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If you were thinking your existing smart speaker setup was looking a little bit tired, then Amazon has some good news for you. The ecommerce giant has unveiled iterative updates to the Echo Dot and Plus range, grown the Echo Show by three inches, and unveiled a brand-new member of the Amazon Echo smart speaker family.
Starting with the iterative, the Echo Dot – Amazon’s “most popular voice-controlled speaker” – has had a design refresh and now comes with improved sound thanks to a new speaker. We’re not sure how much improved yet, but given the original Dot was designed to provide the bare minimum as support to your own speaker setup, that wouldn’t be hard. Thankfully, the new Dot can still be connected by 3.5mm audio jack or Bluetooth to another speaker.
The changes to the “All-new Echo Plus” are even harder to define. It’s slightly smaller than last year’s model, and has a larger 3in woofer with “increased back volume”, whatever that means. The new Plus also has a built-in temperature sensor, so you can set up temperature-based actions depending on how hot or cold it is in your one-bed flat in Peckham.
Then there’s the Echo Show. It’s been missing from the Amazon site for a few weeks now, and it wasn’t clear if a new model was on the way or if Bezos & Co were planning on quietly killing it. It turns out the former was correct, and the new model includes improved speakers for better sound, a new fabric design and – most importantly – an extra three inches of screen real estate, meaning it now boasts a 10in display. Of course, you can always go down the DIY route by using the Kindle Fire Echo dock instead.
So that’s the refreshes out of the way. The really interesting announcement is the arrival of the Echo Sub – which is a subwoofer, rather than a Submarine from the Blue Origin rocket division. Rather than being an Echo device in itself, the Echo Sub is an add-on for existing Echo or Echo Plus devices that adds “down-firing 100W deep bass through a 6in woofer.” Better still, if you combine it with two second-generation Echo or Echo Plus devices, you can turn it into a wireless 2.1 surround system, should you wish.
Finally, Amazon also revealed its own smart plug, which lets you control lights, coffee machines, fans or anything else via an Alexa-enabled device. In other words, it makes dumb devices smart, by flicking the power on or off at Alexa’s command.
When can we get our hands on Amazon’s new devices? Launching on 11 October in the UK, the new Dot will cost £50, the Plus will be £140, and the Echo Show will set you back £220. The Smart Plug and Sub also launch at that time, and you’ll be able to pick one up for £25 and £120.
