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Along with speaker and Echo Show upgrades, Amazon unveiled a smart alarm clock and photo frame.
Apple isn't the only major tech company announcing new devices this week. Amazon has a bunch of new and updated products to show off as well. The company has been dripfeeding its reveals over the last several weeks, and now it's announcing its latest Echo devices.
Along with updated Echo speakers and a revamped Echo Show 16, there are some brand new devices in the mix. Echo Time is a smart alarm clock, while the Alexa Smart Frame is a way for you to show off family photos (and ask questions to an AI assistant, if you want). The company also has a new Echo Studio speaker with a camera.
Here's a peek at all the Echo devices Amazon announced today.
Amazon says it refreshed the Echo Dot with an upgraded speaker. There's an extra beamform microphone, which brings the total in the device to four, while the company says it updated the noise reduction algorithm, so the speaker should be able to more easily understand your Alexa commands.
The Echo Dot now has an AZ3 chip that's said to allow for "faster, more natural conversations with Alexa+." Voice ID can recognize the user for personalized features like access to their own playlists.
This speaker can function as a smart home hub, with support for devices that use the Zigbee, Thread and Matter standards. In addition, it can act as a Wi-Fi extender for Eero routers.
The new Echo Dot is available today. It comes in one of four colors (graphite, glacier white, agave green and coral pink) and it costs $99. A kids version comes with a year of access to Kids+ and Sleep Studio services like Calm. This model (which is available in designs called octopus and penguin) costs $110.
There's an updated version of another of Amazon's speakers, the Echo Studio. This new model has a camera built in. Amazon says the camera won't record footage. Instead, it acts as a way for you to get a live view of what's going on in your home, such as to see what your pets are up to while you're out.
The camera supports face recognition, which is used for personalization (in similar fashion to Apple's HomeView). There's Voice ID support as well. You can also access Alexa+ visual intelligence features and ask the assistant questions based on what the camera can see.
Perhaps the most interesting thing about the camera is that it can help tune audio through a feature called Advanced Room Adaptation. It uses Omnisense to detect how many people are in the space then adapt the audio for them and the acoustics of the room. The tool can also automatically adjust the volume based on where you are at a given moment.
Moreover, the Echo Studio with Camera can be used as part of an Alexa Home Theater system. The device costs $250 and an optional stand is $40. The regular Echo Studio remains available.
Next up is something new, the Alexa Photo Frame. As you might imagine, this is a smart picture frame. Amazon says it designed this to be subtle and look like a normal photo frame.
The Alexa Photo Frame starts at $200 for a model with a black frame. If you'd prefer one with a real birch or walnut frame, you'll need to fork over $229.
Also new is Echo Time, a device that has zero chance of replacing my beloved Alarmo. It's a smart alarm clock that's supposed to help folks sleep better via an array of wind-down and wake-up features.
Amazon says Echo Time has an ultrasonic transducer that can detect when you're sleeping. It uses light to help wake you up on a schedule that's attuned to your circadian rhythm. So, if you tell Alexa+ you need to be awake by a certain time, the clock can detect when you're in a lighter part of your sleep cycle and start rousing you then (anywhere between 10 and 60 minutes before you've gotta get up). There are a range of alarm tones to choose from too.
There's no camera in the Echo Time, which has hundreds of clock faces available. The 2.3-inch, circular screen can drop to under 0.3 nits of brightness, so it shouldn't disturb you at night.
Echo Time is available today and it costs $199. The color options are graphite, glacier white and coral pink.
A kids version includes Sleep Studio, a year of Kids+ access and different clock face options. It's available in grape and cosmic lime designs, and it costs $210. Parents can manage their kid's Echo Time.
Last but not least is the latest Echo Show. The Echo Show 16 is said to be 40 percent thinner with bezels that are 80 percent thinner than previous models. Amazon says there's a Nanomatte option available for the 16-inch display. This features the same anti-glare tech it used for the Amazon Alexa Tablet Pro 12.
There are several Screen Styles you can switch between, namely a family organizer, photo frame, Fire TV interface and a smart home hub. The latter offers a new feature called Alexa Home Map. It can use cameras to map your house and show where various devices are, which could help you control and manage smart home devices. Omnisense tech can detect when you enter the room and adjust things like the thermostat automatically.
The device will organize all of your Alexa conversations into cards to help you revisit topics that you've discussed with the assistant. These are arranged by topic and you can pin cards for easy access. These are also available on the Alexa app and website.
On the audio front, the Echo Show 16 boasts four beamform microphones, eight woofers and two tweeters. Amazon says the 13MP camera is the most advanced one it's ever included in this product line — it can seemingly recognize users from up to 17 feet away. This is the first Echo Show with night vision support too. There's a button that can disable the camera and mics.
Pre-orders for the Echo Show 16 open today and the device will ship by the end of the year. The standard model costs $500 and one with a Nanomatte display will run you $570. If you pre-order an Echo Show 16, you'll get a $100 discount.
The Echo Show 16 is primarily designed to be hung on walls, though you can snap up a regular stand for $70. A stand that can tilt and swivel costs $125.