut wood frames. It syncs automatically with Amazon Photos, so pictures can update without manual transfers or memory cards.
With Alexa+, the frame can automatically pick which photos to show based on faces, time, and sentiment, matching the current season and skipping screenshots and receipts. Alexa Photo Frame includes 90 days of Alexa+ for people to try out those selection features.
Alexa Home Map, Alexa+, and privacy controls
Alongside the hardware, Amazon announced Alexa Home Map, an interactive 3D map of the home that shows connected devices where they sit. Alexa Home Map will start rolling out in preview later this year on larger Echo Show devices, including the new Echo Show 16, along with the Alexa and Ring apps and the Alexa Home Map app on iOS. Some features on Echo Show, Fire TV, and Alexa Tablets require Alexa+, and some camera features also need a Ring Protect Pro or Virtual Security Guard subscription.
All five new Alexa devices ship with the newest Alexa, and some advanced features depend on Alexa+. Amazon says Alexa+ is included with a Prime membership, and it is required for features such as the Echo Studio’s object recognition through the camera and the Alexa Photo Frame’s automatic photo selection.
Across the lineup, Amazon is calling out controls and indicators tied to privacy. Echo Studio with Home Camera includes an LED that lights when video or images are sent to the cloud, and a physical button shuts off both mics and the camera. Echo Time’s sleep sensing is opt-in, and it can be turned on or off at any time in the Alexa app or by muting the microphones.
View the original press release.
