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Amazon announced six updates to its Echo and smart-home lineup on Wednesday, spanning speakers, displays, a photo frame, an alarm clock and a forthcoming home-mapping feature. Several devices are available to buy or preorder now, while Alexa Home Map is planned for preview later this year. Prices and rollout details vary by product.
Amazon announced six Echo and smart-home updates on Wednesday, including a redesigned Echo Show 16, an Echo Dot with a built-in smart-home hub, and a camera-equipped Echo Studio. The lineup also includes a photo frame, a smart alarm clock and a home-mapping feature, with products ranging from $99.99 to $569.99 and availability differing by device.
The largest display update is the Echo Show 16, which has a 16-inch screen in an anodized aluminum frame. Amazon says the frame is nearly 40 percent thinner than the previous model. A new Nanomatte display option is designed to reduce glare; the device also adds micro woofers, two tweeters, a 13-megapixel wide-angle camera and 20 percent more computing power. Amazon says the camera has the widest field of view yet on an Echo Show. The Show 16 is available for preorder at $499.99, or $569.99 with Nanomatte.
The new Echo Dot adds a built-in smart-home hub, an Eero Wi-Fi extender and Amazon’s AZ3 chip. It also has four microphones, a full-range driver that Amazon says delivers 50 percent more bass than the prior generation, and Omnisense technology for detecting temperature and presence. It is available in four colors for $99.99. The Echo Studio with Home Camera, priced at $249.99, adds a camera for viewing a room remotely and asking Alexa about items in front of it. Amazon says it will soon work with compatible Fire TVs for video calls on a larger screen; an optional stand costs $39.99.
Three other announcements extend the lineup beyond speakers. The Alexa Photo Frame is a 10-inch touchscreen that syncs with Amazon Photos; Amazon says Alexa Plus can select images using details such as who appears in them, when they were taken and their sentiment. Prices start at $199.99. The Echo Time smart alarm clock has a 3.2-inch circular display and an optional feature that may wake users 10 to 60 minutes before their set alarm during lighter sleep. It costs $199.99, with a Kids version starting at $209.99. Finally, Alexa Home Map will offer an interactive 3D map showing compatible home devices and, in the Ring app, animations of people and cars outside.
Echo Devices Take on More Home Tasks
The announcements show Amazon adding more home-control, sensing and camera functions across its Echo range, rather than limiting updates to audio or screen hardware. The Dot’s hub could let customers control compatible smart-home devices without buying a separate hub, while the Show 16 and Echo Time use Omnisense to support automation based on room conditions or presence.
The broader shift also brings questions of privacy and practical utility. A camera built into a speaker and a map that includes indoor devices and outdoor activity give users new ways to monitor and manage a home, but the announcement alone does not establish how well those features work in everyday use or how customers will configure them.
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From Speakers to Home Control
Amazon presented the products as part of a series of fall hardware announcements, with Wednesday’s group focused mainly on Echo speakers and displays alongside other smart-home devices. The updates include both hardware changes, such as the Show 16’s display and the Echo Studio’s camera, and software features, including Alexa Home Map.
Availability is not uniform. Amazon says the Echo Dot and Echo Time are available now and the Echo Show 16 is open for preorder. Alexa Home Map, by contrast, is planned to begin rolling out in preview later this year. The source report does not give a single release date for every product or feature.
““widest field of view” on an Echo Show device so far”
— Amazon, describing the Echo Show 16 camera
Release Details Still Vary
Amazon has not supplied complete rollout dates for every device, nor a preview start date beyond saying Alexa Home Map is coming later this year. The announcement also does not specify which smart-home products will be compatible with every feature, or how broad the Home Map preview will be at launch.
Some performance descriptions—including the Show 16 camera’s field of view and the Echo Dot’s bass increase—are Amazon’s claims. The supplied material does not include independent testing, customer feedback or details about the accuracy of the Echo Time’s sleep-based alarm. More information about data handling for the camera, photo selection and home map is also not provided.
Preorders and Preview Rollouts
Customers can buy the Echo Dot and Echo Time now, while the Echo Show 16 is available for preorder, according to Amazon’s announcement. The company says Alexa Home Map will begin rolling out in preview later this year on iOS through the Alexa Home Map, Alexa and Ring apps. Amazon also plans to bring it to larger Echo Show devices, the Ember Artline Fire TV and new Alexa Tablets.
Further information on exact launch dates, regional availability and supported devices will clarify how much of the announced lineup customers can access at release. For now, Amazon’s announcement establishes the products, listed prices and stated feature plans, but not independent evidence of performance.
Key Questions
What did Amazon announce in its new Echo lineup?
Amazon announced an updated Echo Show 16 and Echo Dot, an Echo Studio with a camera, an Alexa Photo Frame, an Echo Time alarm clock and the Alexa Home Map feature.
How much do the new devices cost?
Listed prices start at $99.99 for the Echo Dot. The Echo Show 16 starts at $499.99, the Echo Studio with Home Camera costs $249.99, the Alexa Photo Frame starts at $199.99 and the Echo Time costs $199.99. Prices vary for some finishes and versions.
Which products are available now?
Amazon says the Echo Dot and Echo Time are available now, while the Echo Show 16 is open for preorder. The source announcement does not give a full availability schedule for every product.
When will Alexa Home Map launch?
Amazon says Alexa Home Map will start rolling out in preview later this year. It has not provided a specific date in the announcement.
What can the Echo Studio camera do?
Amazon says the camera can provide a live view of the room when the owner is away and let users ask Alexa questions about objects in front of it. Support for video calls through compatible Fire TVs is planned soon.
Source: theverge.com
