Amazon has introduced its latest lineup of Echo and Alexa+ devices – the Echo Dot, Echo Studio with Home Camera, and Echo Time.
Each of these new devices offer a smarter and more conversational Alexa and provide all-new home entertainment and communication experiences.
ECHO DOT – $199
Amazon’s best-selling speaker of all time now has a built-in smart home hub to support Zigbee, Matter, and Thread, which means it can connect to thousands of compatible devices and no separate complicated setup or hub is required.
And it has a built-in Eero Wi-Fi extender that can add up to 93 square metres of coverage to your current Eero network and fill in any dead spots in your home.
Powered by Amazon’s custom silicon, AZ3, the Echo Dot has faster and more natural conversations through Alexa Plus.
Also on board is a fourth microphone to help Alexa hear your voice even if you’re moving around the room or in the middle of a busy noisy environment.
On the audio side a redesigned driver offers 50 per cent more bass than the previous model so you can get a big sound out of a relatively small speaker.
ECHO STUDIO WITH HOME CAMERA – $479
Echo Studio is the best-sounding speaker in the Amazon lineup but it now has visual intelligence. The built-in 13 MP camera means Alexa Plus can see and understand what’s in front of you and help you in real time. For example, it can recognise a cereal box and reorder more or explain the rules of a board game.
And live view lets you check in on the room while you’re away. A dedicated button allows you to disable the camera and microphones whenever you need to, while a built-in LED turns on whenever the camera is streaming to the cloud.
And on the audio side customers can enjoy three custom drivers, a high-excursion woofer, and Dolby Atmos for a rich immersive 3D sound.
It also has advanced room adaptation and adaptive volume so that it tunes itself to the room it’s in so it will sound good anywhere.
amazon.com.au/echostudiowithcamera
ECHO TIME – $379
The Echo Dot is built differently to the regular Echo speakers that are best suited to the kitchen or the living room. The Echo Time is designed to sit on your bedroom table.
It has a camera-free design but includes a smart alarm clock with a customizable circular touchscreen.
There are hundreds of clock faces for you to choose from so it suits your space and style.
And with Alexa Plus it becomes a smart alarm that can even detect light sleep and wake you at a better moment so that you’re refreshed throughout the day.
The clock face at sunrise gradually brightens and the alarm tone builds in volume gently rather than jolting you out of your sleep.
Users can also pair Echo Time with smart lighting in their bedroom and as the alarm approaches a sunrise-inspired display can ease you into the day.
And in the evening, it even reduces blue light and dims to just display the time so it won’t disrupt your sleep.
