Yesterday Amazon held an Alexa devices event and launched a plenty of smart home appliances. From the event, it is pretty much clear that Amazon wants to take your home space with its “affordable smart appliances”. Our favorite Alexa smart speakers also got updated and the interesting part is the price remains the same.
I will be mostly covering the smart speakers in this post. If you are wondering what are the new smart devices announced in this event, the list below will help you along with their price.
| Device | Price |
|---|---|
| Echo Auto | $49.99 |
| Echo Input | $34.99 |
| New Echo Plus | $149.99 |
| Echo Sub | $129.99 |
| Second-generation Echo Show | $229.99 |
| AmazonBasics Microwave | $59.99 |
| Echo Wall Clock | $29.99 |
| Amazon Smart Plug | $24.99 |
| Ring Stick Up Cam | $179.99 |
Among all the devices, the Microwave and the Echo Wall clock is the most weirdest thing. With Amazon echo module Alexa is now able to communicate with the microwave. In the near future, you can see the Echo module in other third-party devices as well so that the Alexa can be the core controller of your home appliances.
Echo Dot 3rd Generation
Echo Dot is the famous smart speaker in the Amazon echo lineup. It is affordable, compact, and does a great job. Even I own a second generation Echo Dot. In a small room, it is loud and audible. The only thing the echo dot miss was the richness in the music. The third generation echo dot devices now have a 1.6-inch driver and Amazon claims it is now 70% louder than its predecessors.
You still have the Bluetooth connectivity and Aux cable option to link the echo dot with other speakers.
Design
The third generation Echo dot is completely redesigned. Instead of a plastic bottom, now you have a fabric material, just like the one you have seen in Apple HomePod. In the white color, it looks like an inverted Google Home mini.
As said before, you still have a 3.5 mm jack to connect a headphone and other speakers. Bluetooth options are of course there. Just like in the Apple HomePod now you can connect two or more Echo Dot devices to make a stereo effect. When you combine this stereo setup with Amazon Echo Subwoofers, you get a damn good sound effect.
The echo dot 3rd generation has four microphone setup. In the previous version it has seven microphone setup, but still, Alexa can hear you across the room. Pricing remains the same $49.99, you can pre-order it now and the shipping start from next month.
New Echo Plus 2018
The new Echo Plus looks almost similar to the HomePod, the only difference is the Echo device is slimmer and taller. You get the same fabric finish, as you see in the Echo Dot. you still have all the options in the previous version. Smart Hub option is also there for easier connectivity of smart appliances.
What’s New
Speaker and sound quality in the new Echo Plus is better than the previous year model. Now the Echo Plus devices have an inbuilt temperature sensor so you can ask the room temperature for a particular room.
The most important update which I personally love is the local voice. If your Alexa device is not connected to the internet, it still can communicate with your smart home devices. As of now, the Echo Plus supports only basic commands like switch on lights, its capability will be increased in the future updates.
Second Generation Echo Show
The biggest upgrade is for the echo show. Echo Show now rocks a 10-inch full HD display. With this now you can watch Youtube videos. In-built Amazon Silk browser helps you to browse the internet. Echo Show supports the Firefox browser as well so Firefox users will have a synchronized browsing experience. Amazon Prime member can easily access Prime Video and Prime music contents from the Echo Show.
The backside now has fabric finish instead of a plastic finish in the previous version. Eight array microphone system will detect your voice easily. The wedge size speakers at the back give excellent sound quality.
Should You Upgrade?
For the Echo show, the answer is definitely yes. The Echo Show has improved tremendously when compared to its first generation devices. For Echo Plus, except for the temperature sensors, nothing is new. Previous year Echo Plus itself had a nice speaker, so the need for update is less. In the case of Echo Dot, it is a definite yes to upgrade if you listen to music a lot. With the 3rd generation Echo Dot, now you have better speakers for the same price.
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