Amazon has announced four new Echo devices designed specifically for its advanced AI assistant, Alexa+. The new lineup includes the Echo Dot Max, Echo Studio, Echo Show 8, and Echo Show 11, all featuring new custom-designed silicon and enhanced sensor technology for more proactive and personalized user interactions.
Key Takeaways
- Amazon introduced four new smart devices: Echo Dot Max, Echo Studio, Echo Show 8, and Echo Show 11.
- These devices are built to leverage the capabilities of Alexa+, Amazon's next-generation conversational AI.
- New custom silicon chips, AZ3 and AZ3 Pro, power faster on-device processing and improved sensor integration.
- The Echo Dot Max is priced at $99.99, Echo Studio at $219.99, Echo Show 8 at $179.99, and Echo Show 11 at $219.99.
- All new devices are available for pre-order and will include early access to Alexa+.
New Hardware for a Smarter Assistant
Amazon's latest hardware release is centered on enhancing the user experience for Alexa+, its more conversational and capable AI assistant. The company reports that early users of Alexa+ are interacting with the assistant more than twice as often as with the standard version, engaging in deeper conversations and relying on it for a wider range of tasks.
To support this advanced AI, the new Echo devices incorporate significant upgrades in processing power and sensing capabilities. This allows for more computations to happen directly on the device, reducing latency and improving privacy for certain tasks.
The Evolution of Alexa
Since the first Amazon Echo launched in 2014, the device has created and defined the smart speaker category. The introduction of Alexa+ represents a shift from a simple command-based assistant to a more proactive and conversational AI, driven by advancements in large language models and generative AI.
Custom Silicon and Advanced Sensors
At the core of the new Echo lineup are two custom-designed chips, the AZ3 and AZ3 Pro. These processors include a new AI Accelerator designed for on-device machine learning models. The Echo Dot Max uses the AZ3 chip to improve conversation detection, making interactions more natural.
According to Amazon, this new chip improves the device's ability to hear the wake-word by over 50%, even with significant background noise. The Echo Studio, Echo Show 8, and Echo Show 11 are equipped with the more powerful AZ3 Pro chip, which adds support for advanced language and computer vision models.
Complementing the new silicon is a sensor platform called Omnisense. This system integrates data from multiple sources, including the 13-megapixel camera on the Echo Show devices, microphones, ultrasound, Wi-Fi radar, and an accelerometer. This fusion of sensor data enables Alexa+ to understand the context of its environment and act proactively, such as providing a reminder when a specific person enters a room or alerting a user if the garage door is left open late at night.
Upgraded Smart Speakers for Premium Audio
Echo Dot Max
The first-ever Echo Dot Max, priced at $99.99, introduces a two-way speaker system to the Dot family. It features a dedicated woofer for bass and a tweeter for high notes, delivering nearly three times the bass of the previous Echo Dot generation. The sound system has been re-engineered, integrating the speaker directly into the housing to increase air space for richer bass.
The Echo Dot Max is the first device in the Dot series to feature two separate speakers, a high-excursion woofer and a custom tweeter, for a more detailed audio experience.
Echo Studio
The new Echo Studio has been redesigned to be 40% smaller than its predecessor, with a modern spherical shape. Priced at $219.99, it houses a large woofer and three full-range drivers for immersive sound. The device supports advanced audio formats like spatial audio and Dolby Atmos, creating a surround sound effect from a single speaker.
For a complete home theater system, users can connect up to five Echo Studio or Echo Dot Max devices with a compatible Fire TV Stick. The Alexa Home Theater feature automatically configures and tunes the speakers to the room's acoustics.
Smart Displays with Enhanced Visuals and Functionality
Amazon has also updated its smart displays with the new Echo Show 8 and Echo Show 11. Both devices feature high-definition displays with over a million pixels, using a design that reduces layers to improve viewing angles and clarity in various lighting conditions.
The 13-megapixel camera allows Alexa to recognize when a user approaches the screen, displaying personalized information. The audio architecture has also been upgraded with front-facing stereo speakers and a custom woofer to support room-filling spatial audio.
The user interface on these new devices has been organized into several key areas:
- Entertainment: A central hub for managing music, podcasts, and audiobooks across multiple devices.
- Alexa+ Home: A unified dashboard for controlling smart home devices. Both displays include a built-in hub supporting Zigbee, Matter, and Thread standards.
- Home Organization: New color-coded family calendars and task management features that allow Alexa to assign and suggest actions.
- Shopping Essentials: A widget to track Amazon and Whole Foods orders, reorder items, and get product recommendations.
Health and Wellness Integration
Amazon is partnering with health and wellness companies, starting with Oura. Users who connect their Oura account can receive personalized suggestions from Alexa, such as workout reminders or notifications about their optimal sleep window. The company has stated that this data is handled with strict privacy standards and plans to add more partners like Withings and Wyze soon.
Ecosystem Expansion and Availability
To make it easier for users to find compatible services, Amazon is launching a new Alexa+ Store. This will be a central location to discover and enable skills and services from brands like Fandango, Uber, and GrubHub. The company also announced that partners including Bose, Sonos, LG, Samsung, and BMW will be integrating Alexa+ into their own products.
All four new Echo devices are available for pre-order now. The Echo Dot Max and Echo Studio will begin shipping on October 29, while the Echo Show 8 and Echo Show 11 will be released on November 12. Customers in the U.S. who purchase any of the new devices will receive early access to Alexa+.
