Stephen Schenck / Android Authority
TL;DR
- Amazon has unveiled its latest Echo devices: the Echo Dot Max, Echo Studio, Echo Show 8, and Echo Show 11.
- The Echo Dot Max features a new custom-designed chip called the AZ3, while the other three devices have the more advanced AZ3 Pro.
- All four devices are available for pre-order, and owners will get Alexa Plus early access out of the box.
Today, Amazon held its highly anticipated hardware event, where it made several announcements. Among those announcements was the unveiling of the company’s next-generation smart speakers and displays. What’s new with Amazon’s revamped Echo devices? We’ll break that all down for you below.
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During today’s event, Amazon revealed four new Echo devices: the Echo Dot Max, Echo Studio, Echo Show 8, and Echo Show 11. For these devices, the e-commerce giant custom-designed two chips — AZ3 and AZ3 Pro — meant to help run the company’s AI. The Echo Dot Max was given the AZ3, which Amazon says powers the microphone array, supports free-flowing conversations with Alexa Plus, and filters out background noise and improves Alexa’s ability to detect wake-words by over 50%. Meanwhile, the rest of the new product line has the AZ3 Pro chip, which adds support for language models and vision transformers on top of the capabilities of the AZ3.
On top of the new silicon, these devices will have Omnisense. As Amazon explains, Omnisense is a custom sensor platform designed for ambient AI, allowing Alexa to act intelligently to events around the home. For example, with this tech, Alexa can send you a reminder when a specific person walks into the room. Or the assistant can alert you if the garage door is unlocked after a certain time.
Echo Dot Max
Stephen Schenck / Android Authority
The Echo Dot Max is a brand new Echo device that Amazon says has three times the bass of the Echo Dot (5th gen). Along with that extra bass is a two-way speaker system with a high-excursion woofer and custom tweeter, a first for the Echo Dot line. The company has also eliminated the separate speaker module, building the speaker directly into the housing.
Echo Studio
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As for the new Echo Studio, Amazon managed to shrink the smart speaker by 40% compared to the original. This device features a high-excursion woofer and three full-range drivers. You should be able to get full, immersive sound out of this hardware. It also offers spatial audio and Dolby Atmos support.
Amazon adds that you’ll be able to connect up to five Echo Studio or Max Dot devices with a compatible Fire TV stick. These devices will also be available in Alexa Home Theater bundles.
Echo Show 8 and Echo Show 11
Stephen Schenck / Android Authority
The final two Echo products are the Echo Show 8 and the larger Echo Show 11. Amazon has revamped the displays on these devices, combining in-cell touch and a negative liquid crystal design. The company says this allowed it to reduce layers of lamination, maximize the viewing angle, and improve clarity. You also get a 13MP camera and new audio architecture (front-facing stereo speakers, full-range drivers, and a custom woofer).
On top of the hardware improvements, Amazon is giving these devices a few new features:
- Entertainment: A new media control center where you can browse music, ambient sounds, podcasts, and books in dedicated pages. This hub will also let you play content with a single tap and manage playback across multiple devices.
- Alexa Plus Home: A new smart home experience to control all your connected devices, see event summaries from your Ring camera feeds, and more.
- Home Organization: Calendars are now color-coded and Alexa can help manage scheduling conflicts, organize your to-do lists, and suggest actions based on its capabilities.
- Shopping Essentials: A new Alexa Plus shopping widget where you can keep track of your deliveries, reorder products, and look at product information.
- Health and wellness: You can connect your Oura account to have Alexa provide personalized suggestions. For example, you could have Alexa suggest a quick workout based on your schedule or nudge you when you’re nearing your optimal sleep window. Amazon says it will be adding more partners soon, like Withings and Wyze.
Availability
All four Echo devices are available for pre-order starting today. The Echo Dot Max and Echo Studio will set you back $99.99 and $219.99, respectively. These devices will go up for sale on October 29.
You can expect to pay $179.99 for the Echo Show 8 and $219.99 for the Echo Show 11. General availability for both products will open up on November 12. Amazon adds that US customers will get Alexa Plus early access out of the box with any purchase of these new devices.
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