Amazon launches four Echo devices powered by Alexa Plus: Check details

Amazon's new Echo lineup pairs custom silicon and sensor fusion with Alexa Plus to enable proactive, on-device AI in select markets

Amazon has launched four Echo devices purpose-built to run its next-generation assistant, Alexa Plus. The lineup includes two speakers — Echo Dot Max and Echo Studio — and two smart displays — Echo Show 8 and Echo Show 11. Amazon says the products use new custom silicon (AZ3 and AZ3 Pro) and an “Omnisense” sensor-fusion platform to enable on-device processing, improved wake-word detection, and context-aware routines. Notably, Amazon unveiled these products last month, and some of them are now available for purchase in select markets, whereas the availability for some will begin on November 12. However, Amazon has not specified the timeline for these products’ availability in India.

 

In a press release, Amazon has also stated that buyers of any new Echo will receive Early Access to Alexa Plus out of the box; several software and service integrations (Alexa Plus Store, third-party partners, Ring, and Oura) were announced alongside the hardware.

 

New Amazon Echo devices: Availability

• Echo Dot Max: Now available for purchase in select markets, Indian availability not yet announced.
• Echo Studio: Now available for purchase in select markets, Indian availability not yet announced.
• Echo Show 8 and Show 11: Will be available for purchase starting November 12 onwards, India availability not yet announced.

AZ3, AZ3 Pro and Omnisense: Details

Amazon says the new Echo hardware is built around two custom chips, AZ3 (used in Echo Dot Max) and AZ3 Pro (used in Echo Studio, Echo Show 8 and Echo Show 11). According to Amazon, AZ3 improves conversation detection and microphone performance, increasing wake-word detection accuracy by over 50 per cent. AZ3 Pro is described as adding support for larger on-device language and vision models.

 

Amazon also introduced Omnisense, a combined sensor platform that aggregates data from the 13-megapixel camera (on Echo Show models), audio, ultrasound, Wi-Fi channel state information (CSI), accelerometer, and other inputs. According to the company, Omnisense is intended to enable context-aware and proactive experiences — for example, recognising a person at the device to trigger a routine or sending an alert if a door is left open after a set time.

Echo Dot Max: Details

Price: $99.99

• Hardware: First Echo Dot model designed with a two-way speaker system (high-excursion woofer plus tweeter) and an integrated housing that Amazon says increases internal air space for deeper bass. Amazon claims “nearly 3× the bass” compared with the Echo Dot (5th gen).
• Audio: According to the company, it has been designed to adapt to room acoustics and deliver “room-filling” sound; intended as a compact speaker with stronger low-end performance than prior Dot models.
• Software: Includes Alexa Plus Early Access and the Omnisense/AZ3 capabilities for improved wake-word detection and ambient interactions.

Echo Studio: Details

Price: $219.99

• Hardware: Redesigned Echo Studio is described as roughly 40 per cent smaller than the original Studio and uses a high-excursion woofer plus three full-range drivers. Fabric is knit in 3D for acoustic transparency, per Amazon.
• Audio: Supports spatial audio and Dolby Atmos. Amazon positions the speaker for larger, room-filling sound in a smaller enclosure.
• Multi-speaker setups: Amazon says users will be able to link up to five Echo Studio or Echo Dot Max units with compatible Fire TV sticks to create a multi-speaker home theatre via a feature named Alexa Home Theater; the company says Alexa will automatically tune the system to the room.

Echo Show 8 and Echo Show 11: Details

Price: $179.99 for the Echo Show 8, and $219.99 for the Echo Show 11

• Display: Both smart displays use an in-cell touch panel. Amazon says the displays are higher density and are optimised for clearer viewing across lighting conditions.
• Camera: Both smart displays sport a 13MP camera. According to the company, the camera is capable of person recognition and triggering content-aware actions.
• Audio: Each model includes front-facing stereo speakers and a custom woofer. Amazon describes the audio architecture as aimed at front-directed, room-filling sound.
• Alexa Plus features on display: New UI elements include an entertainment media control centre, an Alexa Plus Home view that aggregates smart home controls and Ring video summaries, and colour-coded family calendars for scheduling. Each Show model also acts as a local smart-home hub with support for Zigbee, Matter, and Thread.
• Health and partners: Amazon announced an Oura integration for optional wellness data and said it plans further partner integrations (Withings, Wyze) to expand health metrics. Amazon states that health data handling follows its privacy practices.

Alexa Plus Store, integrations and ecosystem

Amazon said it will launch an Alexa Plus Store as a single place to discover Alexa Plus capabilities, third-party services, and subscriptions. The company listed third-party service partners that will appear in the store such as TaskRabbit, Fandango, Priceline, Uber, Lyft, Thumbtack, Grubhub, Yahoo Sports, and said device makers such as Bose, Sonos, LG, Samsung, and BMW will add Alexa Plus to selected products.

 

Amazon also highlighted compatibility with services such as Amazon Music, Amazon Kids Plus and Alexa Emergency Assist. Amazon noted that feature availability varies by device and location.