Yes, round is still in when it comes to Amazon’s refreshed Echo smart speakers, with the high-end Echo Studio and the smaller Echo Dot both getting big Alexa+ makeovers at Amazon’s big fall hardware event in New York City.
Also on tap were new versions of Amazon’s Echo Show 8 and 11 displays, which chopped the chunky design of previous-generation Echo Shows in favor of slimmed-down screens mounted in front of oval-shaped rear speaker components.
Available for pre-order now, the new Echo devices pack Amazon’s new AZ3 and AZ3 Pro chips allowing for “on the edge” Alexa+ processing, ideal for getting speedier replies while enabling advanced sensors that allow the new Alexa to sense what’s going on in the immediate area.
First comes the new Echo Studio–pictured up top–that’s switching from its previous cylindrical look to a spherical design, same as the new Echo Dot Max.
Ben Patterson/Foundry
The Echo Studio ($219.99) crams three full-range drivers and a high-excursion woofer into its round shell, which is encased in a 3D-knit fabric and now boasts a “face” housing the volume and “action” buttons. As with the previous Echo Studio, both spatial audio and Dolby Atmos are on board.
Meanwhile, the Echo Dot Max lands with the same size and shape as the previous fifth-gen Echo Dot, with the new Echo Dot Max earning its name thanks to the including of two drivers rather than just one. So yes, double the drivers versus the older Dot, but also double the price: $99.99 rather than $49.99. Amazon is promising a completely revamped audio design with the revamped Echo Dot Max, and I’m eager to give it a listen (we didn’t get to hear the Echos in action during the hands-on demos).
Besides using them as stand-alone smart speakers, you can also pair up to five Echo Studios or Echo Dot Maxes to compatible Fire TV sticks for surround sound, with a new feature–Alexa Home Theater–slated to automatically calibrate the audio according to the shape of the room and the position of the speakers.
We also got to see two new Echo Show displays: the Echo Show 8 and 11, both with enticing and slimmed-down designs if missing some of the “wow” factor of the earlier Echo Show 10 incarnations.
Both the Echo Show 8 ($179.99) and Echo Show 11 ($219.99) come with slim displays mounted on oval-shaped audio and processing components, allowing the screens to appear as if they’re suspended in space.
You can tilt the displays up and down, as well as swivel them back and forth–and refreshingly, you can swivel the screens without needing to hold the base as you do so.
Ben Patterson/Foundry
It’s a pleasing design, but there’s no eye-popping feature like the motorized display offered by the third-generation Echo Show 10 that could follow you around the room. That motorized screen seemed like an ideal match for Alexa+, but alas, the screen swiveling is all manual with the latest Echo displays.
Still, the new Echo Shows do come with built-in 13-megapixel cameras, while the displays themselves offer in-cell touch and negative liquid designs for better viewing at wide angles.
The revamped Echo Studio and Echo Dot Max are set to ship October 29, while the Echo Show 8 and Echo Show 11 will arrive on November 12.