Amazon unveils five new Alexa-powered Echo devices for home: Check features

Amazon's latest lineup includes an AI-powered Echo Dot, a speaker with a home camera, a sleep-sensing smart clock, an Alexa-enabled photo frame and a redesigned Echo Show 16

Amazon has announced five new Alexa-powered devices which are designed for users to manage everyday tasks at home, including smart speakers, a bedside clock, a photo frame and a smart display. The new lineup includes the next-generation Echo Dot, Echo Studio with Home Camera, Echo Time, Alexa Photo Frame and the all-new Echo Show 16. According to Amazon, the new devices bring features such as on-device artificial intelligence (AI), smart home controls, sleep sensing, photo management and home monitoring.

 

Amazon has not yet announced India pricing and availability details.

Amazon’s Alexa-powered devices: What’s new

Echo Dot gets a built-in smart home hub

The next-generation Echo Dot includes a built-in smart home hub for connecting compatible devices such as lights, locks and thermostats. It also features a built-in eero Wi-Fi extender that can add up to 1,000 square feet of coverage to an existing network.

 

 

The speaker is powered by Amazon’s custom AZ3 silicon, which includes an AI accelerator for on-device AI. The chip is designed to improve conversational detection and filter background noise. Amazon said the new Echo Dot offers 50 per cent more bass than its predecessor, alongside clearer vocals for music, audiobooks and podcasts. 

Echo Studio adds a home camera

The Echo Studio with Home Camera combines a speaker with visual capabilities that allow Alexa to respond to its surroundings. Users can show Alexa a board game box to understand its rules, identify a cereal box to help reorder it, or check a room through the Alexa app while away from home.

 

As per the company, the speaker retains its high-excursion woofer and Dolby Atmos audio, with Advanced Room Adaptation adjusting sound to the room. Amazon also plans to let users pair the Echo Studio with Home Camera with compatible Fire TVs for video calling on a television screen.

Echo Time adds sleep sensing

Echo Time is a smart clock designed for bedside use, with a customisable display with camera. Users can choose from hundreds of clock faces, including analogue, modern, weather-themed and playful designs.

 

Its sleep-sensing technology, powered by Omnisense, can detect lighter sleep and wake users between 10 and 60 minutes before their scheduled alarm. The display gradually brightens to simulate a sunrise, while the alarm tone increases gently. 

Alexa Photo Frame 

The Alexa Photo Frame is designed to display photos from Amazon Photos, with pictures syncing automatically as new ones are taken. Alexa can select images based on factors such as smiles and seasons, while filtering out screenshots and other clutter.

 

Users can ask Alexa to display photos of a particular person, pet or trip. They can also browse images manually on the 10-inch anti-glare touchscreen. 

Echo Show 16 gets a larger display

The all-new Echo Show 16 features a 16-inch high-definition screen and offers 20 per cent more power for faster interactions, according to Amazon. The display is nearly 40 per cent thinner and provides 10 per cent more viewing area. A new Nanomatte option reduces glare by more than 90 per cent while retaining image detail and colour.

 

Users can customise the display to show family calendars, chores and meal plans, use it as a digital photo frame, or access a smart home dashboard. The new Alexa Home Map shows connected lights, locks, thermostats and cameras according to their locations in the home. The device also includes the full Fire TV experience.

 

The Echo Show 16 features Amazon’s camera on an Echo Show, with a wide field of view, auto-framing and night vision. Users can check Live View to monitor their homes during the day or at night.