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Amazon announced six Echo and smart home products and features on Wednesday, including an upgraded Echo Show 16, a smart-home-hub Echo Dot and a camera-equipped Echo Studio. Several devices are available to preorder or buy now; Alexa Home Map is planned for a preview later this year.
Amazon announced six Echo and smart home updates on Wednesday, adding new speakers, displays and an alarm clock alongside a feature for mapping connected devices in the home. The lineup includes products available to buy or preorder now, while the Alexa Home Map is expected to arrive in preview later this year.
The largest screen in the group is the updated Echo Show 16, with a 16-inch display in an anodized aluminum frame that Amazon says is nearly 40 percent thinner than its predecessor. It adds an optional Nanomatte finish to reduce glare, a 13-megapixel wide-angle camera and updated audio with micro woofers and two tweeters. Amazon says the device has 20 percent more computing power and an upgraded Omnisense platform that can support routines based on room temperature or presence. It is available to preorder for $499.99, or $569.99 with Nanomatte.
The new Alexa Photo Frame is a 10-inch touchscreen that syncs with Amazon Photos. Amazon says Alexa Plus can select pictures based on who appears in them, when they were taken and their sentiment; owners can also choose people or request specific images. Prices start at $199.99 for a black frame, with birch and walnut versions at $229.
Amazon’s upgraded Echo Dot adds a built-in smart home hub, Omnisense sensing, four microphones, the company’s AZ3 chip and an Eero Wi-Fi extender. Amazon says its new full-range driver produces 50 percent more bass than the previous generation. It is available for $99.99 in four colors. The Echo Studio with Home Camera adds a camera for viewing a room remotely and asking Alexa about objects in view. Amazon gave examples including asking about a board game or identifying a cereal box. The speaker costs $249.99; an optional stand is $39.99.
The Echo Time is a smart alarm clock with a 3.2-inch circular touchscreen. Its optional smart alarm can wake a user 10 to 60 minutes before the set time, using temperature and presence data to choose when, according to Amazon. It costs $199.99; the Kids Echo Time starts at $209.99, and an adjustable stand costs $39.99. Separately, Alexa Home Map will create an interactive 3D view of a home and its connected devices. Amazon says users can build a map by entering their address, scanning rooms with a compatible iPhone and placing devices on the map.
More Echo Devices, More Home Control
The announcements extend Alexa’s role beyond voice commands and individual speakers. The Echo Dot’s built-in hub is designed to control compatible devices without a separate hub, while the Home Map would bring supported lights, locks, thermostats, cameras, Echo devices and Fire TV into a visual interface. For households with many connected products, that could offer another way to find and manage them.
The additions also bring new kinds of sensing and cameras into everyday devices. Amazon describes temperature and presence detection as tools for automated routines and a more flexible alarm time. The Echo Studio’s camera, meanwhile, enables remote viewing and image-based questions. Those capabilities may be useful, but they also make privacy settings and control over camera access relevant considerations for buyers. The source report does not detail how those controls work.
Prices span from $99.99 for the Echo Dot to $569.99 for the Nanomatte Echo Show 16. That range makes the announcement a mix of a lower-priced speaker upgrade and more specialized devices, rather than a single new flagship product.
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Six Announcements in One Hardware Push
The Verge reported the lineup as part of a string of Amazon fall announcements, with Wednesday’s news focused mainly on new Echo speakers and displays, plus smart home features. The six updates are the Echo Show 16, Alexa Photo Frame, upgraded Echo Dot, Echo Studio with Home Camera, Echo Time and Alexa Home Map.
Amazon’s Omnisense platform appears in more than one product in this group. The company says it can use environmental and presence signals to support features such as room-based routines and the Echo Time’s optional wake window. The announcements describe the intended functions, but do not provide independent testing or performance results.
Availability differs across the lineup. Amazon lists the Echo Dot and Echo Time as available now and the Echo Show 16 for preorder; the source report also gives current prices for the Photo Frame and camera-equipped Studio. The Home Map, by contrast, is a planned preview feature, not a feature reported as generally available.
“The Echo Dot’s new full-range driver provides “50 percent more bass” than the previous generation.”
— Amazon, as reported by The Verge
Rollout Details Still Pending
Amazon has not provided a precise launch date in the source report for the Alexa Home Map preview, which it says is planned for later this year. The feature is expected on iOS through the Alexa Home Map, Alexa and Ring apps, as well as on larger Echo Show devices, the Ember Artline Fire TV and new Alexa Tablets. The report does not say which regions will receive the preview first.
Several product descriptions rely on Amazon’s own claims, including the Echo Show’s thinner frame and camera field of view, the Dot’s bass improvement and the alarm’s ability to identify a lighter sleep period. The report does not include independent test results. It also does not explain the full privacy controls, storage practices or user permissions for the Studio camera, Photo Frame’s image selection or Home Map’s room scans and live animations.
Availability is not equally clear for every product: the report identifies some items as available or open for preorder but does not give a shipping date for each. Buyers should check Amazon’s current listings for delivery timing and feature availability.
Home Map Preview Later This Year
The next stated milestone is the Alexa Home Map preview later this year. Amazon says it will be available through iOS apps and on selected larger-screen devices, but has not announced an exact date in the reported material. Product availability and delivery dates should become clearer through Amazon’s store listings.
For now, the Echo Show 16 is open for preorder, and Amazon lists the Echo Dot and Echo Time as available today. The Photo Frame and Echo Studio with Home Camera have listed prices, while the report does not specify a shipping timetable for every device. Further details about regional rollout, privacy controls and compatibility may emerge as the products and preview reach users.
Key Questions
What did Amazon announce?
Amazon announced six updates: the Echo Show 16, Alexa Photo Frame, upgraded Echo Dot, Echo Studio with Home Camera, Echo Time and Alexa Home Map.
How much does the new Echo Dot cost?
The updated Echo Dot costs $99.99. Amazon says it includes a smart home hub, an Eero Wi-Fi extender and a driver with 50 percent more bass than the previous generation.
When will Alexa Home Map be available?
Amazon says the feature will begin rolling out in preview later this year. The report does not give an exact date or specify the initial regions.
What does the Echo Studio camera do?
Amazon says the camera can provide a livestream of a room when the owner is away and let users ask Alexa questions about objects in view. The company also said the device will soon connect with compatible Fire TVs for video calls on a larger screen.
Which new devices are available now?
The source report lists the Echo Dot and Echo Time as available today and the Echo Show 16 as open for preorder. It provides prices for the Photo Frame and Echo Studio with Home Camera, but does not give a shipping timetable for every item.
Source: theverge.com
