Amazon took to the stage in New York City today to unveil four new versions of its smart speaker and screen hardware, introducing the new Echo Dot Max, Echo Studio, Echo Show 8 and Echo Show 11.
All four were shown off by Amazon executives who used Alexa+, Amazon’s latest version of its Alexa AI voice assistant. But Alexa+ is not yet available in the UK, with no release date confirmed.
“The next generation of Echo hardware is built for the future of AI, making them ready for Alexa+, our assistant powered by generative AI, once available in the UK,” Amazon said.
As for the new hardware, the Echo Dot Max is a beefed up version of the very popular Echo Dot speaker and replaces the 2022 model, with a new design and improved audio. It looks like a mix between Apple’s HomePod Mini and the Death Star from Star Wars and includes a new temperature sensor and improved bass response.
You can also use it as an Eero mesh Wi-Fi extender, a handy feature if you’ve bought into the (Amazon-owned) Eero Wi-Fi ecosystem. It will cost £99.99.
“The first-ever Echo Dot Max features nearly three times the bass compared to Echo Dot (5th gen) with room-filling sound that automatically adapts to your space,” Amazon said.
“For the first time Echo Dot has been engineered from the ground up with two speakers. Echo Dot Max features a sophisticated two-way speaker system with a high-excursion woofer, optimised for deep bass, and a custom tweeter for crisp high notes.”
If you prefer your audio room-filling and party starting, Amazon also updated the Echo Studio, its competitor to Apple’s full fat HomePod. This version replaces the one from 2023 and looks like a larger Echo Dot Max and costs £219.99.
It has three drivers and a custom woofer designed to support spatial audio and Dolby Atmos as well as all your regular music streaming sources.
Alongside these speakers, Amazon also launched new Echo Show 8 and Show 11 smart screens, the numbers corresponding to the size of the displays in inches. They’ll sell for £179.99 and £219.99 respectively.
“The displays on the Echo Show 8 and Echo Show 11 combine in-cell touch and negative liquid crystal design to deliver an amazing viewing experience and ambient visuals that adapt to the environment,” Amazon said.
The screens have 13MP front facing cameras, making them ideal for video calls, though remember they are not tablets you can walk around with. They stay plugged into the mains.
Amazon’s new hardware looks more refined than previous Echo generations, particularly the Echo Shows, which gain a floating screen that sits on a rounded speaker. The screen no longer blocks said speaker, which is a long overdue change for this product line.
The Echo Dot Max uses the new AZ3 chip while the three other new products have the AZ3 Pro, which Amazon said allow for its new Omni Sense technology that gives the Echo line up better awareness, so they can still hear you talking to them even where there is a lot of background noise.
Amazon also announced Alexa Home Theatre, a software linking perk that’ll let you connect up to five Echo speakers to create a surround sound set up for your TV.
Amazon said all the new devices will be available to pre-order starting today, September 30.
The Echo Dot Max and Echo Studio will be available on 29 October, with the new Echo Show 8 and Echo Show 11 going on sale on 12 November. Hopefully we see Alexa+ released in the UK in time for the new devices to use it.
