Amazon has today introduced an all-new line-up of Echo devices that give you even more ways to add Alexa to your daily life—whether at home or on-the-go. Amazon also announced new Alexa features as well as new devices and services from eero and Ring. This is a really cool line up and stay tuned for our Echo Show 5 review soon. What is interesting here too is not Amazon have entered the true wireless game and something I cant wait to see in person along with the rest of the line-up of new gadgets. And no doubt you’ll hear people scream “privacy” with the news of all these gadgets.
New Echo devices announced today include:
- All-new Amazon Echo: Featuring an updated fabric design and even better sound, still only £89.99
- Echo Flex: Our most affordable way to add Alexa to any space in your home, this plug-in smart speaker is wireless and only £24.99
- Echo Dot with clock: This new option for Echo Dot includes a bright LED display that shows the time, outdoor temperature, timers, and alarms—only £59.99
- Echo Show 8: The latest addition to the Echo Show family with an 8-inch HD display, crisp and powerful sound, and a built-in camera cover for added peace of mind for £119.99
- Echo Studio: Our best-sounding Echo ever, with five directional speakers for immersive sound, room adaptation technology, and a built-in smart home hub for £189.99
- Echo Buds: Wireless earbuds with Bose Active Noise Reduction Technology and hands-free access to Alexa for £119.99.
“We love hearing feedback from customers about how they use Alexa throughout their day—whether that’s listening to music, dropping in on a loved one, trying out a new recipe or playing a game with the family,” said Jorrit Van der Meulen, Vice President, Amazon Devices International. “We hope these new Echo devices will give customers even more ways to access Alexa—whether that’s through the best-sounding Echo yet—Echo Studio, the reimagined Echo and Echo Dot, new designs like Echo Show 8 and Echo Flex, or new experiences for Alexa on-the-go with Echo Buds.”
New Additions to the Echo Family—Even More Ways to Add Alexa to Your Day
All-new Echo—Updated fabric design and even better sound, still only £89.99
The next-generation Echo features an updated fabric design with options suitable for any style—including Twilight Blue, Charcoal, Heather Grey, and Sandstone. Echo has the same audio architecture as Echo Plus, including a 3-inch woofer and increased back volume so that the bass feels stronger, and the mids and highs are clearer.
Echo Flex—A plug-in smart speaker with Alexa for £24.99
Echo Flex is the most affordable way to add Alexa to any space in your home. It plugs directly into a standard electrical outlet, making it perfect for those places in your home where cords can be a hassle like the hallway, garage or utility room. Simply ask Alexa to control compatible smart home devices, make an announcement, or check the score of a favourite sports team. Responses will come through the small speaker on the device that’s been optimised for Alexa’s voice. Echo Flex also has a built-in USB port so you can easily charge your phone or add an optional accessory, like a Smart Night Light or Motion Sensor, all while using only one outlet.
Echo Dot with clock—Now with a simple, bright LED display for £59.99
Echo Dot with clock starts with the best-selling Echo device ever, and adds a simple, bright LED display that makes it the perfect addition to a bedside table or countertop. The LED display automatically adjusts based on the brightness of the room, so you can easily see the time, just ask to see the outdoor temperature, or to set a morning alarm or pasta timer. Plus, you can tap the top of the device to conveniently snooze an alarm.
Echo Show 8—Versatile 8-inch HD display, crisp and powerful audio, and a camera with a built-in cover for £119.99.
Currently we are finalising our Echo show 5 and love it,its the best piece of tech on the market now for the money. See more on that here
With a vivid 8-inch HD display, crisp and powerful audio, and a built-in camera cover, Echo Show 8 is our most versatile smart display yet. Simply ask Alexa to play your favourite episodes of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel or Carnival Row on Prime Video. With the Echo Show 8’s integration with BBC Good Food, it’s easier than ever to find and cook along with your favourite meal recipes and, with WikiHow, you can access hundreds of how-to videos by voice—all you have to do is ask to see videos on how to meditate, cut up a mango or open a tight jar.
Echo Studio—Immersive 3D audio, pairs with select Fire TV devices for audio playback, and a smart home hub for only £189.99
With five built-in directional speakers, Echo Studio has been purposefully engineered to create premium sound with space, clarity, and depth. Its 5.25-inch woofer and 330W of peak power produces deep, rich bass by using the bass port at the bottom to maximise airflow and bass output from the woofer. Echo Studio has a 1-inch tweeter and three 2-inch midrange speakers that deliver dynamic midranges and crisp, high frequencies. Plus, it has a 24-bit DAC and a power amplifier with 100 kHz of bandwidth for high-res, lossless music playback, available via Amazon Music HD. Echo Studio also automatically senses the acoustics of your space and fine-tunes audio playback to deliver optimal sound—no matter where you put the device in the room.
Echo Studio is the first smart speaker to deliver an immersive three-dimensional (3D) audio experience using Dolby Atmos and Sony 360 Reality Audio. It brings listeners closer to their favourite artists and songs, allowing them to experience music the way that artists intended it. Universal Music Group, Warner Music Group, and Sony Music Entertainment are bringing a growing library of new music, current hits, and legendary tracks to these immersive formats. Native 3D music is only available on Echo Studio with an optional Amazon Music HD subscription, a new tier of the highest quality streaming audio available.
One or two Echo Studio devices can be paired with select Fire TV devices for audio playback with multi-channel sound and support for Dolby Atmos, Dolby Audio™ 5.1, and stereo audio. Echo Studio also has a built-in Zigbee smart home hub, which can be used to control compatible smart home devices—making it the perfect addition to your family or living room.
Echo Buds—Truly wireless earbuds with Bose Active Noise Reduction technology and hands-free access to Alexa for £119.99
Designed for wherever your day leads you, Echo Buds are an easy way to access Alexa hands-free while on-the-go. Each earbud has two outer microphones and one inner microphone that work together to reduce ambient noise so Alexa can hear you whether you’re walking to work, on your lunch break, or carrying your shopping home on the train. All you have to do is ask to hear your favourite playlist, check your calendar, or order an Uber.
Echo Buds have two premium, balanced armature drivers in each earbud—the driver design is inspired by in-ear monitors used by professional musicians, to deliver crisp, clear vocals and dynamic bass. This design makes Echo Buds perfect for listening to your favourite music, Audible book, podcast, or radio station. Plus, with Bose Active Noise Reduction Technology, you can choose to minimise the noise around you. If you’re in a crowded coffee shop or working in an open office space, double tap either earbud to turn Active Noise Reduction on. When you are walking down a busy street or at the train station—places where you want to hear the world around you— double tap either earbud again to turn Pass-through mode on.
Echo Buds come with three different sized ear tips and wing tips for a secure fit that you can wear throughout your day. Each earbud is sweat resistant and IPX4-rated to withstand splashes or light rain. And with one full charge, Echo Buds have up to five hours of music playback or four hours of call time. The included charging case holds up to three additional charges, which means 15 additional hours of music playback or 12 hours of call time. Echo Buds connect to Alexa through the Alexa app on your mobile device and use your existing device’s data plan to access a range of features such as music, navigation via Google maps, calling, and more. You can also tap and hold your Echo Buds to access your phone’s native voice services—Siri or Google Assistant.
New Alexa Features
Alongside a new lineup of Echo devices, Amazon today announced ways that Alexa is getting smarter, making life more convenient and giving customers even more control over their experience.
Alexa can Recommend Routines
Customers around the world regularly use routines to execute multiple smart home commands with a single utterance, and now Alexa is able to recommend routines that you may want to set up based on your daily habits. For example, if a customer sets their alarm for 6 AM and then immediately ask for the weather every day, Alexa will suggest setting up a routine so that the alarm is always set and the weather plays as soon as it goes off. When Alexa asks if you would like a routine set-up, just say “yes,” and the routine is ready to go.
Alexa can tell you about her responses
Alexa will soon offer two new voice-based features that provide customers with more transparency over the responses they get. If a customer is curious to understand what Alexa heard when you asked her to tell you the news or play a specific song, customers will be able to say, “Alexa, tell me what you heard” and Alexa will read back your most recent voice request. You will also be able to ask, “Alexa, why did you do that?” and Alexa will provide a short explanation about her response to your last voice request. This feature will be rolling out in the coming weeks.
Additional control for customers—Auto-Delete Voice Recordings
Alexa and Echo devices are built with multiple layers of privacy protections. Earlier this year Amazon introduced the ability for customers to say, “Alexa, delete everything I said today,” and “Alexa, delete what I just said” to make it easier for customers to delete their recordings. Today we’re taking it one step further with Auto-delete. Available later this year, customers will be able to choose to have their voice recordings older than three or 18 months automatically deleted on an ongoing basis. This feature will be available in addition to the ability to access and delete utterances individually, or all at once, which customers have today.
Availability
The all-new Amazon Echo, Echo Flex, Echo Dot with clock, Echo Show 8 and Echo Studio are available for pre-order starting today and will start shipping to UK customers later this year. Echo Buds will be available in the UK later this year and customers can sign up at www.amazon.co.uk/echobuds to be notified when they become available.
The new devices announced today join Echo Dot, Echo Plus, Echo Show, Echo Show 5 and Echo companion devices to create the Echo family of devices. Amazon also introduced new Alexa features that will soon roll out to Echo devices. Read more about today’s news at www.amazon.co.uk/AmazonDevices.
