Echo family reimagined, inside and out

Popular Amazon devices, Echo, Echo Dot, and Echo Dot with clock, feature all-new spherical designs and improved audio
Echo Show 10

Echo Show 10

There’s a new-look Echo family for fans of the Amazon devices, featuring enhanced audio, more powerful hardware, and experiences that make Alexa smarter, more engaging, and helpful. 

“These are the best Echo devices we have ever made,” country manager for Alexa and Devices, Australia and New Zealand, Kate Burleigh, said. “Echo and Echo Dot look beautiful and sound even better, and Echo Show 10 completely reimagines Alexa with a screen – simply move around and the display stays in view. It’s as natural as having a conversation. Plus, Alexa continues to get smarter – just ask to watch Netflix, make group calls, upgrade your smart home, and much more.” 

Echo

The next-generation Echo combines the best of Echo and Echo Plus into a single device. The all-new spherical design and fabric finish has a bright LED light ring at the base of the sphere that reflects off of surfaces for added visibility.

The new Echo also has a much better sound thanks to a 3.0-inch woofer, dual-firing tweeters, and Dolby processing that Amazon claims stereo sound with clear highs, dynamic mid levels, and deep bass.

EchoCredit: Amazon
Echo

As with Echo Studio, the new Echo automatically senses the acoustics the room and fine-tunes audio playback. 

For the first time, Echo comes with a built-in smart home hub, with support for Zigbee, and Bluetooth Low Energy. RRP –$149.

Echo Dot and Echo Dot with clock

The new Echo Dot has the same spherical design and fabric finish as Echo. It’s compact, but packs a 1.6-inch, front-firing speaker, producing crisp vocals and balanced bass. The new Echo Dot with clock, also comes with the same enhancements as the new Echo Dot, plus a simple LED display that shows time, temperature, timers, and alarms. The tap-to-snooze feature that has proved popular with Echo Dot will now also be available on Echo Dot and Echo. Echo Dot RRP – $79; Echo Dot with clock RRP – $99

Echo Dot with clockCredit: Amazon
Echo Dot with clock

Echo Show 10 

The latest Echo Show 10 is a complete reimagination of Alexa with a screen, and has been upgraded in every way. It features a 10-inch, adaptive HD display that automatically stays in view when you interact with Alexa– no matter where you are in the room. The new brushless motor is completely silent when Echo Show 10 rotates. 

Ask Alexa to make a video call without worrying about being out of frame –the new 13-megapixel wide-angle camera pans and zooms to keep the user at the center of the frame. With new Alexa Group Calling, Echo Show 10 owners can create a group of up to eight friends and family members, and simply say “Alexa, call my family.” 

As Echo Show 10 moves, so does its dual, front-firing tweeters and woofer, providing premium, directional sound. Echo Show 10 will also rotate as users  watch the news, flash briefings, or TV shows from ABC iview, or Prime Video. And, in the near future, users will be also able to watch Netflix simply by asking Alexa, with the ability to search, browse, and stream the entire catalog by voice. 

Echo Show 10Credit: Amazon
Echo Show 10

“Improving our member experience includes making Netflix available where people want it. We’re excited to partner with Amazon on bringing the Netflix experience that people know and love to Echo Show, making it easier for our members to browse their favourite shows and films using their voice,” Netflix partner engagement manager, Barry Smith, said.

Echo Show 10 uses advanced computer vision algorithms to help make a home smarter and more secure. A live feed can be securely accessed on Echo Show 10 from another Echo Show device, or the Alexa app. Users can remotely zoom or pan the display and camera to see the entire room or set up a routine that automatically turns on the lights when somebody enters the room. Its built-in smart home hub capabilities include support for Zigbee, and Bluetooth Low Energy for devices that stay connected and work well both inside and outside the home. 

As with all Alexa-enabled devices, Echo Show 10 is designed and built with privacy in mind. It uses a fusion of audio-based localisation and computer vision – all processed locally and securely on-device – to determine where you are and keep the screen facing you. All new Echo Show features will be available by the end of the year. RRP – $399

Sustainability Improvements

The new Echo devices are built with 100 per cent post-consumer recycled fabric, 100 per cent recycled die-cast aluminum, and post-consumer recycled plastic. All wood-fiber based materials used in Echo device packaging are made entirely from responsibly managed forests or recycled sources. In addition to using sustainable materials, the Echo devices also have a Low Power Mode to intelligently conserve energy during periods of inactivity, and deliver energy savings over the lifetime of the device. 

The devices can be pre-ordered here and leading retailers. They will ship later this year.