Amazon Reveals New Echo Lineup Designed for Alexa+

Amazon just announced new Echo speakers and smart displays during its much-anticipated hardware event. The new Echo devices are designed for Alexa+ and feature custom-designed chips and sensors, and a more premium design.

There are four new Echo devices in total, with the Echo Show 8 and Echo Show 11 smart displays, plus the new Echo Dot Max and Echo Studio speakers. They’re available to pre-order starting today in the US, and customers who get them will get Alexa+ Early Access out of the box.

New Echo Show 8 and Echo Show 11

Amazon’s new smart displays have been redesigned and now come with a large woofer on the back to complete the front-facing stereo speakers. Amazon also reduced the layers of lamination on the displays to maximize the viewing angle.

The new smart displays provide quick access to entertainment options, smart home controls, shopping, and health and wellness activities, thanks to a new integration with Oura devices. Alexa+ will also make it easy to manage smart home appliances, see event summaries from Ring camera feeds, and more.

“With the 13-megapixel camera, Alexa recognizes when you walk up to the device, greets you, and shows you the information you want. You can see Alexa’s more visual conversational responses, view your favorite photos, manage new color-coded family calendars, or get intelligent summaries of your Ring video footage—everything appears incredibly clear, sharp, and vibrant,” Amazon explained today.

The  Echo Show 8 will be available for $179.99, and the Echo Show 11 will be available for $219.99. Both devices are available for pre-order in the US today, and they will start shipping on November 12.

New Echo Dot Max and Echo Studio

The new Echo Dot Max and Echo Studio speakers have been redesigned and now feature controls on the front. The $219.99 Echo Studio is the most advanced Echo ever, with a custom woofer and support for spatial audio and Dolby Atmos. It’s also 40% smaller than the original model.

The Echo Dot Max, which is priced at $99.99, now features a double speaker system that delivers nearly 3x the bass compared to the previous model. Unfortunately, there’s no model with a built-in clock, but that had to be expected after Amazon discontinued the 5th-gen Echo Dot with clock last year.

Today, Amazon also announced Alexa Home Theater, which will work by connecting up to five Echo Studio or Echo Dot Max speakers with compatible Fire TV sticks to create a surround sound experience. “These Echo products will be available in Alexa Home Theater bundles, for the simplest way to get powerful, professional sound,” the company said today.

New Alexa+ partners

Amazon’s next-gen Alexa+ assistant will be coming to third-party speakers from Sonos and Bose, plus smart TVs from LG and Samsung. BMW also plans to integrate Alexa+ into its in-car experience.

Lastly, Amazon is planning to launch a new Alexa+ store where consumers will be able to find Alexa+ capabilities and add-ons. The list of partners Amazon announced today already includes Uber, Lyft, TaskRabbit, Fandango, OpenTable, Priceline, Yahoo Sports, Withings, Arby’s, and more.