• Google is officially retiring its range of Nest Audio speakers
• That includes the Google Nest Audio and the Google Nest Mini
• They’ll be replaced by the Google Home Speaker when it launches shortly

It’s fair to say that there’s a lot of expectation around the Google Home Speaker — after all, it’s the company’s first smart speaker in six years and we’ve been waiting since its August 2025 announcement for it to arrive. But its launch next week spells bad news for the Google Nest Audio range, as we’ve just heard that it’s finally being sent off to retirement.

Speaking to Tech Advisor, a Google spokesperson said: “As we continue to build the future of the smart home, we are refining our portfolio of Google Home and Nest devices. As part of this evolution, we have ended production of the Google Nest Mini and Google Nest Audio.”

Yes, that means both the Nest Mini and the Nest Audio are out of stock on the Google online store and instead redirect to the page for the Home Speaker. Not only that, but Google is apparently phasing out the Nest branding for its speakers and displays, with Home taking its place.

Interestingly, Google Gemini for Home — the tech giant’s artificial intelligence (AI) model tailored for smart home usage — is compatible with all existing Google speakers and displays, meaning it will continue to work just fine on Google Nest audio devices.

What this news means for you

It’s not all bad news for Google Nest speaker owners. Google said it remains “deeply committed to our smart home ecosystem and to the millions of people who use our products every day.” To that end, “Existing Nest Mini and Nest Audio devices will continue to be fully supported with regular software updates, security patches, and customer care,” the company added.

With Gemini for Home still working on Nest products, you’re not missing out if you already own one of these speakers, at least from an AI standpoint. And while Google’s online stores no longer stock the Nest Mini and Nest Audio, you can still find them at third-party retailers.

But considering the age of the Nest Mini and Nest Audio — they first launched in 2017 and 2020, respectively, with neither device being updated since the latter date — it’s perhaps unsurprising that Google has finally called time on these speakers. With the Google Home Speaker set to land any day now, we’ll soon see if their replacement is up to scratch.

• Google has confirmed the launch of its new Google Home Speaker
• You can pre-order now, with the device expected to ship from June 25
• The speaker comes with basic Gemini features, but you'll need a Google Home Premium subscription to use advanced tools

Since Google first teased its next smart speaker back in August 2025, we’ve been keeping an eye on all the latest rumors around the new Gemini-powered Google Home Speaker —and now its official launch date has finally been confirmed.

Pe-orders for Google's first smart speaker in six years, which will replace the company’s Nest Audio, and Nest Mini, are open now. According to the Google Home Speaker pre-order page, shipping will commence on June 25.

The new Google Home Speaker is priced at $99.99 / £99.99 / AU$199, and comes in four colors: Jade, Berry, Porcelain, and Hazel. All four of those shades are available in the US, but Porcelain and Hazel are the only options for users in the UK and Australia.

Google has been keeping us on our toes in recent months when it comes to its anticipated new speaker and, as per a leak from Best Buy Canada, we had the speaker pegged for a late-June launch. When Google officially announced the device in October 2025 following its tease, it unveiled a slew of new upgrades, starting with its design.

Much like the Apple HomePod Mini and Amazon’s Echo Studio hub, the Google Home Speaker adopts 360-audio, which Google says you can pair with a supported Google TV Streamer device to create an immersive home theater audio setup. It comes with a 3D-woven fabric finish, and a light ring on its base to let you know when it's listening and responding — but the biggest upgrade is its Gemini powers.

For years, Google Assistant has been the company’s voice assistant for its smart hubs, but the Google Home Speaker is its first flagship device with Gemini capabilities, designed to be even smarter when responding to complicated requests and queries. It all sounds great on paper — but there’s one notable catch.

While the Google Home Speaker will come with basic features such as reminders, smart home controls, and quick answers, you’ll need to subscribe to one of the Google Home Premium tiers (Standard or Advanced) to use Gemini in its entirety — and additional outlay I imagine most potential users won't be happy about given the up-front cost of the speaker.

One of the advanced features locked into Google Home Premium Standard tier is Gemini Live, a conversational chatbot you can talk to, interrupt mid-sentence, and ask follow-up questions of about all kinds of topics. Whether you need a substitute ingredient for a specific recipe or are looking for outfit inspiration for an event, Gemini Live will have you covered.

The advanced features don’t end there however. With a Google Home Premium membership you’ll get additional storage for footage from security cameras and video doorbells that are integrated into your setup. If you’re signed up to the Advanced tier you’ll also get access to Home Brief, a tool that summarizes your footage highlights and gives you more detailed descriptions of the events that occur on your cameras.

It's not all bad news, because Google is offering six months of Google Home Premium for free when you purchase the new Google Home Speaker before September 30.

If you want to continue your time with Google Home Premium, you’ll have to pay a subscription to one of its tiers. Standard is $10/ £8/ AU$15 a month, while the Advanced tier is $20/ £16/ AU$30. You can read more about what each tier has to offer on the Google Home Premium sign-up page.

• A Google executive has teased the new Google Home Speaker's imminent arrival
• The new smart home hub could go on sale as soon as next week
• It would be Google's first smart speaker in six years

We've been waiting for Google to announce a new Google Home Speaker since the device was teased at the tech giant's Made by Google event almost a year ago, and now it looks like it could be arriving — and within a matter of days.

In an email sent out yesterday (June 11) to Gemini for Home early access testers, Google thanked participants for their feedback, which it said resulted in over 2,500 bug fixes and a wider launch to 20 countries in 10 different languages. Google has also been consistent with software updates, which also saw the return of the much-loved Continued Conversation feature.

As noted by 9to5Google, Chief Product Officer for Google Home & Nest, Anish Kattukaran, sent out the email to users stating the following:

“I’m writing to you from my living room, surrounded by the same speakers, displays, thermostats and cameras in many of your homes. With over 100 of my own smart home devices connected around me and my family, I am deeply aware of the incredible potential and occasional inconveniences of smart home life”.

Since the early access program launched, it’s garnered a staggering 3.5 million sign-ups from users who’ve wanted to get a taste of what the new Google Home Speaker will have to offer, and Kattukaran is still encouraging users to send feedback.

But he signed off his email with what looks very like confirmation that the new Google Home Speaker will be announced next week.

At the bottom of the email, Kattukaran says “for those of you who have been patiently waiting for a certain speaker… keep a very close eye on your inbox next week,” which I think can only be referring to the launch of a new Google Home Speaker.

I imagine that, like us, you’ve also been keeping your eyes peeled for signs of the new speaker since the company officially announced it in October 2025.

At the time, Google teased a "spring 2026" release date, and it could still meet that deadline, technically, as while most people go by the meteorological definition of spring, which is March-May in the northern hemisphere, astronomical spring doesn't end until June 21.

As of now the new Google Home Speaker is prominently displayed at the Google Store, where you can sign up to be notified by email when it goes on sale — and we've had a hint as to when that might be. Best Buy Canada recently slipped up when it listed the device along with a June 25 release date label.

Shortly after, Nest Mini and Nest Audio speakers started mysteriously vanishing from the Google Store and third-party retailers, which suggested a new speaker was on the way.

It’s been six years since Google came out with the Nest Audio and a lot has changed in the realm of the best smart home devices on both the hardware and software fronts, so the bar is set high. But from the feedback from Gemini for Home users and the device features list on the Google Store, there’s a chance that Google could actually hit this one out of the park.

I've been using my Amazon Echo Pop for the best part of two, nearly three years, and it's served as the ideal smart speaker to cover all my basic needs. It's not a complex device, which has its perks, but I feel I've used it to its full extent, and I'm looking for that extra something. Perhaps the new Google Home Speaker will be my sign to finally take the plunge and upgrade.

• The Nest Mini and Nest Audio smart speakers are unavailable on the Google Store
• Third-party retailers are still listing them, but the options are limited
• It could be Google's way of preparing for the arrival of the new Google Home Speaker

The long-awaited Google Home Speaker is getting closer to a full launch — and another strong clue is that company’s older models are becoming increasingly difficult to buy.

Suddenly, Google's Nest Mini and Nest Audio speakers have been vanishing from online retailers, which was first spotted on Google’s US store. Not only does the listing for both models read "out of stock", but it also says that both devices are "unavailable".

As for Google’s Canada store, it’s the same case, however customers in the UK and Australia can sign up to receive an email notification if it ever comes back into stock.

Outside of the Google store, it’s even more of a challenge to find them in stock. At the moment, availability is sparse, but there are still ways for you to get your hands on one. In the US, Amazon is your best shot at scoring the Nest Mini, while Best Buy is listing the Nest Audio in its clearance sale for $74.99.

If you’re based in the UK, Amazon is the only retailer listing the Nest Mini in stock for £69.99, but stores such as Argos, Currys, and Very no longer list either model. There are also limited options if you’re in Australia, but there are still some kicking about on Amazon.

Will the Nest Mini and Audio be back?

It’s not completely surprising that Google has paused the sales of its smart speakers as it prepares to launch its next-gen device, but whether the Nest Mini or Nest Audio will go back on sale after the Google Home Speaker launches is unknown.

Since Google has spent quite a bit of time rolling out Gemini tools to the Nest Mini and Nest Audio, it wouldn’t make sense to completely stop production and sales for these models, and since Google is notifying UK customers when they'll be available again, it gives us more reason to believe they’ll be back sooner or later.

The Nest Mini and Nest Audio speakers have been Google’s flagship smart hubs for the best part of seven years, and now it seems as though the company is getting ready to embrace the new Google Home Speaker as their successor — but it’s been quite the process.

The new Google Home Speaker first appeared during last year’s Made by Google event, and was officially announced in October 2025 with a launch scheduled for Spring 2026 (or sometime between March and May for those in the southern hemisphere).

While Spring has passed and no such speaker has been released, Best Buy Canada listed the device saying it would be due on June 25. Google still hasn’t confirmed this, but its new smart hub is very much in sight, and it would be great news if this were true.

• The new Google Home Speaker could be arriving on June 25
• Best Buy Canada updated its product listing with a release date
• The Google Store still reads 'Coming Spring 2026'

Just when I thought the upcoming Google Home Speaker would never see the light of day, a possible release date has surfaced — and it could be here in a matter of weeks.

A product listing for the Google Home Speaker on the Best Buy Canada site points to a June 25 release date, so if you’ve been patiently waiting for the arrival of Google’s first smart speaker in six years, you could get your hands on it sooner than you think.

Though this is exciting news for those who’ve been waiting to upgrade, it’s best to take this placeholder date with a pinch of salt before you get your hopes up. At the moment, there’s no mention of an official release date on the Best Buy US page, and Google Store also hasn’t been updated either.

As far as pricing goes, we have more information on how much the Google Home Speaker will cost depending on region. It’s listed for $99.99 / £99.99 on the Google Store, and CA$139.99 on Best Buy Canada. When it comes to color options, the speaker will be available in four different shades in the US (Berry, Jade, Hazel, and Porcelain), while the UK and Canada will only have two (Hazel and Porcelain).

Back when Google first showcased the smart speaker in October 2025, we were lucky enough to get hands-on with it to see how it differs from the Nest Audio. Its biggest upgrades are the 360-audio design (which resembles the Apple HomePod Mini), and its connectivity improvements, allowing you to group multiple Google Home Speakers which you can pair with the Google TV Streamer to enhance your audio.

That said, the Google Home Speaker will also get some major Gemini upgrades, where you can ask pretty much any topical question and make smart home commands for a more casual, conversational-like experience. Additionally, Gemini works to better understand the context of your voice commands and questions to give you more accurate answers.

To say the Google Home Speaker’s release has been a long slog is an understatement. We first caught a glimpse of Google’s next gen smart speaker during its Made by Google event in August 2025, when it teased a mysterious Nest smart speaker.

The company unveiled the smart speaker right after Amazon announced the next generation of its own line of Echo devices, and was projected for a spring 2026 arrival, which we assumed would be between March - May, and it’s been a waiting game ever since.

Google is really cutting it close with its smart speaker release as we’re officially past the expected release timeframe. Spring officially ends on June 21, meaning that if Google goes ahead with its June 25 release, it would have just missed the Spring cut-off.

Alexa+ has landed on UK soil, and while customers wait with anticipation to try the AI-powered virtual assistant, it's a great opportunity to look back.

Since the service launched in the US last spring, it's already seen some big changes as customers navigate a new world of assistive smarts and agentic AI. Now, with the service coming to the UK, there's also been a lot of naturalization work to help Alexa+ navigate our regional accents, idioms, and culture — right the way down to understanding some of our favorite snacks.

Having watched some live demos at the launch event this week, I'm most excited to see how natural interacting with Alexa+ will feel — and according to Daniel Rausch, Amazon's VP of Alexa and Echo, the best summary is "it's just more delightful." We sat down to find out more from Rausch about the rollout, learnings, and ambitions for the future of Alexa+.

You can watch the full interview below on our YouTube channel, and make sure to check out the rest of our Amazon Echo and Alexa+ coverage, too!

Rausch says the early results have been quite something behind the scenes. "Engagement with Alexa+ is up two to three times over the original Alexa," he explains, calmly confident as he discusses the road till now. "Even things I didn't think could grow, like music, which goes up 25% in terms of streaming time when a customer turns on Alexa+.

"It's just more delightful... It's not like customers have 25% more time!" he adds, though he was keen to highlight that the overall increase of engagement owes a lot to some of the exciting new features facilitated by a smarter, faster Alexa. "In the US, I'll use it to book rideshare, or we'll book a table for lunch together. The whole thing is what is elevating that engagement level."

Of course, it's never all roses, and certainly not with an Early Access programme. Still, Rausch takes a positive view of these learnings. "I've never shipped a product this easy to report a bug," he jokes, reflecting on what I can only imagine was a hectic first year of service. "You can just say to Alexa what feedback you have, and that helps us to learn there's an edge to sand somewhere."

One example of note was the new Alexa+ voice and cadence. "Some customers — it's a minority of them — they don't like the new voices," says Rausch. So now, Amazon offers a wider range of voices, and when Alexa+ introduces herself, she offers you the chance to change her settings.

Naturally, concerns may remain around always-on devices when it comes to privacy and security, but with 10 years of service in the UK under their belt in addition to their years of US coverage, Rausch seems confident in Amazon's approach. "Customers have the same degree of transparency and control [with Alexa+]... it turns out, if you build products with transparency and control, you also generally speaking meet every regulation and legal requirement."

Customers who already know their way around Alexa's Privacy Hub will be glad to know that the service, with all its features, remains the same for Alexa+. "You can see everything Alexa heard, you can delete things... you can control all of your data settings around training. Everything's in the same place, and it applies to the Alexa service as a whole."

While all US Prime customers with compatible devices can now register for Alexa+ (or pay a standalone subscription of $19.99), for now, the free beta programme in the UK is limited to the Amazon Echo Show 8 and Echo Show 11, Echo Dot Max, and Echo Studio. If you've already got one at home, you can sign up for an Early Access invite now.

It'll probably take about the same amount of time for Alexa+ to fully launch in the UK as it did in the US — so about a year. In that time, we'll see the service come to a wide range of Alexa-enabled devices, including your Fire TV, and it will soon be available in a web browser at alexa.co.uk.

It’s been a while since the original Echo Studio launched way back in 2019. So, it makes sense that it’s such a drastic overhaul; the new, 2025 model is 40% smaller with a total design refresh, Alexa+ compatibility and new Fire TV features.

The original Echo Studio launched way back in 2019, and the fact that it’s taken this long for a second-gen model to arrive makes the Studio an outlier in Amazon’s smart speaker range, with other Echos receiving more regular upgrades.

It makes sense, then, that this is a fairly major overhaul: the 2025 model is 40% smaller and gets a total design refresh that brings it into line with other Echos, along with Alexa+ compatibility and new Fire TV features.

While the previous-gen Studio was more than a little clunky in terms of its design, it was pretty well received — much to the surprise of many who’d long bemoaned the audio quality of Amazon’s Echo speakers. Then, in 2022, a slightly upgraded version was released with some modest improvements; this wasn’t considered a new generation of the Studio, but again it surprised and largely delighted users.

So, has lightning struck twice (or technically, thrice) with the new Echo Studio? Well, not quite, but this is still an impressively capable speaker, especially at its size.

There’s an inevitable trade-off between the speaker’s size and its audio quality. In its smaller form factor, the second-generation Studio is certainly more appealing, and the spherical design, new knit-fabric exterior and front-facing controls are much more homely compared to the original, the design of which resembled a medieval knight’s bucket helmet.

With the latest Studio packing Amazon’s new AZ3 Pro chip and offering Alexa+ compatibility, and some great smart home compatibility and sensors, there’s a lot to love, but having tried both the newer and older models, I don’t think the new audio hardware quite lives up to its predecessor. That being said, it’s most certainly the best Alexa speaker for audio available today… unless, of course, you can find a first-gen model on resale.

Echo Studio (2nd gen, 2025) price and availability

• List price: $219.99 / £219.99 / AU$429
• Released November 2025

The new Echo Studio is the most premium Echo speaker in Amazon’s lineup, offering home-theatre buffs and audiophiles an Alexa-powered alternative to standard speakers. You concede some audio quality, sure, but it’s pretty compact, and the smarts you gain are decent enough.

It’s available in black (graphite) and white (glacier white), and costs $20 / £40 / AU$100 more than the original Studio at $219.99 / £219.99 / AU$429; the price hike is explained, in part, by the rising cost of hardware, but it’s worth noting nonetheless.

It’s also Alexa+ compatible, meaning US Prime subscribers have immediate access to the currently-in-beta service (at the time of writing). Whether or not that’s a positive or a negative, I’ll leave you to decide.

My main issue with the value proposition here is that, at times, the Echo Studio (second-generation) just doesn’t live up to its Studio moniker; and yet, allowing for inflation, it costs the same as the previous generation. Had Amazon skipped some of the smart features and delivered a stronger all-around audio performance, I’d have less of an issue; as it is, and as is the case with almost every new Echo device I’ve reviewed in the past few years, this is one I’d only go for during a sale, and I’d be looking for at least a 40% discount.

• Value: 3.5/5

Echo Studio (2nd gen, 2025) design

• New, more premium design and materials
• 40% smaller than the previous generation
• Fewer ports, fewer audio-first design features

Like the Echo Dot Max, which I tested a few months ago, the Echo Studio has a new, more sophisticated look and feel, featuring a chunky knit-fabric exterior, front-facing controls, and a 40% smaller frame than the previous Echo Studio models.

Now, instead of resembling a bucket-shaped medieval knight’s helmet, the Echo Studio is more akin to a rounded spaceship (read: Death Star), and it’s a change I’m quite happy with aesthetically. The base is flat and slightly rubberized, housing a screw-mount for any users who might wish to wall-mount their speaker(s).

The neater look and smaller footprint make it a much more appealing option for around the home, and the new front-facing controls are easily accessible and clear — especially when compared to the original’s small and fiddly buttons. There are volume controls as well as a physical mute button on the plastic control panel. Plus, if you give the Studio a gentle pat on the top, you can stop or start tracks, stop timers and alarms, or end calls and drop-ins.

The iconic illuminated Alexa ring, which glows blue when the speaker is listening to you, now encircles the control panel, and changes colour and brightness for different types of alert (for example, orange for an Amazon marketplace-related notification, or red for connectivity issues).

There’s been a complete hardware refit, too. The new Echo Studio uses the latest AZ3 Pro chip to power Alexa commands and other on-board smarts like ambient sensing and spatial sound. Where the last-generation speakers had three two-inch side-mounted mid-range speakers, a two-inch upward-firing midrange speaker, a 1-inch front-facing tweeter, and a 5.25-inch downward-firing sealed woofer and cutout spaces to allow for airflow to enable powerful and deep bass, the latest model has just three full-range drivers and a single high-excursion woofer. More later on how that impacts performance, but as far as design goes, it does make the focus on the newer model’s aesthetics feel like a big trade-off when you compare the hardware specs.

Connectivity is another area where the new Studio has taken a hit. On the rear, you’ll find a single power port – that’s right, no more 3.5mm combo port for standard audio cable input and Mini-Optical, and no micro-USB port for service/Ethernet adapters. For most, these inputs will be no great loss, but the inflexibility of these speakers will be disappointing to some, and especially to those who know a bit about home theater.

Objectively, I can’t say I dislike the look and feel of the new Echo Studio – it’s more pleasing to the eye, and a lot easier to find a home for at its smaller size. However, many of the concessions made ultimately impact performance and usability — and for a supposedly top-of-the-range speaker I’d always prize those qualities over look and feel.

• Design: 4/5

Echo Studio (2nd gen, 2025) audio quality

• Complete hardware refit compared to previous generation
• Solid, clear audio across a range of genres
• Mid-range performance for home cinema

Sitting at the top end of the Echo speaker lineup, the Echo Studio in principle offers the best audio you can get from an Amazon speaker. However, while that’s indeed the case, not everyone who loved the first-generation Studio will enjoy this newer version.

As mentioned above, the new Echo Studio trades its predecessor’s three two-inch side-mounted mid-range speakers, two-inch upward-firing midrange speaker, 1-inch front-facing tweeter, and 5.25-inch downward-firing sealed woofer for three full-range drivers and a single high-excursion woofer. Plus, under the hood, the new AZ3 Pro chip does a lot of the legwork, working in tandem with onboard far-field microphones to deliver Automatic Room Adaptation, fine-tuning the audio experience based on the room’s acoustics. There’s also spatial audio, Lossless High Definition and Dolby Atmos support.

So, what difference do these hardware changes make in practice? I played a variety of tracks from different genres to test the speaker’s audio quality, as well as trying out the new Amazon Home Theatre feature, to find out.

It’s a tale of trade-offs; on the one hand, the soundstage is well balanced overall, producing beautifully clear layers and expressing texture in tracks well. Hans Zimmer’s Cornfield Chase was rendered with beautiful depth and clarity, especially at louder volumes, as was Jeff Buckley’s Last Goodbye, with the Echo Studio proving amply capable of rendering Buckley’s quivering vocals beautifully while preserving the layered rhythmic guitars and mounting tension. Dynamic songs like Glory Box by Portishead offer well-rounded bass, with every detail of the track, right down to its vinyl crackle, represented with impressive clarity.

However, the Echo Studio lacks the powerful bass and overall volume of older models, and certain tracks suffer as a result: Running Up That Hill by Kate Bush plays much more faithfully than on the Echo Dot Max I tested a few months ago, but the Echo Studio still lacks the pummeling bass I so adore. Similarly, Fleetwood Mac’s The Chain, especially at lower volumes, fails to fully deliver the track’s signature thunderous, driving bass.

With Amazon removing many of the audio-first design features (like the sound-carrying cutouts) and squeezing the device into a far smaller form factor, the new Echo Studio ultimately loses a lot of its oomph. It also now downmixes stereo content to mono, and compresses the mix more aggressively at higher volumes than the original model.

That said, when I was testing this speaker in my apartment, I wasn’t looking to push the volume beyond 70% (mostly for the sake of my neighbours), and the bass was, broadly, suitably present for my living space, this is aided by the Automatic Room Adaptation, which works well to really flood a space with sound.

Of course, the Echo Studio can do more than just play your music. You can connect up to five Echo Dot Max or Echo Studio speakers plus an optional Echo subwoofer to a Fire TV Stick 4K (2nd-gen), Fire TV Stick 4K Plus, Fire TV Stick 4K Max (2nd-gen), or Fire TV Cube (3rd-gen) to use Amazon’s new Home Theatre feature. I gave this a quick try, albeit with just the one Echo Studio, watching a few scenes from Red Sonja, The Batman and Oppenheimer to put its through its paces. I was pretty happy with how much depth and clarity the Echo Studio provided (it’s all handled over Bluetooth, so I did notice a bit of a delay with lip-synching initially; thankfully, you can adjust this in the settings), and I can imagine with a full set the sound would be really quite impressive.

That said, the dynamic range was pushed to its limit during my testing, and I ultimately found myself toggling the volume fairly often. Plus, its downmixed mono playback makes it a hard sell for a cinephile – of course, you can opt to spend $1,000 / £1,000 / AU$2,000 on a full Amazon Home Theater setup, but for that price I’d wager there are far superior surround sound systems. It’s only if you’re benefitting specifically from the Echo Studio’s place in Amazon’s Fire TV / Prime / Alexa+ ecosystem that I can see this being a viable option.

• Audio quality: 3.5/5

Echo Studio (2nd gen, 2025) features

• Smart and accurate sensors
• Speedy Alexa commands
• Alexa+ compatible

Much like the Echo Dot Max, the Echo Studio is locked and loaded with clever sensors and smarts to help run your smart home, including the same temperature and ultrasound motion sensors as the Echo Dot (4th gen) as well as a new Wi-Fi sensing capability.

I set these up at home for even smarter Alexa Routines; when I enter a room, an automation turns on my smart lights, and when the temperature drops, my electric heater turns on to keep me toasty during the UK winter months. Everything worked as expected on test, and it’s good to see the Echo Studio keeping pace with other smart speakers here.

The new AZ3 Pro chipset delivers super-speedy Alexa responses, though you probably won’t notice the difference unless you’ve been using Alexa-enabled devices from a few years ago. Where you will feel the difference is if you have access to Alexa+, as that’s the real driver behind the additional computing power. I’m testing this speaker in the UK, where we don’t currently have access to Amazon’s full agentic AI platform, but my US-based colleague Lance Ulanoff shared his first impressions of the service overall.

• Features: 4/5

Should I buy the Echo Studio (2nd gen, 2025)?

Buy it if…

Don’t buy it if…

Also consider

How I tested the Echo Studio (2nd gen, 2025)

• I used the Echo Studio as part of my smart home setup
• I played lossless audio through Spotify
• I used the standard Alexa and other advertised features.

I tried all of the advertised features of the Echo Studio (barring Alexa+ which is not currently available in the UK) to assess its performance and audio quality.

As well as testing Alexa’s ability to follow commands and surface information, I used my Echo Studio as a speaker, streaming lossless tracks via Spotify across a variety of genres and moods to test the speaker’s dynamic range, clarity and volume. I also tried using the new Echo Studio as part of my Amazon Home Theatre setup, listening to various TV shows and movies to see how well the speaker would serve cinephiles.

I’ve had an Alexa-powered smart home for years, having professionally tested smart home devices for over four years. In addition to my at-home Alexa setup, I’ve also used both Google and Apple devices to assess the strengths and weaknesses of the most popular smart home ecosystems.

For the first time ever, IKEA took to the stage at CES 2026, and it was a huge success for the home furnishing giant.

Though IKEA has made its mark on all things interior design, it's also made a name for itself on the smart home front by becoming a great budget alternative to the best smart home devices. Its CES debut provided the perfect opportunity to show smart home enthusiasts what IKEA is all about, and it did just that.

In addition to upgrading one of its most popular lighting products, IKEA unveiled new audio devices and showcased new utility smart home sensors, which were first announced late last year.

Missed out on IKEA's CES appearance? Here are the 5 main announcements you need to know about.

Varmblixt LED Lamp

IKEA's iconic donut-shaped Varmblixt lamp has been a stand-out among the company's range of funky lighting - I even have one of my own. I love how it looks, but I wish I had waited for its new smart light version to drop.

The new Varmblixt smart lamp keeps its iconic design, but packs 12 different color presets that you can control with the new Bilresa remote, so you can smoothly float between different light settings to set the mood and atmosphere. You can also control the lamp by hooking it up to IKEA's Dirigea Wi-Fi hub, where you'll be able to select from a larger spectrum of over 40 hues.

One of its most unique features is that each color is designed to seamlessly blend into the next, which was designed by collaborator Sabine Marcelis. But its smart features don't end there: the lamp is also built on Matter, meaning that it can easily fit into your existing smart home setup. Basically, I'm ever so envious of this upgrade.

Kallsup smart speaker

As well as smart lamps, IKEA is dipping its toes even further into the audio waters, unveiling its tiny but dead cheap Kallsup speaker - which will set you back a mere $10. It's set for an April 2026 launch, with pricing varying in different regions.

Coming in three colorful shades (lime green, pink, and white) the Kallsup speaker is an affordable entry-level speaker that's very light and allows you to get creative by stacking them like building blocks.

Though it doesn't pack a powerful punch on the audio front, which we'd expect from a speaker of this size, it supports Bluetooth 5.3 and has a 20-hour battery life at 50% volume. You can even connect up to a whopping 100 of them - the ultimate way to get the party started.

Teklan Kulglass collection

Alongside its new cheap and cheerful speaker, IKEA showcased a new range of premium-priced audio devices from its Teklan collection, which was first announced in November 2025.

The new collaboration with internet personality Tekla Evelina Severin consists of a number of eye-catching audio gadgets including the portable Solskydd Bluetooth speaker, which can be mounted to a stand or to a wall space. There's also the mushroom-shaped Kulglass Bluetooth speaker and lamp, which packs the handy Spotify Tap function.

Kajplats smart bulb expansion

If there's one thing that IKEA has shown us is that smart bulbs don't have to cost you an arm and a leg. At CES 2026, IKEA announced its expansion of its Kajplats range of smart bulbs (another gadget that was announced in November 2025), showcasing its cheapest one yet at just $6.

But don't think that this price seems too good to be true, this $6 smart bulb still supports Matter-over-Thread and can be controlled through a number of smart home ecosystems including Apple Home, Google Home, and Samsung SmartThings.

New smart sensors and control gadgets

Smart bulbs were just the beginning - IKEA is also expanding its utility lineup of smart sensors and control devices that can be integrated across different rooms in your home, which includes the new Bilresa remotes that you can use with the smart Varmblixt lamp.

Additionally, IKEA's new Klippbok water sensor uses sound alerts and phone notifications to let you know when a leakage occurs, while the Alpstuga sensor measures CO₂, particles, temperature, and humidity to determine the air quality in your home. There's also a new smart plug that tracks your energy usage.

If you found an Amazon Echo Dot under the tree this Christmas or you’ve treated yourself to one with a gift card, I’m delighted to say that you now own one of the most versatile smart speakers on the market.

Whether you have one smart device or twenty, an Amazon Echo Dot makes controlling them almost effortless, thanks to voice commands and its compatibility with the best smart home devices.

I use my Echo Dot every day to control my TV, air purifiers, lights, and more, and the impressive variety of routines and automations in the Alexa app has my home running like clockwork. What’s more, you can even pair it with accessories to smarten up standard gadgets, but I’ll share more on that later.

To make sure you’re getting the most out of your new Echo Dot, I’m gifting you a selection of the best smart home features I use in my home, which I highly recommend you try out for yourself.

Reliable Routines

The Routines feature is quite possibly the thing I love most about my Echo Dot, and I recommend experimenting with some of your own creations to see just how game-changing they can be.

As someone who thrives on structure and routine, and happens to own a lot of smart devices, I couldn’t help but get a little excited about the number of automations available to me.

Custom routines are satisfyingly simple to create. They can be set to run at scheduled times or in response to a specified event, such as your Echo Dot detecting the sound of an appliance beeping or an alarm being dismissed.

The latter is particularly useful for stopping your robot hoover starting its scheduled cleaning spree on your day off and ruining your lie-in.

A custom voice command can be assigned to each of your routines, too, so you can set the automations running without waiting for the trigger or picking up your phone to adjust your smart device settings manually.

If setting up routines from scratch doesn’t sound appealing, you can still enjoy some automation magic by selecting one of the many editable presets available on the Alexa app.

There’s a wide range of options, from the practical – having your Echo Dot recite the weather and guiding you through some morning yoga – to niche and novelty options, including getting an alert when your dog wants a treat and having Alexa look after your houseplants.

Smart Sensors

I must confess, I was oblivious to this particularly clever asset when I first had my Echo Dot 5th Gen: it has built-in motion detection and temperature sensors that can be used for a bunch of useful automations.

There are plenty of ways to make use of these sensors, and they're particularly useful to level up less-informed smart devices that may not have their own auto functions.

The integrated temperature sensor is a real bonus if you have one of the best smart thermostats, fans, or air con, as you can build routines to alter the power status, settings, and modes of compatible devices in response to the ambient temperature.

The motion detection comes in especially handy, too. It can set devices to your favorite modes to welcome you home, and save some energy by turning off the lights or adjusting the heating when you’ve left the room for a specified period of time.

As an avid fan of the best smart lights, I always have several on when I'm home. Therefore, I'm particularly grateful for the motion sensing, as I no longer need to venture into my apps to make sure I've turned off my Govee Table Lamp 2 and Nanoleaf 4D before leaving the house.

Smarten Up Your Devices

This tip is an excellent hack if some of your devices aren't compatible with smart home hubs, as you can make an existing device more intelligent by teaming it up with a smart accessory.

Smart plugs are a great way to upgrade a standard device for less. More than just providing an easier way to power a device on and off, you can create automated routines using the Echo Dot's motion and temperature sensors that trigger your device to turn on when a specified temperature or room occupancy level is detected.

You can use Alexa accessories to raise the IQ of some smart devices, too. Let’s take my SwitchBot Air Purifier Table as an example. While it has many talents, its low cost means it can't detect the same range of contaminants as pricier models.

My solution? Using the regularly discounted Amazon Smart Air Quality Monitor to pick up the slack, with a routine that changes the mode on my purifier when certain levels of contaminants are detected. This is a great way to up-skill lower-cost air purifiers, which rarely detect contaminants like VOCs.

• A new firmware update has landed for Google Nest and Audio speakers
• Owners are reporting that their speaker's lights now flash in Gemini's colors
• The update arrives a week before Gemini for Home's US launch on October 28

Google recently treated us to new Nest smart home devices ahead of the arrival its new Gemini for Home assistant in late October – and now the company has started rolling out firmware updates for its existing Nest Audio and Mini smart speakers.

As 9to5Google reports, Google has rolled out new colored lights colors to the above smart speakers to users in Google’s Preview Program (version 3.77.500695). When you use the command ‘Hey Google’, the four-dot light on your Nest speaker will swiftly flash rainbow colors before displaying its traditional white light – which is reminiscent of Gemini’s branding palette.

It’s a very subtle difference, one which was first spotted in action by a user on X. Google Nest owners on Reddit have also shared a look of the new upgrade (see below), with many commenting that they weren't aware that their speaker could even display colored lights.

Nest Mini changed the Colors of the Dots from r/googlehome

While the update is merely decorative, it shows that Google hasn’t totally forgotten about its existing lineup of smart speakers – in fact, Google has promised to bring Gemini (in some form) to every smart home device it's release in the last decade.

As mentioned, it’s only being rolled out to users with early access, but you can always sign up to Google’s Program Preview if you’re intrigued. It’s not too long before Google rolls out Gemini for Home to its Nest devices publicly on October 28 – but this will be US-only to start with.

What else is coming soon?

With that said, this unexpected upgrade isn’t the only new thing that’s on the way for Google’s smart home speakers.

Along with its new AI-powered Nest doorbells and security cameras, Google is reviving its flagship smart speaker with a new model simply named the Google Home Speaker – dropping the Nest name. It’s not coming out until spring 2026, but Google is already preparing us for its launch.

As well as sporting 360-degree audio, it’ll be Google’s first flagship speaker to pack Gemini’s smarts, where you’ll be able to make use of its extensive capabilities.

Not only will you be able to ask topical questions and control other smart home devices, Gemini for Home promises to offer more natural, conversational-based responses. Gemini for Home is also coming to every Google smart home device, which includes the Nest Audio and Mini.

Though Gemini for Home will come with basic functions, you’ll need a Google Home Premium subscription to take advantage of its more-advanced features, which will cost you $10 / £8 a month or $100 / £80 a year for the Standard tier, and $20/ £16 a month or $200 / £160 a year for the Advanced tier. Australian pricing hasn't yet been confirmed, but Nest Aware costs AU$15 a month / AU$150 a year and Nest Aware Plus will set you back AU$30 a month or AU$300 a year.

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Yesterday, Google unveiled a whole set of new smart home devices: a smart speaker, indoor and outdoor security cameras, and a video doorbell. I was particularly intrigued by the new Google Home Speaker, especially when my colleague Jacob Krol snapped pictures of it in fun shades of green (Jade) and red (Berry). As you can see from my coffee machine reviews, my home décor is not subtle, and these would fit right in. If anything, I'd like a turquoise one as well.

Sadly, though, it's not to be. Loading up Google's UK store, I found that on this side of the pond, the Home Speaker only comes in two shades: light gray (Porcelain) and darker gray (Hazel). That's it.

It's the same story for the third-generation Nest Cam. If you live in the US, you can take your pick from Snow, Hazel, or Berry. If you're in Europe, it's white or nothing. Some Google fans have questioned why anyone would want a red camera but, if you're as free and easy with a paintbrush as I am, it makes perfect sense.

Then there's the new AI-enhanced Nest Doorbell, which would fit right into my smart home system and uses Gemini to give detailed descriptions of what's happening outside your home – but only in North America. Although that might change at a future date, the new Nest Doorbell is currently only available in the US and Canada, and there seem to be no plans to release it elsewhere.

If you're in Australia, things are even sadder. The official Aussie store has none of the new devices available to order at all.

No fun allowed

It's not the first time Google has given its non-American customers short shrift. Earlier this year, the company announced that it would soon be ending support for its older smart thermostats and not selling any new models in Europe. If you had your eye on the slim and shiny Nest Learning Thermosta4 (4th Gen), I'm sorry to say you've been left out in the cold.

"Heating systems in Europe are unique and have a variety of hardware and software requirements that make it challenging to build for the diverse set of homes," said the statement from Google. It's clearly not impossible, though – the company has just chosen to invest its efforts elsewhere (literally).

Hopefully, Google will launch a battery version of the doorbell globally next year, but I'm not going to hold my breath. When it comes to the Google Home Speaker, then, I'll just have to tolerate two shades of gray.

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When Amazon announced Alexa+, I was rather impressed with the demonstrations and immediately wanted a new flagship speaker to go with it. Seven months later, Amazon unveiled its new line of Alexa+ Echo speakers – the Echo Dot Max and Echo Studio – and I was over the moon.

The new line of Echo smart speakers is Amazon’s most powerful yet, and not just because of its Alexa+ smarts. Its remodeled sound system packs 360-degree spatial audio with a bass boost (3x compared to the Echo Dot 5th Gen) and introduces support for Dolby Atmos, which was one of my biggest hopes for the next era of Echo speakers.

So far, I really like what I see with the Echo Dot Max - even its resemblance to the Death Star is rather quirky. Despite this, there are three additional features I initially hoped for but didn’t make the cut – which I believe could make the Echo Dot Max an unstoppable force in Amazon’s smart speaker lineup.

1. Ambient lighting to set the mood

When Alexa+ was announced, I hoped that the next Echo speaker would also serve as a lamp, offering ambient settings with adjustable brightness, warmth, and color. Alas, this is missing from the Echo Dot Max.

I’m always seeing content on social media of apartments kitted out with the best smart lights, which can really help bring a room together (like the Sonos IKEA Symfonisk lamp), so there’s definitely demand there for Amazon to capitalize on. It would also be great to have custom time settings to make waking up in the morning feel less jarring.

Though it would’ve been amazing to see this come to the Echo Dot Max, it does leave room for Amazon to add ambient lighting to future devices.

2. A small smart screen/ mini display

Yes, Amazon has the new and improved Echo Show smart displays for this, but the company could easily bring a small smart screen to its smaller Echo devices – it’s done it before.

Amazon introduced a mini display to the Echo Spot, though it’s more of a smart alarm rather than a smart speaker. But not only does it display the time of day, weather, and temperature, it also packs a music visualizer displaying the song that you’re currently listening to.

3. Colors! Colors! Colors!

Another one of my biggest wishes for the new era of Echo speakers was a more adventurous color range. Neutral colors that adapt to all kinds of interior styles are a great way to ensure that there’s an option for every consumer, but some of us are a little more maximalist and quirky.

While I appreciate Amazon’s previous attempts at experimenting with color (see the Echo Pop) and its loyalty to branding, I think it’s about time it offers something different on the color front, especially with its new Alexa+ smart speakers – it should definitely take note of the new Google Home Speaker.

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Hot on the heels of Amazon’s Echo Dot Max and Echo Studio announcement, Google has just unveiled its own new smart speaker revamp marking the first one since the Nest Audio in 2020. Say hello to the new Google Home Speaker.

Not only is the Google Home Speaker the company’s first audio device in half a decade, it’s the first one built to accommodate the AI capabilities of Google Gemini. Google has ‘designed [the speaker] from the ground up to be the ultimate audio experience for Gemini in the home’.

Similarly, Amazon’s new Echo Dot Max and Echo Studio speakers are built for the advanced Alexa+ voice assistant, which was announced earlier this year – but is currently US-only. As well as new AI smarts, both Amazon and Google devices pack other benefits, including a revised sound system – but how do they compare overall?

Google Home Speaker vs Echo Dot Max & Echo Studio

First, let’s talk price and availability. The Echo Dot Max ($99.99 / £99.99 / AU$199) and Echo Studio ($219.99 / £219.99 / AU$429) speakers are available to preorder now for an October 29 release. The Google Home Speaker matches the Echo Dot Max at $99/ £99.99 (AU prices pending), but won’t be available until spring 2026. However, Google has given a reason for the delay, stating 'the timeline for this new speaker is intentional.

'Our top priority is rolling out Gemini for Home in early access to the tens of millions of speakers and smart displays already in your homes’, Google shared in its announcement.

Then there’s the matter of AI smarts. In the case of the Echo Dot Max and Echo Studio, both will come equipped with Alexa+ while the Google Home Speaker will accommodate Gemini for Home, but a subscription is required for both.

As mentioned, Alexa+ is US-only at the moment and will set you back $19.99 a month. It’s indeed pricey, unless you’re a Prime member in which case Alexa+ is included with your $14.99/ month subscription.

Though you can use Gemini for Home with the new Google Home Speaker to tackle every day tasks, you’ll need a Google Home Premium subscription to take advantage of advanced features such as Gemini Live. There are two different tiers; Standard ($10/ £8 a month or $100/ $80 a year) and Advanced ($20/ $16 a month or $200/ £160 a year).

The two new devices also draw comparisons with its 3D-knitted exterior and upgraded sound system, both adopting a 360 degree spatial audio approach. The new Echo speakers pack a 3x bass upgrade from the previous model and Dolby Atmos support – the latter which the Google Home Speaker doesn't have.

That aside, both Google and Amazon are doubling down on their home theater improvements. You can connect up to five Echo Max Dot or Echo Studio devices with compatible Fire TV sticks to create a complete surround sound system, and can hook the Google Home Speaker up to a Google TV Streamer, although you can only pair two.

Early verdict

At the moment it’s difficult to come to a solid conclusion as to whether Amazon or Google will come out on top given the scarcity of the Google Home Speaker’s specs.

However, for me, the new Echo speakers have the upper hand. That’s not to say the Google Home Speaker won’t deliver, but we'll have to wait until it's in our homes to find out more.

When it comes to AI smarts, the Echo Dot Max and Echo Studio are the better deal money-wise, as Alexa+ is included with a Prime membership – which a large majority of Amazon customers are already signed up to. Instead of paying just shy of $20 a month, Prime members will get access to Alexa+ features included in their $14.99 month subscription, saving you a bit of cash.

I imagine that this will be the main factor that customers will consider before purchasing, as both speakers are quite similar on the spatial audio front, but I’m not ruling either one out until I have the opportunity to explore them in depth.

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Just a day after Amazon rolled out two new smart speakers – the Echo Studio and Echo Dot Max – Google has also launched a new speaker for the home, alongside a complete rethinking, redesign, and re-architecting of the Google Home app and ecosystem.

Furthermore, it is the very same one we saw teased during the Made by Google event in August, where the Pixel 10 family was launched. The aptly-named Google Home Speaker is Google’s new flagship, designed with Gemini onboard and built to deliver robust audio from a compact, pint-sized build.

It’s priced at $99 in the United States – we’re still waiting on UK and Australia pricing – but it’s not launching today alongside the rollout of the new Google Home. It won’t even arrive in the coming days or weeks; instead, it’s set for a Spring 2026 release (so sometime between March and May).

It’s not all bad news, though. On paper and in a brief first look, the hardware does impress. Google is also being intentional with the timing of the Google Home Speaker launch, something the company highlighted in its announcement post and reiterated to TechRadar.

Given the massive overhaul of the Google Home app and backend, the tech giant’s approach is to focus on ensuring that the transition goes smoothly, solves potential issues, and runs well on existing hardware.

Importantly, Google Home infused with Gemini will support the original Google Home from 2016 and the Nest Hub from 2018. While it won’t offer the full Gemini Live experience, it will include a large portion of the features. Google specifically noted: “The timeline for this new speaker is intentional. Our top priority is rolling out Gemini for Home in early access to the tens of millions of speakers and smart displays already in your homes.”

Even so, with this speaker first teased in August and Google not releasing a dedicated smart speaker since 2020’s Nest Audio, expectations for the Google Home Speaker are high. With the release still months away, Google isn’t releasing full specs yet, but here’s what’s known and what I gleaned from a few minutes with an early unit.

It’s much more compact than the original Google Home and the Nest Audio, landing about on par with an Echo Dot or an Apple HomePod Mini – maybe the size of two Google Home Minis stacked together. Just like the new Echos or a HomePod Mini, Google is opting for a softer outer shell, in this case a woven yarn mesh available in four shades: Porcelain, Hazel, Jade, and Berry.

The last two especially stood out to me, particularly the warm, vibrant red named Berry – a perfect option that would have been great for the holiday season.

The ring light now sits at the bottom, integrated into the bezel between the rubber base and the woven mesh. It glows blue when Gemini is speaking or red when the microphone is muted. Controls for play/pause and volume are built into the top.

The design looks clean, and under the hood is a speaker setup that delivers omnidirectional audio with full 360-degree coverage.

I heard some brief snippets of music in a large conference room with a lot of empty space – and in the moment, the Google Home Speaker sounded solid, producing a surprising amount of volume without sacrificing clarity. Still, it’s likely the hardware isn’t final yet.

As with a HomePod Mini or nearly any Echo, you can group multiple Google Home Speakers or pair them in stereo, even using them with the Google TV Streamer to easily upgrade your TV’s audio.

Naturally, you can also ask Gemini for everything from topical questions to smart home controls. In both demos and Google’s promises, it’s a much more nuanced, human-like experience that supports casual conversation.

For instance, you might say, “You’re making cookies but are out of vanilla,” and it will understand the context, or you might request that lights turn on and off a few times while you’re out.

That’s the promise Google wants to test thoroughly on existing Google Home devices before bringing the new speaker to market. It’s possible the company may tweak the hardware – especially the internals – before launch, particularly to compete with other new smart speakers. By next Spring, there will likely be fresh competitors.

For now, though, the Google Home Speaker is set to arrive in Spring 2026 for $99.99 in Porcelain, Hazel, Jade, or Berry.

You know that feeling you get when, after a long flight, your ears pop, clear, and you can hear again? Right, it's like the world opens up to you. I had that feeling, however fleetingly, when listening to the new Amazon Echo Dot Max for the first time.

It was just minutes after Amazon concluded its massive device rollout on September 30, 2025, where the company unveiled new Echo Shows, Kindle Scribes, and Echo Smart Speakers. I was ushered into a small room filled with the new Amazon Echos (including the redesigned Studio), where I could finally hear Amazon's new audio wares away from the thrum of people and noise in the large demo room.

To understand what I was about to hear, you need to know more about this new smart speaker. The new Amazon Echo Dot Max is not just an audio update; it's a complete redesign. Sure, the body is still round, but the Amazon Alexa ring of lights has moved from the base to a carve-out on the face and surrounds the "stop listening" and volume controls. There's also a new seamless mesh body.

Inside, however, is an all-new sound system that includes one high excursion woofer and a custom tweeter. This is one fewer tweeter than the fourth-gen Echo, but one more than the Echo Dot. Amazon's audio engineers worked near magic to open up the aural space of the Dot Max so that every bit of air inside the chassis serves the sound output.

Listen up

Back to my aural experience.

"Now here you go again

You say you want your freedom,"

called out Stevie Nicks' instantly recognizable voice from the previous generation Echo Dot. It sounded fine.

A second later, the Amazon exec switched to the Amazon Echo Dot Max.

"Pop!'

Yes, it was like my ears cleared, and I heard the Fleetwood Mac song anew.

"Like a heartbeat drives you mad
In the stillness of remembering what you had"

sang Stevie Nicks, and it was impressive. Full of far more bass than a speaker of that size has a right to have, and the clarity at the highs was sharp and pin clear.

Impressive for a $99 speaker.

The Amazon exec switched to the Echo Studio, and if you read my colleague Jake Krol's hands-on, you know it sounds room-filling and impressive in the way only a speaker of that size and design possibly could.

There are, by the way, many Echo Dot Max features I did not get to try, like its out-of-the-box Alexa+ capabilities, which are assisted by a far-field microphone system. There's also the new AZ3 processor (the studio gets the AZ3 Pro)that will assist with edge-case AI tasks (one that might not need larger models, like basic discussion cues)

Yes, this new speaker is double the price of the Echo Dot (which is not going anywhere), but you're paying for the new design, Alexa+ readiness, and, of course, that surprising level of sound quality. Plus, if you invest in up to five of them, you can quickly build a decent home theater surround sound system.

Amazon told us the speakers will be using the new Omnisence technology to read room acoustics and properly adjust the speakers for full Dolby surround sound as well.

For the moment, I'm impressed with the sound, but there is so much more to test on the Amazon Echo Dot Max. Stay tuned for our full review.

The Amazon Echo Dot Max, $99.99 / £99.99 / AU$199 is on preorder now and ships October 29.

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You could say it was only a matter of time until we got new Echo speakers to match the major revamp that is Alexa+, and Amazon finally delivered just that. Unveiled at Amazon’s singular, major hardware event on September 30, 2025, in New York City, Panos Panay – the devices chief – showed the new Echo lineup.

Yes, the current Echo Dot is sticking around, but symbolically replacing the full-sized Echo is the Echo Dot Max, and a new Echo Studio brings the oomph. The latter retails for $219.99 / £219.99 / AU$429 and immediately piqued my interest, then shortly after, my ears were treated to a demo.

Amazon completely redesigned the Echo Studio – gone is a rounded, plump cylinder-stump first-generation studio, and in is a much more modern orb that takes its design cues from the also brand-new Echo Dot Max and even from the orb, melon-sized 4th Gen Echo speaker.

The Echo Studio is a gray orb with a woven mesh outer – Panos says no seams will be found – that features a concave cutout for the power and volume controls and a flat bottom so that it doesn't roll off the table.

Surrounding that control panel impression is the now-iconic Alexa ring of LEDs. It can glow blue when it’s listening, red when the microphones are muted, and green if you have a notification (the latter color only enhances its slightly Death Star-like looks).

It’s a very modern-looking speaker that looks strikingly different from, say, a Sonos Era 100, but is more in line with a HomePod if it were tilted or even the forthcoming rumored next-gen speaker from Google. The Echo Studio is distinctly an Echo and, unlike the former, it’s now one that can happily sit on a table, shelf, or in a stereo pair – or up to a group of five – on a home entertainment cabinet.

Beyond its good looks – which I think the Echo Studio excels at from a first glance – it also sounds remarkably good. In a demo shortly after the keynote wrapped, I was taken into a room filled with new Echos as well as a Fire TV.

While Amazon didn’t opt to spin a track from Electric Nebraska or Born to Run by Bruce Springsteen, we did hear Dreams by Fleetwood Mac – first on the regular Echo Dot, which didn’t offer much in the area of sonic clarity or room-filling sound. Still, it laid the sonic groundwork for the Echo Dot Max to provide better separation of flowing higher-frequency vocals above the lower-end, which in turn led us to the far more powerful Echo Studio.

Amazon’s $219.99 smart speaker not only got pretty loud in a packed demo room, but also offered excellent separation and clarity of elements within a given track in a quick demo. The vocals especially sounded great, and there was indeed an oomph on the downbeat via the built-in woofer.

Amazon then lit up five Echo Studios – two in the rear and three facing me in the front – to play Thriller by Michael Jackson, and this showed off the spatial audio chops, with creaks in the back and footsteps in the front, and then being quite literally surrounded by the track.

Now, this setup would be well over $1,000, so I’m not sure how common it will be, but from a first listen, a single Echo Studio doesn’t disappoint in the audio department.

That’s largely thanks to the technology under the hood – three full-range drivers and a single high-excursion woofer all work in unison and are controlled by Amazon’s new high-end chip, this AZ3 Pro. This controls the audio experience and can fine-tune it for the room based on what the far-field microphones are hearing, as well as onboard algorithms.

And that about sums up my first impressions of the Echo Studio. While it is 40% smaller than the original, I believe it still packs a strong punch with sound, especially at the lower end of the spectrum or when grouped with others. I especially like the new design here, which I think will make it a much more appealing smart speaker option for the masses.

We’ll be back soon enough with our complete thoughts after we’ve had time to put the Echo Studio through its paces. However, if you’re sold, the Echo Studio is now available for preorder at $219.99 / £219.99 / AU$429 and will begin shipping on October 29, 2025. And it’ll be eligible for Alexa+ right out of the box.

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Having announced the upgraded Alexa+ AI assistant earlier this year, Amazon has now revealed four shiny new Echo speakers to take advantage of it: the Echo Dot Max, the Echo Show (in 8-inch and 11-inch sizes), and the Echo Studio.

All four of these models are upgrades on existing speakers, with faster processors, more memory, and advanced sensing capabilities intended to deliver "ambient AI experiences that fade into the background of daily life" – think reminders that you hear when you walk into a room, for example.

First up, the Echo Dot Max, a new take on the 5th-gen Echo Dot that brings with it a new design, 3x the bass power, two internal speakers, plus all the internal upgrades. It's yours for $99.99 / £99.99 / AU$199.

Then we have the new $219.99 / £219.99 / AU$429 Echo Studio, replacing the old Echo Studio. It's 40% smaller, looks a lot like the Echo Dot Max, and includes a high-excursion woofer and three full-range drivers. Spatial audio and Dolby Atmos are supported, and like its predecessor, it's one for the audiophiles out there.

As an added bonus, Amazon says you can easily set up a maximum of five Echo Studio and Echo Dot Max devices as a surround sound system for your Fire TV. This was possible with the existing hardware, but the limit was a 2.1 channel system. Preorders are open now, with availability on October 29.

Show me the speakers

Next there are the two new Echo Show models, with 8-inch and 11-inch screens. The design has been revamped from the older versions, and they now have a more modern look and improved touchscreens.

There's a 13-megapixel camera that can recognize you, and personalize the information (like calendar schedules) shown on screen. With two front-facing speakers and a custom woofer, Amazon promises superior sound from these units as well.

The on-board software has been reconfigured too, to surface more information and information that's more relevant – across entertainment, shopping, and the smart home. You can also now connect your Oura account to get health and wellness data up on your Echo Show screen, with more partners to come.

These two speakers are available from November 12, though you can preorder them now. The 8-inch model costs $179.99 / £179.99 / AU$349, while the 11-inch model – actually a new screen size for the series – is $219.99 / £219.99 / AU$429.

All of these new products come with Alexa+ out of the box, Amazon says, which means you get the smarter, more conversational, more natural AI assistant at your disposal – something more like Google Gemini rather than Google Assistant.

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I’ve had Amazon smart speakers for years, starting off with one of the little puck–shaped ones back in the 2010s. But I must admit, it took me an awfully long time to use it for much more than asking for the weather, a radio broadcast, or a bad joke.

In more recent years, especially since upgrading to the Amazon Echo Dot (5th Gen), working from home more, and becoming very familiar with some of the best smart home tech and the best smart lights, in particular, I don’t go a day without saying the magic word.

I’ve grown to really appreciate how helpful my Echo Dot can be in different scenarios and the time it saves me. Utilizing the features available helps me in some unexpected ways, from waking up in the morning to answering queries without disrupting my flow as I work, each thing making my day a little more efficient.

Below, I’ve listed my favorite features and the ways I use them to make my day a little easier. If you’re considering jumping on the bandwagon, I recommend checking out our pick of the best Amazon smart speakers for some inspiration.

1. Rise and shine

I sometimes have trouble waking up to my alarms in the morning, finding that I sleep straight through my usual phone alarms. I found I had the same problem with the alarm on my Echo Dot, too, until I happened upon a particularly helpful feature – turns out, there’s a setting that gradually increases the volume of the alarm over time.

This is a great feature for two reasons: firstly, it can prove a little gentler for light sleepers, as it starts quietly and slowly builds, so it’s less of a shock to the system. Secondly, and most crucially for me, the volume can be adjusted in the settings to get pretty loud, meaning it’s more likely to rouse me.

I’ve found it really helpful that my alarms can be set to trigger wake-up lighting with my smart lights, too, which is particularly nice in the darker winter months. I also have it set to recite the day’s weather after dismissing it, so I know what to expect and can plan my outfit accordingly.

2. Don't forget

I’ve found I get so much more done in a day when I have a timer on the go. I’m a naturally forgetful person, and chores like my washing rarely get done efficiently if I don’t set a timer to remind me.

I put a timer on every time I put a load in, so I get an audible reminder when it’s finished. And I happen to be in the middle of something, I simply ask Alexa to remind me in a set amount of time, to ensure I don’t forget about it.

Reminders are also fantastic for reminding me of birthdays, to make an appointment, or reply to correspondence within a deadline, which are things likely to get lost in the abyss if I don’t get prompted. So, while this is quite a simple tactic, it’s honestly been a game changer for my daily routines.

3. Staying in the groove

This tip may not prove helpful for everyone, but it’s been a big help to me whenever I’m working from home.

I often need to convert currencies and units of measure when writing articles, but opening a new tab and looking these things up can disrupt my flow. Instead, I’ve started asking Alexa for these conversions, so I can carry on typing and simply pop back and fill in the answer.

Utilizing my Echo Dot in this way has also made it quick and easy to check what time it is in different time zones, so I can ensure I’m messaging colleagues or contacts in other countries at the most efficient time.

4. Winding down

My Echo Dot is also an asset when the day is drawing to a close, and I want to settle down and relax. I like that I can ask Alexa to continue my latest audiobook, or to play something from my Spotify account as I get ready for bed, or when I’m settling down.

The routines on the Alexa app mean I don’t need to think about my lighting, as I can automate it to turn my smart lights on at set times, with a brightness level and color of my choosing, and can set them to power off at set times, too.

I don’t make much use of the latter, though, to be honest, as my bedtime is often sporadic. Instead, I tend to ask Alexa to turn off all the lights as I settle down into bed, ready to be awoken reliably in the morning, with gentle lighting and a weather forecast, helping me to get up and face the day.

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• Amazon has sent out invites for a big new hardware launch
• It's taking place on September 30 in New York, USA
• The teaser suggests we'll see new Echo speakers, Kindles and more

Amazon has announced its own Apple-style event for September 30, where we'll likely see it launch new Echo smart speakers, Echo Bud earphones, a new Kindle and more.

The launch will take place at 10am ET / 3pm BST on September 30 in New York City, which works out as 12am on October 1 in Australia. Fortunately, the invitation (below) has given us some good pointers on the new products we'll likely see revealed.

Amazon's last big consumer event was for its new Alexa+ subscription service on February 26 and this September launch will likely give us several new bits of hardware that will all play nice with its revamped voice assistant.

So what exactly does Amazon have in store? We've run our magnifying glass over the invite above to give you our best guesses below.

Amazon's invite dissected – what to expect

Amazon's invite for its annual Devices & Services event (above) has dropped a few clues for the launches we'll likely see – here are some of our best guesses...

1. A new Amazon Echo Studio smart speaker

The upper-right quadrant of Amazon's invite looks very much like a smart speaker – possibly a new Amazon Echo Studio. This would be a long-overdue update; the original Echo Studio launched in 2022, and although it still holds a place in our roundup of the best smart speakers, there’s plenty of room for improvement.

This speaker’s main selling point will likely be Alexa+. It took months for the AI-powered assistant to arrive on Echo Show devices, but hopefully Amazon has ironed out the kinks and Alexa+ will be available on the new Studio from day one.

This will necessitate a big upgrade to the speaker’s silicon, and I’m also hoping this will result in improved 3D audio, which was quite a mixed bag with the original Studio.

2. A new color Kindle

That bottom-right hand segment of the invite is easily the most straightforward part of the teaser, showing off what seems to be some kind of new color Kindle.

With the Kindle Colorsoft out in the wild (and some early teething problems with its screen resolved) it’s about time that Amazon expanded its color line-up, so a new model makes a lot of sense.

It might just be the perspective, but the screen appears bigger than that of the Colorsoft, with much thinner bezels to our eyes – closer to the look of the existing Kindle Scribe.

The slither of text in the corner of the image is interesting too: “with the [...] stroke of a pen”. Could this just be a coincidence, or a little hint that this upcoming device will offer stylus functionality?

We’ll have to wait and see whether the Scribe is about to get a colorful refresh, but it’s our most firm prediction right now.

3. Some new Amazon Echo Buds (2025)

It makes sense: the original Amazon Echo Buds landed in 2019; the second-gen setarrived in 2021; the most recent Amazon Echo Buds (2023) hit shelves in (you guessed it) 2023 and here we are, in 2025.

To date, Amazon’s Echo Buds products have proved solid but unspectacular performers under intense review, gaining four-stars and not a half-star more in the six years since they joined the market.

What needs to change – if indeed this is the glowing top plate of a fourth-gen. earpiece we see before us? Well, the price-tag has never been an issue, but more energy and impact through the bass would be our top request; less fiddly on-ear controls would be second.

Oh, and active noise cancellation really is becoming a must-have in 2025, so that’d be third.

One other thought: is hands-free Alexa the earbuds USP it once was? Not with ChatGPT available in even Nothing’s most affordable earbuds, plus Gemini arriving on the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro, with more Samsung and Sony earbuds to follow, we'd wager. So, it’ll be interesting to see how Amazon proceeds…

4. New Amazon Fire TVs or a Fire tablet

The bottom-left corner of the invite shows a TV screen or display with a bezel, which suggests a couple of possibilities.

The most likely one is that Amazon is preparing a fresh range of Fire TV sets. Its lineup currently has a few options, led by the Amazon Fire TV Omni QLED (which our review branded "one of the best-featured cheap 4K TVs you can buy" when it landed back in 2023).

Below that is the Fire TV 4-series and the entry-level 2-series, which also arrived in 2023. Our Amazon Fire TV 32-inch 2-series review didn't exactly sing its praises, but did conclude that it's a "functional TV at a budget-friendly price".

Beyond TV sets, we could instead get a new Fire tablet, though this seems less likely. Last month, some compelling rumors predicted that Amazon was planning to revamp its Fire tablet range by replacing Fire OS with Android. That would be a big deal, but the rumor from Reuters suggested this wouldn't be happening until 2026.

The final Fire TV possibility is, of course, new Fire TV Sticks. Rumors earlier this year predicted that Amazon could switch to a new operating system (Vega OS) for its little streaming sticks in 2025, which would likely prove controversial. It isn't yet clear if that also means new hardware, but we'll likely find out at Amazon's event.

5. Some surprises – Echo Frames and Echo Auto 3?

Beyond new Echo speakers, Echo Buds, Kindles and Fire TV hardware, Amazon has a range of other tech that it's kept on simmer – could any of these be updated at its September 30 event?

The Amazon Echo Auto 2 – an in-car microphone that lets you talk to Alexa – landed way back in 2022 and is now unavailable, so it's long overdue an update. Could Amazon be prepping a version that runs its new Alexa+ assistant?

It's also likely to be a big week for smart glasses, with Meta Connect 2025 kicking off on September 17. Could Amazon respond with an update to its Amazon Echo Frames (Gen 3), which have snuck into our guide to the best smart glasses?

Amazon's hardware events have traditionally been a blizzard of new announcements, so all of the above are possible. We'll be bringing you all of the news live, so make sure to return to TechRadar in a couple of weeks for the full rundown.

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During last week’s Made by Google event, we got an early glimpse of what appeared to be a new Google Nest smart speaker (sitting discreetly on a table beside F1 driver Lando Norris). Now, three more devices appear to have leaked: a new version of the Nest Video Doorbell, and a pair of home security cameras. The details come courtesy of Android Headlines, which hasn’t disclosed the identity of its source, but has included several pictures that seem to be from marketing material to back up its claims.

Based on the specs provided so far, it sounds very much like Google is taking the fight to Amazon, competing with Echo speakers, and Ring doorbells and cameras.

We don’t have prices and release dates for the new Nest devices yet, but it seems unlikely that Google will be able to compete on cost alone. Amazon’s products are some of the cheapest smart home devices around, so Google is likely relying on the power of Gemini for Home to give it the edge. It might just do that, as Alexa+ continues to roll out at a glacial pace, but we'll have to get hands-on with both before we can compare the two directly.

On the subject of prices, Google is apparently renaming Nest Aware to Google Home Premium, with multiple paid tiers. These will presumably work in a similar way to Ring Home, with the most expensive option offering support for more devices, extra storage for videos, and additional AI-powered features. For more details on the different Ring payment plans that Google will be competing with, take a look at our complete guide to Ring Home subscriptions.

Personally I’m hoping for a package that bundles the best features of Google One AI Premium together with Google Home Premium for a lower price than the two separate services, but I’m not going to hold my breath.

Unlike Amazon, Google is also facing a serious problem with disillusioned users who claim that their smart home devices are no longer working as advertised, throwing up error messages or failing to recognize commands. In fact, there are so many complaints that a US law firm has announced that it has "begun investigating a possible class action".

The new Nest devices will have to be something really special to turn that around, so let's take a closer look.

Nest speaker with 360-degree audio

First, the speaker. Early details are scant – we already assumed that it would feature Google Gemini – but Android Headlines' mystery source has gleaned a few interesting snippets of information.

The new speaker will apparently offer some interesting AI-powered features, including one that will detect when you’re away and watch out for worrying sounds that suggest someone may be trying to break into your home. This would tie the speaker into your home security system, together with the doorbell and two security cams, so it makes sense that Google is apparently launching the trio together as AI-powered eyes and ears to guard your home.

We’ve not been told anything about the silicon responsible for all of this, but the new Nest speaker is presumably much more powerful than its predecessors, which were released before AI began wending its way into our homes, and therefore had much more modest processing requirements.

The only other titbits that have been revealed are that the new Nest speaker will offer 360-degree sound, and can be paired with a Google TV streamer. It sounds as though it sits somewhere in between the existing Nest Mini and Nest Audio, aiming to provide the best of both worlds with both a relatively compact design and respectable audio quality.

Its closest rival appears to be the 4th-generation Amazon Echo, but the Nest’s 360-degree sound and inclusion of Gemini for Home could give it two big advantages. Although the Echo sounds good, and can be paired with a Fire TV streamer, its speaker is front-firing and it’s yet to receive the promised upgrade to Alexa+.

Amazon has promised that its AI assistant will be coming to its existing smart speakers, but hasn’t said when, and I’m guessing that most processing will need to happen in the cloud due to the Echo’s less powerful processor, which could result in more latency than you’ll get with the new Google Nest speaker.

Doorbell with local storage (sort of)

Now let’s take a look at the new Nest doorbell. Based on its specifications, it sounds like Google will be competing directly with the current wired Ring Video Doorbell, but personally I think that’s a risky strategy.

Video doorbells have come a long way in the last few years, and although Ring might still be the biggest name, it’s facing stiff competition from rivals like Swann and Eufy, whose doorbells can store all your footage locally on an SD card without the need for a paid monthly plan (for more details, take a look at my guide to subscription-free video doorbells).

According to Android Headlines, the new Nest doorbell will have some local storage, but only as a backup option in case it loses internet connectivity. It will keep an hour of video for you, but won’t be an alternative to paid-for cloud storage.

The new Nest doorbell’s 2K resolution is another potentially limiting factor. Over the last year we’ve tested a couple of models that can record at 4K (namely the SwannBuddy4K and Lorex 4K Battery Doorbell), and I wouldn’t be at all surprised if we see a 4K Ring doorbell in the next year or so. By releasing a 2K model in late 2025, Google is at risk of being left behind.

Judging from the leaked 3D render, it looks like Google’s new doorbell will only have one camera, which also surprises me. It’s now standard for video doorbells to have dual cameras for a greater vertical field of view, allowing them to capture visitors’ faces as well as packages left on your doorstep, with equal clarity. Without a bottom camera, the Nest model might not be able to ‘see’ parcels effectively, potentially leaving them vulnerable to porch pirates.

Then there's the price. The latest Ring Doorbell wired costs just $49.99 / £49.99 / AU$89, whereas the most recent Nest Video Doorbell had a launch price of $179.99 / £249.99 / AU$329. It’s unlikely that Google will be dropping its prices to match Ring, so I can only surmise that it’s relying on Gemini to give the new Nest Video Doorbell the edge.

According to the leaked specs, the new Nest doorbell will offer features including Activity Zones, Garage Door Alerts, and Familiar Face Alerts – all of which will be familiar to current Nest doorbell owners – plus new intelligent alerts that will send you a notification when an animal, person, or vehicle is spotted. Other doorbells offer something similar, so the Nest doorbell’s success will depend on how fast and accurate these all are, and how well the software can avoid false positives.

Red is the new black?

For me, the new indoor and outdoor Nest security cameras sound much more tempting than the doorbell. Both of these are wired, though it’s possible that Google may release a battery-powered model at a later date.

Again, Google seems to be aiming to eat Ring’s lunch, and its new cams appear to be direct rivals to the plug-in versions of the Ring Indoor Camera and Outdoor Security Camera, but there are some significant differences.

The most obvious of these is their design. We’re fans of Nest’s affordable and functional cams here at TechRadar, and they regularly find a place in our roundup of the best home security cameras, but I have to admit that they’re not particularly easy on the eye. It’s definitely a case of function over form.

The new Nest cams have a friendlier look, with rounded bodies and mounts, and will reportedly be available in a range of colors - not just black and white - so you can pick something that will blend better with your decor (or stand out, in the case of the red model).

Commenters on the Google Home subreddit seem to generally agree that the red option is an eyesore, but personally I like it as a way to let people know they’re being recorded - like a big red 'rec' button in your living room. You might think otherwise, though.

Comment from r/googlehome

The only potential design downside for me is the lack of a physical privacy cover on the indoor cam. This would shield the lens and microphone when you want a moment to yourself, and is one of the features we appreciated when testing the latest Ring Indoor Camera.

Both of Google’s new cameras will record at 2K, whereas the equivalent Ring cameras are limited to 1080p, and you’ll get the same Gemini-powered alerts and notifications as you do with the new Nest doorbell too

Again, according to Android Headlines there’ll be a limited amount of local storage in case the camera loses Wi-Fi connectivity. If you’re looking for a cam that will store all your videos locally and give you full control over them, take a look at our guide to subscription-free home security cameras.

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Gemini is coming to Google Home, and during yesterday’s Made by Google event, we saw our first glimpse of an unreleased Google Nest speaker - a roughly spherical device with a colored light at the base, seen sitting on a table beside F1 driver Lando Norris.

It’s about time too, given it’s been four years since Google’s last home hub, the 2nd-gen Nest Hub, launched in 2021. The question is, after such a long and rocky road, will anyone want it?

First of all, I find it interesting that Google has given us a peek at a speaker, not a smart display. It suggests that Google is taking a different approach to Amazon (which released two new Echo Show hubs late last year, and those are now the primary interface for its new subscription-tier Alexa+ service), and Apple (which is rumored to be announcing a new Apple Intelligence-powered display in September).

The Gemini presentation certainly didn’t tease a new Pixel Tablet – Google’s semi-portable smart home hub, which you can detach from its base and carry from room to room – though perhaps it’s keeping that up its sleeve for later in the year.

Despite its lack of a screen, the new Nest will need a serious silicon upgrade to keep pace with its rivals. The Echo Show 15 and 21 both sport Amazon’s new AZ2 processor, which the company claims will let them run an LLM locally with no latency, so the Nest will need a complete internal overhaul to compete, with a brand new chipset and more RAM.

That will mean a big price increase from previous Nest speakers - but will people be willing to pay? Google is currently facing an outcry from users who report that their existing Nest devices are throwing up error messages, or no longer recognizing commands. A US law firm has even announced that it has "begun investigating a possible class action" against Google because so many owners are reporting problems.

Device owners on the Google Home subreddit are certainly skeptical that the new speaker represents a fresh start for Google’s hardware.

“Not buying another Google Home product until they fix the thousand plus dollars worth of devices that I already bought and have been getting worse and worse with each passing week,” says the top-rated comment.

“Seriously I've never bought a tech product that literally got worse over time. It's insane. Why should I give Google [any more] money?”

A chilly reception

That’s not the only issue - users living outside North America (including me) might not ever be able to use the new Nest to its full potential. In its Gemini for Home announcement, Google explained that users can “conveniently issue multiple commands at once to control your home: 'Dim the lights, and set the temp to 72 degrees.'” But I won’t.

That’s because Google is ending support for its older smart thermostats in October, and won’t be selling any new ones in Europe - including the Fourth-Generation Nest Learning Thermostat that launched last year in the US and Canada. According to Google, this is because “heating systems in Europe are unique and have a variety of hardware and software requirements that make it challenging to build for the diverse set of homes.”

That also means we’ll miss out on hot water control - a feature coming to Google Home very soon according to Android Authority, which secured confirmation from Google Nest and Home Chief Product Officer Anish Kattukaran.

I’m curious to learn more about the new Nest, but with Google’s current usability issues, a potentially high price tag, and a lack of commitment to customers in Europe, it’ll have to work hard to convince me it’s a good investment.

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• Google showcased new hardware at the Made by Google event
• This includes a mystery smart speaker we haven't seen before
• It could materialize at an event in a few months

The August 20, 2025, Made by Google event gave us plenty of new hardware to feast on – including (of course) the new Google Pixel 10, 10 Pro, and 10 Pro Fold Android smartphones. But in a quick (not-quite-blink-and-you ’ll-miss-it) segment, we caught a glimpse of an unannounced Google smart speaker.

The showcase was packed with cameos, and in one such star-studded showcase, we saw Formula One driver Lando Norris and NBA player Giannis Antetokounmpo trade places – and use Gemini’s advice to better tackle the other’s sport.

Pixel 10 phones made an appearance, and Norris also used a new mini speaker with Gemini.

As you can see in the image above, the device isn’t like anything Google currently makes – our Audio Editor Becky Scarrott described its look as “like a HomePod mini in a Google dress but with an Echo Dot ring around the bottom,” which perfectly sums it up.

It also seems to possess Google Gemini’s reasoning powers based on how it was used, suggesting it might launch as part of the Gemini for Home upgrade Google has promised.

While the Gemini upgrade is also promised for existing smart speakers and displays, it certainly makes sense that Google would want to upgrade its lineup with some new hardware.

We haven’t had new hardware since the Google Nest Hub (2nd generation) in 2021, and before that, the last Nest speaker we got was the Google Nest Audio, which just squeezes into our best smart speakers list (but mostly because it’s the best for Google).

So we’re long overdue for an upgrade, and it seems Google is all set to deliver one in the not-too-distant future.

Most likely we’ll see something “in the fall" (so September through to November) as that’s when Google has promised a major update, which should also solve the many complaints Nest users have about their devices.

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Smart home hubs are one of the best ways to tie together all of the tech in your house, and the best Alexa speakers are more than qualified for the job. While these hubs are great for integrating into your smart home ecosystem, they also rank among the best smart speakers.

For me, my small but mighty Amazon Echo Pop speaker does just the trick. I use it every day without fail, and I'm excited to see how the upcoming Alexa+ voice will enhance my Pop and other smart speakers. Though it isn't every audiophile’s best friend, my Echo Pop works wonders for filling smaller spaces with sound – but there are a few tricks I use to push its potential even further.

If you’re considering buying an Echo Pop speaker or any model from Amazon’s range (which I think you should), I’ve spent ample time customizing my own to get the best listening experience possible. The best part is that each one is very straightforward and makes the most of some of the best Alexa Skills, meaning they’re great if you’re a first-time Echo speaker owner.

Here are three things I’ve done with my Echo Pop to make the most of my smart speaker experience, while we wait for Alexa+ to land.

1. Enable BBC Sounds for radio and podcasts

Alexa’s integration with the best music streaming services is one of the voice assistant’s biggest perks. But while this is something I use every day, sometimes I want something different to my Spotify playlists. This is where the BBC Sounds skill comes in handy.

With the BBC Sounds skill, it brings you one step closer to the array of radio stations and podcasts the BBC has to offer, and all you have to use is your voice. It’s a perfect skill to enable if you’re a huge music fan like myself and want to listen to more radio stations without having to rely on having a car – and it’s very easy to set up.

Just head to the ‘Skills & Games’ section in the Alexa app and search ‘BBC Sounds’, and then you’ll be prompted to sign into your BBC account. From there, you’ll be able to use the BBC Sounds skill to fill the silence of any room by asking Alexa to play different podcasts or radio stations.

For example, using the command ‘Alexa, play 6 Music’ will launch BBC Radio 6 Music, which is a station I’d recommend if you’re really into your music. Alternatively, you can pick up where you left off on podcast episodes by saying ‘Alexa, launch BBC Sounds’, and it will reply with ‘Hello, what would you like to hear?’.

2. Hands-free smart TV control

This is a surface-level feature for smart speaker users, but it can be an essential one if you’re a first-time Echo speaker owner. Since getting a smart TV – I have the Hisense 6 Series model – pairing my TV with my Echo Pop speaker has been a simple yet effective way of amping up my smart home setup. Plus, it's fun to give your smart TV new name to use in commands.

To get started, open the Alexa app and add a new device by tapping the ‘+’ sign at the top-right corner and then choose the ‘TV’ option. Once you’ve selected your TV brand, follow the instructions on your TV’s screen to complete the setup – this will involve enabling a specific Alexa skill for your TV brand. In my case, Hisense TVs will need the VIDAA Alexa skill.

Once your smart TV and Echo speaker are connected and you’ve given your device an easy-to-remember name, using the prompt ‘Alexa, turn on (device name)’ will launch your smart TV home page. When it’s turned on you can use commands to open specific streaming platforms, for example ‘Alexa, open Netflix on (device name)’.

3. Customize your Flash Briefing

Flash Briefings are the perfect way to hear the biggest news headlines in one short segment, and I think they’re a great way to get your day started.

You can ask your Echo speaker ‘Alexa, what’s my Flash Briefing?’ and it will respond based on the news source you have set in the Alexa app – and you can also set a default news source based on your own preferences.

Go to ‘Settings’ in the Alexa app and scroll down to ‘News’ under the ‘Alexa Preferences’ header. Tap ‘My News Channel’ and from there you can set a different news source if you’re not a fan of the default setting – I’m a BBC News fan myself.

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Amazon has been taking its time with the roll out of Alexa+, the company’s new voice assistant with a big AI revamp, but after hitting the 100,000 user milestone in May, Alexa+ has now reached 1 million test users – a huge jump in just a few weeks.

When the company announced Alexa’s first major upgrade in February, it said that Alexa+ would be US-only for now before being rolled out widely, though this date is still unknown.

It’s been difficult to find a person or close friend who has early access, but now more users are sharing that Alexa+ has been activated on selected Echo devices. Additionally, users are sharing their first impressions of the new AI features – which has garnered a range of mixed reactions.

Alexa+ activated from r/alexa

Alexa’s new voice causes a divide

After deep diving through different Reddit threads, the main feature that has divided early access users is the new Alexa+ voice, whose major redesign aims to offer a less robotic inflection (similar to ChatGPT) with improved recognition capabilities.

Some users have been impressed by its ability to carry out a straight conversation without having to pre-prompt it, with one user stating that it provides a natural back-and-forth flow.

However, the user also highlighted its similarities with other voice assistants, adding: "It's early days, but it feels a tiny bit closer to what I have with ChatGPT." By the sounds of it, Alexa+ will have to offer something a little different if it wants users to stick around.

So I am actually liking Alexa+ from r/alexa

Another user went even further, describing the new Alexa+ voice as "obnoxious", but they also highlighted the fact that the new assistant has the ability to change its tone: "I asked if she could soften her voice, and she offered to make it more 'feminine' (her words not mine)."

I’ve spent a few days with Alexa Plus from r/alexa

Testers have been generally pleased with how Alexa+ stands above other LLMs with its detailed explanations and clear understanding of voice prompts. One Reddit user was impressed that "[it] understands everything regardless of how you stumble on words."

Comment from r/alexa

Another user shared a similar positive experience, but went on to explain that Alexa+ would fall into the trap of contradicting itself, admitting to it and apologizing when the called out.

Comment from r/alexa

Despite a few hiccups with the new Alexa+, the response from testers has been generally positive which makes us intrigued to see what it will be like once it’s widely available. So far it’s not enough for users to fully subscribe to, but time will tell.

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Like many other Big Tech firms, Amazon jumped on the artificial intelligence (AI) bandwagon by launching its own AI assistant named Alexa+ in February. Now, the company has announced that the tool has been rolled out to 100,000 users.

Right now, Alexa+ focuses on providing a conversational experience with an AI chatbot, although Amazon aims to imbue it with “agentic” abilities in the future. That would enable it to work as an agent on your behalf, interacting with third-party apps in order to carry out the tasks you ask of it.

That little tidbit came from Amazon CEO Andy Jassy during the company’s recent earnings call. There, Jassy explained that “Our intention is for agents to perform wide-ranging complex, multi-step tasks,” and that “there haven't been action-oriented agents like this until Alexa+.”

Yet the most recent update to Alexa+ is missing some of the key features that Amazon demonstrated in February, as pointed out by The Washington Post. It wouldn’t be the first AI to arrive without promised abilities – Apple’s AI-powered Siri has faced numerous delays and disruptions – and it shows how difficult it can be to pull ahead in the ongoing AI arms race.

Even Jassy admitted that Alexa+ was facing challenges. In general, agentic AI tools are still “primitive,” the Amazon CEO noted, with Amazon’s own Nova Act AI model aiming to improve their accuracy from a mere 30% to 60%. Eventually, the goal is to achieve over 90% accuracy, but clearly Alexa+ isn’t there yet.

Limited availability

Enrolling 100,000 users might sound impressive, but it’s a small fraction of the 600 million Alexa devices in existence. Amazon has previously stated that it aims to launch Alexa+ in waves, so we should expect to see availability increase in the US over the coming months. There's no news about an international rollout yet.

Of those users who have tried it out so far, few have shared their thoughts or given insights into how well it works. That changed recently, though, when user Pretty2be took to Reddit to answer questions on the AI chatbot.

During the session, Pretty2be stated that Alexa+ is good at interpreting natural speech and is able to avoid interrupting you. Other positive feedback included its speech synthesis capabilities, although the user criticized its tendency to push you towards Amazon Music, even when you try to use Spotify.

We don’t know when Alexa+ will roll out to more users, but it’s clear that there’s still work to be done, judging by both Pretty2be’s feedback and Amazon CEO Jassy’s comments. Hopefully the missing features will arrive before the next 100,000 users sign up.

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It's been almost two months since Amazon announced Alexa+, but despite the company's claims that the new AI-enhanced voice assistant would begin rolling out in waves shortly after, we haven't heard from a single person who's actually used it – until now.

Reddit user Pretty2be is an early adopter who says they have been using Alexa+ for six weeks and has launched an AMA (ask me anything) thread to answer questions about their experiences.

To verify that they're the real deal, they have posted a picture of their username written on a piece of tape, attached to the screen of an Amazon Echo Show displaying the words 'Alexa+ Early Access'.

Their overall opinions seem pretty positive, but there's enough criticism to dispel the idea that they might be an Amazon employee paid to promote Alexa+ on Reddit – and some might argue they're not using it to its fullest.

According to The Wall Street Journal, a senior employee on the original Amazon Echo team was horrified to find that people were underusing the smart speaker's capabilities, and essentially using it as an elaborate egg timer.

Amusingly, that still seems to be one of Pretty2be's main uses for the AI-enabled upgrade, though they're more impressed by the performance of Alexa+ when it comes to "setting multiple alarms or timers at a requested interval starting at a requested time."

I’ve been using Alexa+ for ~6 weeks. AMA! from r/alexa

Thankfully for the Alexa+ team, Pretty2be didn't stop there, and reports that the new assistant works particularly well for controlling connected smart home devices (including smart lights from a non-Amazon brand, a Ring video doorbell, and a smart thermostat).

"Only used old Alexa a few years ago but it was smooth and intuitive to set up the devices I have," they wrote when asked about the overall smart home experience.

Smooth operator?

According to Pretty2be, Alexa+ is good at interpreting natural speech, and can generally tell from your tone of voice whether or not you've finished asking a question to avoid interrupting you.

They admit that they haven't tested text-to-speech with Kindle books yet, but say that speech synthesis has improved, too: "I can say the voice in general is very nice, some longer delays than old Alexa but very smooth replies once it responds! I have not detected any “off” or robotic sounding replies!"

However, it sounds like the smooth-talking new assistant isn't without its quirks. For example, when asked to play a song from Spotify, Pretty2be says that Alexa+ will instead try to push them towards Amazon Music.

Comment from r/alexa

Overall, though, they were pretty impressed by their experience. "Old Alexa was hot garbage but this new one was a pleasant surprise," they concluded. "I did not pay for my device but I would purchase it myself if I had to return my current one."

We still don't know when Alexa+ will begin rolling out more widely. Back in February, Amazon promised that Echo Show owners in the US would get access very soon, but we're still waiting for that to begin.

We're poised and ready to receive it when it finally does, and will bring you our own impressions as soon as we do.

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In the decade-plus since Amazon introduced its line of Echo smart speakers, we've been using "Alexa" to address them. It's the default wake word, and soon, as Alexa+, will be the name that marks its most significant AI glow up.

However, the hardware is still officially known as Echo Dot, Echo Show, and so on – but if a new report is any indication that might change, and we could end up calling an Echo Show an Alexa Show.

After a tip-off from a reader, The Verge was able to confirm that sometimes you might see an Echo Show listed as an Alexa Show on Amazon.com, as part of a test the online retail giant is running. I've tried without success to get Amazon.com to show me such a result, but I truly hope the name change becomes a real thing.

The reality is, no one thinks about their Amazon smart speakers as 'Echo' devices. We call them Alexas because that's the name they respond to. We've never said, "Echo, what's the weather tomorrow?" Perhaps if Amazon had gone that route back in 2015, we might be arguing that these are truly all Echo devices.

Echo has never been a great name. The Oxford Dictionary defines Echo as:

"A sound or series of sounds caused by the reflection of sound waves from a surface back to the listener."

If all the various Echo devices were simply speakers, this might make some sense. But Echo smart speakers are not simply reflecting our voices and requests; they're listening, thinking, and they're responding, and not simply bouncing back what we said.

Also, the combination of names isn't much better. "Echo Show" is not great. It ends up sounding like the "an echo you can see." Nothing in it says, "intelligence plus a display."

Now, let's try out "Alexa Show". We already know what Alexa means, and the combo instantly becomes "smarts you can see".

Just imagine

Even though Amazon is rolling out a much smarter and more generative AI-infused Alexa with Alexa+, I do not see the need to squeeze a '+' into the various product names. However, putting 'Alexa' front and center on products is probably a smart way to incentivize more Alexa+ adoption.

It tickles me to imagine the entire Amazon line of the best Alexa speakers, many of which are part of our best smart speakers list, refashioned around the 'Alexa' brand ideal:

• Alexa Dot
• Alexa Spot (for more simplification, combine with above)
• Alexa Studio
• Alexa Pop
• Alexa Frames
• Alexa Earbuds
• and so on

I'd even argue that the branding could extend to other Amazon native devices like the Fire Stick line (Alexa Fire Stick) and Fire tablets (Alexa Fire Tablet). Kindles would make sense only if Amazon decides to integrate some basic Alexa features (not likely, though, since most people read their kindles offline).

A dose of reality

As much as I want Amazon to fully adopt the Alexa branding across all these devices, it's not likely to happen. When I asked Amazon directly about the test they threw a giant bucket of cold water on the idea of a major product category rebranding.

An Amazon spokesperson told me: "I wouldn’t read too much into this. Customers love both Echo and Alexa, and search for our products in a number of different ways – we’re running an experiment to better understand product discovery, but that doesn’t mean anything is going to change."

As I read that, though, the message is not "it will never change." Instead, they said, "...that doesn’t mean anything is going to change."

It's like when I ask my wife if she thinks we'll win the lottery and she says, "Almost certainly not," and I always answer, 'So, you're saying there's a chance..."

Dropping Echo and adopting Alexa everywhere would be a smart move, and I still hope Amazon takes it from experiment to strategic update. What do you think? Let me know in the comments below.

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So it’s official: Amazon is finally launching Alexa+, the new AI-infused voice assistant that has been over a decade in the making. It marks the most significant upgrade of Alexa yet, injected with an unprecedented intelligence that brings every aspect of your schedule together in one harmonious place. It’s really quite impressive, but there’s one thing I think it lacks: a flagship Echo speaker.

Before Amazon announced Alexa+ at its Alexa event, I, like many others, had my list of expectations ready, and a new Echo speaker was at the top. Considering it's been five years since its last smart speaker - the Amazon Echo (2020) - a hardware upgrade is more than overdue, but as Amazon’s 70-minute event went by, nothing was mentioned.

While it was difficult for me to suppress my disappointment amidst the excitement of the arrival of Alexa+, it’s clear that Amazon is saving its next-gen Echo smart speaker for another date. It’s exciting to think about what Amazon might have planned for that device, and now that we know Alexa+ is on the way, that makes room for major software and hardware upgrades for one of the best smart speakers out there. Having said that, these are the upgrades I want to see in Amazon’s next Echo speaker.

An integrated smart screen/ display

Over the past five years, Amazon has given its undivided attention to its line of Echo Show products, combining the Alexa voice assistant with smart display devices to make the Alexa experience more visual. From the release of the Echo Show 8 to its much larger 21.5 inch Echo Show 21 display, Alexa is becoming increasingly more visual, and it's about time it came to Amazon’s Echo speaker family.

In 2024, Amazon revived its Echo Spot device, which looks like the basic Echo Pop speaker but has a small smart display – but it is not a smart speaker. Therefore, we know that Amazon can implement a smart screen into its next Echo speaker model; the proof is there. When paired with the new Alexa+ voice assistant, the next Echo speaker could be unstoppable.

More color options

Amazon’s color scheme has been translated into the designs of its Echo speakers, and while I love a strong brand image, I also want something that will pop. Though I recognize Amazon’s previous attempts at offering different color options to consumers (take a look at the Echo Pop and the Echo Dot Kids), there’s only so far you can go with black, white, blue, and grey tones.

For the next Echo speaker, I want to see Amazon take a bold leap with the color options. Imagine a sunset orange or a forest green Echo speaker beaming in the corner of your room - now that would make my music listening experiences pop.

Ambient lighting

Speaking of making the next Echo speaker pop, how cool would it be if Amazon’s next smart speaker model doubled as a speaker and lamp? My social media feed is inundated with interior design videos of apartments with the best ambient lighting I’ve seen, and nothing screams ‘I have my life together’ more than a cozy, warm lamp in the corner of your room.

I know that this would be a feature I would certainly take advantage of, and it means that I wouldn’t have to spend a fortune on the best smart lights if I had the ability to alter brightness, warmth, and change colors.

Improved audio quality with Dolby Atmos integration

Echo speakers make great smart speakers if you’re not the biggest audiophile and want something that will fill a room satisfactorily. For the past decade, Amazon has honed in on improving the responsiveness of its Echo speakers, reinforcing their role as smart home hubs, but I’d like to see some of that focus shift to enhancing its audio performance.

As someone who constantly uses their Echo speaker predominantly for music, be that streaming my favorite albums on Spotify or listening to some good old white noise, I’m always picking up on the imperfections of my speaker’s audio capabilities.

One thing I’d like from the next Amazon smart speaker isn’t necessarily a more dynamic volume, but instead fine-tuned vocals and a throbbing, robust bass. Dolby Atmos integration is a no-brainer and a necessity when it comes to the future Echo speaker, which would be a huge upgrade in itself.

Non-Fire TV device pairing

Music streaming and video streaming go hand-in-hand, and as well as a new audio upgrade, the final thing that I and Echo speaker users alike would like to see is compatibility with non-Fire TV devices.

This would effectivley make a huge difference for your home theater setup. At the moment, Amazon Echo speakers can connect to third-party devices such as PCs and TVs but through Bluetooth only, which often requires fiddling with the Alexa app. If Amazon introduced an improved compatibility feature with the next-gen Echo speaker, which lets it connect a smart speaker to a non-Fire TV device, the whole experience would be a lot smoother and more direct.

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Alexa just went from being a somewhat ordinary, if trusted, digital assistant to a powerful enigma. Alexa+ replaces the plodding of the original with conversational intelligence, proactivity, and true AI. It's a lot to take in and raises a lot of questions. I managed to get some answers from Daniel Rausch, Amazon's VP of Alexa and Echo and of the people who helped build Alexa Plus, to get some answers.

Even though I caught up with Rausch at the end of a long day, he seemed energized and clearly quite proud of Amazon's creation.

I started by asking him about something bugging me since the launch: How much of Alexa+ is Claude? Anthropic, Claude's developer, was touted as a partner in the development of Alexa Plus and listed during the presentation alongside Amazon Nova, Amazon's own large language model.

Rausch, though, quickly disabused me of that notion.

"You saw Amazon Nova models up there and they are definitely where we start at Amazon," Rausch began, "we always start with our own technology."

Raushe explained that there is "unbelievable price performance in those models, unbelievable latency, unbelievable accuracy."

Bedrock principles

It goes further than that, though. Rausch explained that Amazon's Bedrock is a sort of cloud-based foundation for all its generative AI work. Anthropic is a "really important partner," said Rausch, but the system Amazon's built is "model agnostic."

"Bedrock's goal is to serve highly capable, state-of-the-art models," he said. That means the system will pick and choose the best models for the job.

It makes sense this also may have been Rausch's way of not identifying which models, including Claude, are used when. "With Alexa," he added, "we have access to the full suite."

It goes further than that, though. Large language models are not the end or destination. Rausch told me the Alexa+ experience extends and builds upon them. He discussed the "information experts" idea introduced during the launch event. The models use these experts to gather relevant and factual information. Rausch used the example of his constant queries about baseball, specifically the Yankees, but added that the system is smart enough to know that, in his house, only he likes to talk endlessly about baseball while his daughter has no interest.

"I would say the models are helping orchestrate the overall experience and are the foundation and are helping us build the rest," Rausch told me.

That art

During the kids' section of the unveiling, or the part that described the new "Explore and Stories with Alexa," I noticed what looked like generative AI art.

Rausch confirmed that Alexa+ generates that art on the fly based on kids' ideas. During development, Rausch put the tools in front of some relatives' kids to gauge their reactions: "It is super-fun. A kid is describing the story, Alexa is helping them explore, 'Hey, what would you like to write a story about?'" For instance, the kid describes a bearded dragon playing a saxophone. "Alexa's off drawing some creative artwork, asking about the path of the story, 'Where does the bearded dragon live?' or 'What city is the bearded dragon visiting?' Of course, kids are unlimited in their imagination. They're riffing. They're saying, sometimes, things adults can't come out with."

It does sound like fun. I noticed that the images I saw looked like generative AI, and Rausch told me that was exactly what they were. He would not, however, reveal which generative image model Alexa+ is using. All Rausch would only say that "it's from the models on Bedrock."

Security

As with any generative AI, the key to Alexa+'s utility is data or rather your data. Generative tasks will be handled in the cloud, but Raush told me that all of it will be encrypted "in transit."

"It is incredibly secure and meets our standard practices of trust generally, which include deep security and privacy," he added.

Naturally, this led me to ask about the kids' technology and what safeguards Amazon has built around the generative image creation.

Rausch described it as "incredibly safe," and said there are many safeguards in place to ensure "children are always kept safe."

I know many companies say their generative image platforms are safe, but Amazon has a track record in developing kid-friendly platforms and systems. The "Explore and Stores with Alexa" is an extension of all that work.

Not always a screen

It was hard to ignore the pervasive use of the Echo Show 21 smart display throughout the Alexa+ demo. I've naturally been wondering about all the Echo Smart speakers out there, at least the ones new enough to support Alexa Plus. What will the experience be like with them?

During the demos, Amazon actually cranked up the length of responses for the Echo 21 screens to show off what Alexa knows. But no one wants to stand around staring at a speaker waiting for these responses. Rausch told me that they designed Alexa Plus to deliver more concise responses on the speakers. All of this is customizable.

"The idea is we picked the right kinds of responses and the right interactions for the device and the modality that you're in," he added.

Is Amazon ready

When Amazon delivers Alexa+ in March, that could mean millions of Echo owners suddenly having generative AI conversations with the newest chatbot on the block. It's potentially a big computational lift. Is Amazon ready?

"Yes," Rausch smiled, "It is very nice to have AWS at Amazon."

Amazon's massive cloud computing platform supports countless websites and services and will now supply the bandwidth for Alexa+. Still, it won't be everything, everywhere, all at once. Amazon is planning on rolling out Alexa+ in waves.

And now I feel like I'll understand Alexa+ a little better when those waves first hit the digital shore.

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Amazon unveiled Alexa+, its new AI-powered voice assistant, at yesterday's Alexa event. It's the biggest upgrade Alexa has ever received – but will it work with your devices, or will you need to upgrade to get the most out of it? On stage, Amazon's team mostly demonstrated Alexa+ using the latest Echo Show devices, but will it also be available for older speakers and smart displays?

We're here to answer your questions, and hopefully put your mind at ease. If your device isn't among those supported, don't worry – you can keep using the standard version of Alexa, and you'll be able to try Alexa+ in your web browser or the Alexa app instead.

Note that Alexa+ will only be available in the US at first, but should be launched more widely before long.

Amazon Echo Show devices

If you own one of the current generation of Echo Show devices, not only will you be able to use Alexa+, you'll also be one of the first to access it as part of an early roll-out program. The Echo Show devices with early Alexa+ access are:

• Amazon Alexa Show 8
• Amazon Alexa Show 10
• Amazon Alexa Show 15
• Amazon Alexa Show 21

During its launch event, Amazon explained that Alexa+ will be rolling out in waves over the next few weeks (so from the start of March onwards).

If you own a first or second-generation Echo Show, unfortunately Alexa+ won't be available to you, but you can keep using the standard version of Alexa instead.

Amazon Echo smart speakers

Alexa+ will also be available for Echo smart speakers. Whether you own one of the more recent Amazon Echo devices, an Amazon Echo Dot, or even 2024's little Amazon Echo Spot, you'll soon be able to chatter away with the new Alexa and use it as your personal assistant.

The only exceptions are a handful of older Echo devices including:

• Echo Dot 1st Gen
• Echo 1st Gen
• Echo Plus 1st Gen
• Echo Tap
• Echo Spot 1st Gen

These speakers won't become unusable, though. Alexa+ is optional for all devices, and if yours isn't supported, you can keep using the standard version of Alexa instead.

It seems like TechRadar's Editor-at-Large Lance Ulanoff is in luck. Despite his concerns, it sounds like his 10-year-old Amazon Echo speaker will not only keep working, but will support Alexa+ as well.

Amazon Fire devices

Amazon has said that Alexa+ will be available for "compatible Fire TVs and Fire tablets". It hasn't provided a list of exactly which ones will be included, but it seems safe to say that the Amazon Fire TV Omni QLED and Amazon Fire HD 10 will be among them. We'll keep you updated as soon as we know more.

Third-party smart speakers

If you have a third-party smart speaker, you'll have to be patient. Alexa+ won't be available for Alexa Built-In devices like the Sonos Era 100 or Bose Smart Speaker 500 straight away, but Amazon says that it looks forward to expanding Alexa+ to additional devices in the future.

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Today, we got our first glimpse of the new AI-infused virtual assistant that Amazon's engineers have been busily crafting behind the scenes. Alexa Plus, which is rolling out to users in the US over the coming months, can book you a restaurant reservation, manage your schedule, and even show video evidence of your driver walking your dog in the morning. You know, normal, everyday things. And it can do all this for $19.99 per month – or free if you already subscribe to Amazon Prime.

That standalone price is very high, and almost totally arbitrary. After all, an Amazon Prime subscription currently costs $14.99 monthly or $139 per year, so paying more for Alexa Plus alone would make no sense at all. And that's the point. The fee for Alexa Plus by itself could have been anything because Amazon doesn't actually expect anyone to buy it that way.

What it does want is for you to think "Well, might as well..." and finally press the button to commit to Prime, or decide to keep your subscription active just to see what the new Alexa Plus experience is like.

The price of 'free'

What else does Amazon stand to gain from the generous offer of 'free' Alexa Plus? Well, according to the company's Devices and Services event blog, the service "will start rolling out in the US in the next few weeks, and subsequently in waves in the coming months starting with households with Echo Show 8, 10, 15, and 21." If you don't own such a device, the company not-too-subtly suggests that "you can buy one today". I'm only surprised there's not a button to add one right to your cart.

It's not clear whether Alexa Plus will eventually be made available for all existing Echo devices. It looks like all the processing happens server-side and not everything requires a screen, in which case there's seemingly no reason as to why it wouldn't be freely available, but from a business perspective it makes a lot more sense to restrict it to the relatively pricey Echo Show series. The humble Amazon Echo might have earned the top spot in our roundup of the best smart speakers, but if that's all you have at home, you might miss out on the AI action; at least in the short term, anyway.

There's also no word on privacy, and how much you might have to sacrifice to get the most out of Alexa Plus. During its launch event, Amazon showed off a wall covered in logos for companies it's working with to deliver services via AI, and presumably, you'll have to grant Amazon access to your various accounts for these integrations to work. At this point, we just don't know, but your data is valuable, so it's well worth finding out.

Alexa Plus might well prove to be a valuable addition to your home. Justt bear in mind that there's no such thing as a free lunch, and that $19.99 tag doesn't really mean a great deal by itself. If you're getting something like that 'free', then you're usually paying in other ways.

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Amazon just hosted its first Amazon Devices event since 2023, and as we'd expected, it served as the launching pad for a new, AI-enhanced Alexa+ service.

After announcing Alexa 2.0 alongside an array of hardware launches back in 2023, all has been relatively quiet from Amazon regarding the future of the LLM (large language model)-boosted smart assistant. Elsewhere, however, rumors have spelled a challenging road to release for Alexa 2.0, including recent concerns that there may be further delays even with its unveiling on the horizon.

Now we finally have had a first glimpse at Alexa+, and confirmation that it will indeed be a subscription service, priced at $19.99 per month, or free for existing Prime members. As of right now, Amazon has confirmed rollout is exclusive to the US and will begin "in the next few weeks", prioritizing homes that feature an Echo Show 8, 10, 15 or 21.

We were on the ground in New York City attending the event, which was not publicly available to live stream, sharing he news as it happened; but the story is still unfolding, so keep this page open to see more of our hands-on experiences with Alexa+.

The latest news

• Amazon had its Devices and Services event for for 10AM EST / 3PM GMT / 2AM ACT on Wednesday, February 26.
• The event unveiled the new Alexa+ service, a subscription-based, AI-enhanced Alexa agent.
• It will be available for $19.99 monthly or free as part of a Prime membership.
• Rollout will begin in the coming weeks, with priority for households using an Echo Show 8, 10, 15 or 21.

Welcome to our live blog coverage of Amazon’s Devices and Services event! Our very own Lance Ulanoff and Jacob Krol are on the ground in New York City to attend the event in person, and I’ll be covering all the news as we learn more from Amazon about its 2025 products.

Stay tuned, because this could be a big moment for Amazon!

Instead of a Devices and Services event in 2024, Amazon opted to trickle various product releases throughout the year, including a surprise launch for the all-new Echo Show 21, as well as second generations of the Echo Spot and Echo Show 15.

We’ve reviewed them all - check them out!

With rumors flying about Alexa 2.0’s subscription fee, we’ll hopefully be learning more later today on what that means for the original Alexa. Logic would dictate they wouldn’t fully ditch it and would leave that as the ‘basic’ option in all Echo devices, right? Right?

Anyway, for a refresher on what Alexa can do, check out our list of the Best Alexa Skills and commands.

Especially at release, Alexa was a real game-changer, but with the passage of time comes new technology and new demands on aging software. That’s certainly the case with Alexa; the voice assistant has seen many quality of life updates and new features, but it’s starting to show its age.

There’s plenty that could be improved, but I wrote yesterday about five specific features that would make Alexa 2.0 genuinely worthwhile. Check it out!

Not everyone on the Alexa subreddit is totally against the idea of a paid tier, but they want it to offer something special. Suggestions include a less robotic voice (more like ChatGPT or Claude), the ability to use Boolean operators in commands, or just scrapping the option to play soothing ocean sounds when the lights are turned off at night. Shame, I quite like that.

Comment from r/alexa

When might Alexa 2.0 actually land?

It seems almost certain that we'll hear about Alexa 2.0 during today's big Amazon event – but when will it actually roll out to smart speakers? The latest rumors suggest a rollout might not happen until March 31, because Amazon needs to make some tweaks to improve the assistant's accuracy.

That doesn't seem like a lot of extra time to make meaningful adjustments, so I'm hoping we don't get a vague "in the coming months" release window for the rebooted Alexa today.

But Amazon does need to get it right – it's supposedly planning to charge $5-$10 a month (around £5-£10 / AU$8-AU$16) for full access to its AI-powered Alexa. With ChatGPT's Advanced Voice Mode now coming to its free tier (an announcement that was surely timed to rain on Amazon's parade), Alexa 2.0 will need to be capable of some impressive tricks to justify that rumored cost.

• Read more: Alexa’s big AI revamp might have been delayed again, and I’m losing faith Amazon's new assistant will be all that smart

As we patiently wait for Amazon to commence its first device-focussed event since 2023, we’ve been casting our predictions and throwing guesses as to what could be unveiled later today. As it stands, we’re pretty confident that the AI-infused Alexa 2.0 will receive a release date after it was teased at Amazon’s last Alexa event and like we’ve said, the voice assistant has been revolutionary in the realm of smart home tech since its inception over a decade ago. Therefore, it’s definitely time for a revamp, but the catch is that Amazon has been toying with the idea of a subscription fee for the new AI voice assistant.

Other rumors we’ve spotted also point to a new Echo smart speaker device which could serve as a new home for Alexa 2.0. Amazon’s lineup of Fire TV devices may also have their time in the spotlight at today’s event with speculations pointing to new function updates and maybe even new hardware announcements.

For a deeper insight to what Amazon could be announcing be sure to check our roundup of the four things you can expect to see at Amazon’s Alexa event!

It seems a lot of Reddit users are shocked at the idea of potentially paying for Alexa, which isn’t too surprising considering how many people only use its most basic features. Last summer, it emerged that Amazon had made over $25 billion in losses from its smart device business between 2017 and 2021, partly because owners prefer to use their smart speakers to set alarms and not much else.

“We worried [we’d] hired 10,000 people and we’ve built a smart timer," one former senior employee told the Wall Street Journal at the time.

Who is Panos Panay?

One name you're likely to see a lot today is Panos Panay, current head of Devices and Services. Panay took the reigns in 2023 from long-serving Amazon SVP of Devices and Services, David Limp, following his retirement from the company (he didn't go far though, hopping over to Bezos' Blue Origin venture as its new CEO).

Panay joined Amazon following a 19-year stint at Microsoft, where he was best-known for leading the development of Windows 11 in 2021 as well as creating the Surface line of devices in 2012; so his are a safe pair of hands for Alexa both on the hardware and software front.

One of the biggest questions for the leagues and leagues of Echo device owners is whether or not Amazon will follow suit with many of its peers and brick older speakers in the coming years.

Our US Editor-at-Large laments the future of his original Echo speaker in his recent feature, and it’s an excellent read.

Amazon has done a sound job at keeping all of its new announcements under wraps, and although we have a pretty strong idea of what to expect based on rumors and speculation, nothing has been set in stone on Amazon’s side. But we’re confident in our guesses of what products will be a no-show at today’s Alexa event - most notably Kindles.

Though Amazon skipped its Alexa event last year, it made up for it by unveiling brand new Kindle models, including the Kindle Colorsoft, in October last year. In addition to its first color Kindle, Amazon announced its pricey Kindle Scribe, the 12th gen Kindle Paperwhite, and 11th gen Kindle - a generous launch for keen readers. So, if you’re an admirer of Amazon’s line of ereaders, then I’m sorry to say that it’s unlikely a new Kindle will be announced later today.

If Amazon announces that Alexa 2.0 will be compatible with existing Echo speakers, this could be a good time to pick up one or two more so you’re prepared. We’ve rounded up all today’s best deals on the full range, including offers from Amazon itself and other retailers around the web.

Once your speakers arrive, check out our guide to setting them up and avoiding common mistakes to save yourself potential headaches later on.

Will we see new neural network hardware today?

Judging by the trends of silicon valley, processors are the real golden goose of the AI revolution; so will Amazon’s AZ2 neural edge processor also see an upgrade?

The AZ2 debuted in 2021 alongside the Echo Show 15, and has been used in pretty much all of the Echo devices since. It’s plenty powerful and pretty scalable thanks to its quad-core architecture, allowing for more local processing instead of relying heavily on the cloud - though not enough so that Alexa won’t occasionally switch to its default voice when WiFi connectivity drops.

The big question is, will it be enough to handle the demands of a more intelligent Alexa, and if not, what does that mean for the millions of Echo devices housing the AZ2?

I’d hedge my bets that, at the very least in the early years, the AZ2 will be enough - models using older hardware may, however, be excluded from Alexa 2.0 compatibility. Amazon hasn’t slowed its Echo product release cycle whatsoever in recent years, with many products like the Echo Show 15 (2024) seeing iterative upgrades (and some meatier redesigns for the likes of the Echo Spot), so I’d be surprised - and disappointed - if they’d jumped the gun knowning new components are on the horizon.

Will Alexa 2.0 change Amazon’s pricing strategy?

As I've mentioned, based on the rumor mill, we’re fairly confident the newly enhanced Alexa will be a subscription-based service, but how might the software effect hardware pricing?

As we’re seeing from the AI boom in silicon valley, AI is a pricey business, which is in direct conflict with Amazon’s price-point strategy. This strategy may have contributed to the company reporting $25 billion in losses from its smart device business between 2017 and 2021, alongside the fact that Alexa usage hasn’t driven the e-commerce revenue Amazon had hoped for.

So, what happens if subscription fee uptake isn’t high enough? If Amazon keeps its ‘basic’ Alexa subscription-free, many consumers may still opt to use the affordably priced smart speakers and displays as glorified digital timers, and the company will need to recoup its costs elsewhere.

That’s where my last post regarding chipsets comes in; if we see an AZ3 processor, or further hardware adaptations in the coming years to support a more powerful Alexa, does that spell the end for cheap and cheerful Echo devices?

We've arrived!

Punctual as always, Lance Ulanoff is on the ground and has arrived at the venue for today's event!

In truth, he actually arrived about an hour ago, left to get breakfast and is still there with enough time to leave and come back again. Meanwhile, Alexa has to remind me three times every morning that I'll be late if I don't leave for work soon.

Over the past decade, we’ve seen Alexa evolve from a fun gimmick into a trusted companion capable of controlling different rooms and tech within the home.

There’s no doubt that today will be smart home-centric, but there’s a chance that Amazon could take this as an opportunity to push the use of Alexa outside of the home. By that, I’m talking about improving its Alexa voice assistant in products such as the Amazon Echo Frames and Echo Buds earphones - possibly to match the more advanced features of the anticipated Alexa 2.0.

... and we're through the doors now, too! Jacob Krol joins Lance Ulanoff as our in-person team at the event.

No news yet, barring that the room breakfast is being served in features ample extension cords, which is tantamount to caviar for us journalists.

We ran a survey on our WhatsApp earlier today to find out what rumors our readers are most excited about ahead of today’s Alexa event, and by and large the most popular answer was a more conversational Alexa.

Back in 2023 when we saw our first early glimpse of the new Alexa smarts, then-Devices and Services SVP Dave Limp demonstrated as much, suggesting we’re likely to see more along these lines today.

There were slim margins for the rest of the options; Alexa remembering context pulled in the lead a little, followed by more natural prompts, then the lesser-selected better routines and automations, than new hardware and improved app experience.

Our first real slither of news is here, and it looks to be a new widget interface, proudly displayed on the all-new Echo Show 21.

I love the Echo Show widget feature, but it's definitely in need of further customization options and more ways to configure widgets; by the looks of things, my wishes might be about to come true!

According to Lance, there's a palpable sense of excitement on the ground in NYC right now.

He says: "What's most remarkable about this Amazon event is that no one I've talked to knows exactly what's to come. There have been zero leaks and while we all expect Alexa 2.0 and potentially new devices, no one knows the details. It's created a bit of a buzz here."

However, some early signs point towards hefty software updates, following on from the previous post which gives us a sneak peek of a new widgets interface: "Putting the 65-inch FireTV Omni MiniLED Series, the new Echo Show 21, and the new FireTV Soundbar Plus sound bar on display is the clearest indication we're about to see a bunch of device updates."

Many of the people in the Alexa subreddit are looking for solutions to problems - people whose Echo speakers are working fine will have a lot less reason to join. They’re generally less satisfied than the typical Alexa user, so the results of a recent poll on subscription pricing are interesting. Most Redditors said they wouldn’t pay for Alexa at all, but 12% would be willing to part with $5 a month for it, and 7% would pay $10 for a subscription. For a group of folks who are disproportionately annoyed by their smart speakers, that’s pretty high.

AI Subscription from r/alexa

It’s been almost five years since Amazon’s last flagship Echo speaker hardware update, and though the fourth-generation Amazon Echo (2020) smart speaker is still a solid smart home companion, it feels about time for another refresh for Amazon’s baseline Echo speaker range. Perhaps some improved audio specs to showcase the new Alexa 2.0 voice assistant, (which we expect will also be an option for current Echo devices.)

As someone who is more than satisfied with the performance of classic Alexa on my trusty Echo Pop speaker, it really depends on what Alexa 2.0 has in store for us. It’ll take Amazon some convincing for me to make the switch, and that's before considering the possible subscription fee factor!

Jake has noticed a neat little quirk in the stage for the upcoming briefing (which starts in just a few minutes!); the stage appears to have a ring of LEDs around it, currently a static white. Perhaos it will glow blue or green when the big news drops?

As Lance just pointed out in our work chat, this is a big make-or-break AI moment for Amazon, and with minutes to go I'm sure a fair few Amazon staff are getting hot under the collar.

"There are so many Alexa devices in the US, Amazon could race to the front – if they introduce ChatGPT-level capabilities," he says.

As of right now, Alexa is pretty far behind the competition in terms of AI; though they're standing to be reams ahead in the smart home department, should this gambit pay off for them.

It's time to go, and Andy Jassy has taken to the stage - a rare appearance from a CEO who prefers to stay out of the limelight. Stay tuned!

He's promising a 70-minute presentation, so buckle up for a long haul.

Jassy's opening speech heralds to the brand's 25+ years experience of pioneering AI experiences, which is fair self-praise for a company that revolutionised voice assistants.

He's, understandably, very confident in how AI will change customer experiences moving forwards, invoking Amazon's deep partnership with companies like Nvidia to remind the crowd just how much AI-gravitas the brand has.

All good stuff, but no movement on consumer devices and services just yet.

As interesting as it is to hear about how Amazon is using AI across its enterprise services and e-commerce platform, we're ten minutes in and thus far Jassy is mostly talking about things that have nothing to do with Alexa. I'm calling fake news on those Alexa-themed invites (just kidding).

It is, however, cool to learn about how AI is improving customer shopping experiences. From customer sentiment summarization to customer service and even clothes sizing standardization, there's a lot of work behind the scenes at Amazon.

RED ALERT: Alexa has finally been mentioned, with Jassy saying "It is really remarkable" - we agree, so tell us more about what's next!

With that, Panos Panay takes the stage; and so begins the real meat and bones of today's oresenntation.

Panay opens by reminding the audience just how far Alexa has come in the 11 years since its initial release, recalling the novelty of using his first Alexa voice command to play music.

He's also shared some pretty interesting statistics; hundreds of millions of customrs have invited Alexa into their lives on over 600 million devices. Additionally, people used Alexa 20% more in 2024 from 2023.

Now we're getting a cute highlight reel of real customers, which is a nice touch.

Panay is talking about all the reasons why Alexa 2.0 hasn't existed until now, waxing lyrical about all the things it should be... but no word on how that comes together.

He compares the new Alexa to a conductor in an orchestra; "The new Alexa knows almost every instrument in your life, your schedule, smart home, devices, and people you're connected to, and brings them together into what is an incredible symphony."

It's fair enough that Panay should take up a good amount of time re-hashing what Alexa 2.0 means; Dave Limp, his predecessor, handled the original announcement, after all.

Much has changed since then, which we're about to learn more about in a live demo - exciting!

Alexa 2.0 has a name - and it's Alexa Plus.

Alexa Plus has been trained on a variety of parameters, from emotional intelligence to humor to understanding.

Panay says it will check your tone, sensing emotions like nerves and proactively trying to calm them; all with only one wake-word.

He turned the screen to the audience, asking Alexa to analyse them; apparently, it's a "pumped up crowd" in New York City today.

Overall, the demo is a lot smoother than the 2023 reveal, but it's had long enough to develop.

Another big confirmation; Alexa will remember information - and presumably context. Huzzah!

Panay says if you tell Alexa you're a vegetarian, for example, the recipe's recommended for your household will include suitable meals for your dietary needs.

Also, if you're using an Echo Show device, your chat and any recommendations shared by Alexa will appear on-screen. Neat!

One thing that's really becoming clear as we see this demo in real-time; Amazon is not shying away from giving Alexa some personality.

There have always been fun easter eggs and joyful interactions programmed into Alexa, with its role as a home assistant granting flexibility for a little more personification. In the age of Gemini and ChatGPT, this really stands out.

Another thing ticked off my wishlist; Alexa offers improved media searching. Panay gives the example of asking Alexa; "What's that song Bradley Cooper sings? It's a duet." To which she correctly returned "Shallow" from A Star Is Born.

Music more generally is improved too. Panay says you can tell Alexa to play the music on the left side, or play the music everywhere, but don't wake the baby, and it'll work - all without you needing to perform "Alexa-speak" and contrive prompts into awkward, pre-programmed commands.

Wow, now here are some features I wasn't expecting at this early juncture; Alexa will be able to not only move media playing from one device to another (which is a further big green tick from me and my wishlist!), but also will be able to scrub through movies to specific scenes on request.

The demo for this did take two attempts before getting it right, but it's an excellent addition. I'm willing to bet it'll be exclusive to Prime Video, at least for now, though that's unconfirmed as of writing.

Looks like Alexa will also be able to offer more natural interactions with Ring cameas, with Panay demonstrating this feature by asking Alexa if anyone had walked his dog recently, to which it returned a selection of clips including a lovely clip of an Amazon delivery driver giving his dog a treat.

Now Mara Segal, Director of Product Management - AI Services at Amazon has taken to the stage to talk about the different ways Alexa can help with productivity around the home.

She demonstrates this by asking Alexa about solar panel installation options in her home, to which the voice assistant cites Home Owners Association (HOA) documentation that it had stored from an earlier conversation.

"This has been a total game changer for me," she says, "It helps us stay organized and get stuff done."

Echo devices have always done well as family-friendly smart home gadgets, so it's nice to see a dedicated section now for how Alexa Plus will play nice with younger users.

Segal shows a video of a child chatting with Alexa, asking questions and using a storytime mode. Alexa has long been capable of telling stories, but by the looks of things a Generative AI twist will see more unique stories, accompanied by images when using Alexa on a device with a screen.

Interestingly, the existing Echo Dot was featured in the video, suggesting no new hardware on that front...

Next up is Daniel Rausch to talk AI models. Anthropic's models are clearly in the mix of Alexa's upgraded capabilities, alongside Amazon’s own Nova models. By the sounds of things, the features we've seen so far will all be processed in the cloud.

Rausch also talks about how partnered 'Expert' sources of information (including your favorite website, TechRadar) help to keep Alexa informed. He even gave an example of how Alexa Plus can track Yankees ticket price drops and score a deal within his price range. Neat!

We've got ten minutes left; not much time for new the new hardware we were hoping for or non-Echo smart speaker and display interactions.

It is cool to see how many apps and services Amazon has ambitions of incorporating, however. In one slide, services like Uber and OpenTable feature prominently, suggesting enhanced integrations (and I'd wager perhaps even widgets, at some point) to make your smart speakers and displays a better alternative to your smart phone.

I'm not in the room to see for myself, but Lance Ulanoff says the responses are impressive, speedy and seamless, even when demonstrating some of these third-party services like OpenTable.

In Rausch's own words; "All I had to say was "Book it!""

Rausch sees Alexa Plus as having "cutting-edge agentic capabilities" without needing babysitting.

There are some further features possible thanks to these third-party services, too. Rausch says Alexa Plus will work with Suno to make music based off of prompts, for example.

The demo gave some insights into Rausch's music taste, at least; he asked for a "reluctant love song about a bodega cat and make it country". Lance says this resulted in a pretty catchy, fully-fleshed song.

In the Future, Rausch talks about the ways these integrations can go further, giving the example of Amazon Fresh and other partnered grocery delivery services.

He said to Alexa; "I need some things from Amazon Fresh. Milk and eggs, also want to make banana bread," followed by a fairly stream-of-consciousness list of ideas and ingredients, even stringing a request for "ideas for a 5-year-old" and noting "we're having company friday night." Alexa Plus not only captured all of this information, but also made a shopping basket accordingly.

And there we have it, the kicker; a subscription fee. It's no surprise, and in fact it's better than I thought it would be; $19.99 per month (ouch) but free with a Prime membership (significantly less ouch).

Early access will roll out next month and in waves over the subsequent months; as the event is primarily US-focused I'd imagine that means we'll have a while longer to wait here in the UK and other regions.

And that's a wrap; the presentation is over and now it's time for Jacob and Lance to hit the floor, hopefully for some demonstrations. We'll be continuing coverage with more information about some of the features we've mentioned so far, as well as footage we captured at the event - stay tuned!

Former TechRadar fitness editor (and present TechRadar Homes Editor) Cat Ellis here with a quick throwback. Panay noted that the new Alexa checked his tone of voice, and responded in a way that would calm him down. It’s an interesting feature, and one that immediately took me back to the (long discontinued) Amazon Halo Band heath tracker. This screenless wearable, released in 2020, wrapped around your wrist and offered features like sleep tracking, activity monitoring and, weirdly, the ability to check and even police your tone of voice. The Halo could detect if your voice was lacking “energy and positivity” and warn you about it.

As you might expect, this was widely regarded as creepy and strange. Hopefully Alexa Plus will be more tactful and less like a stern digital parent warning you to lose the attitude.

The biggest surprise of today isn't what was mentioned, it's what wasn't mentioned.

It’s been almost five years since Amazon’s last major Echo speaker hardware update and though the Amazon Echo (2020) smart speaker is still a solid smart home companion, it feels long past due another revamp. This would have been the perfect opportunity for Amazon to show off the new Alexa 2.0 voice, which will also run on current Echo devices but will give you the option to stick with the classic Alexa voice.

As someone who is more than satisfied with the performance of classic Alexa on my trusty Echo Pop speaker, it’ll take Amazon some convincing for me to make the switch - not forgetting the subscription fee factor!

We've just had confirmation from an Amazon representative - Alexa Plus will be exclusive to the US at launch. Unsurprising, but man am I going to be feeling the FOMO.

So unfortunately, we're not actually able to test-drive any of the new tools ourselves on-site, but Lance and Jake have been invited to watch Amazon representatives talk through pre-organized scenarios with Alexa Plus.

Apt timing, Slack has just gone down while I'm remotely blogging an event with no livestream. Hey Amazon, do us a favor and stream it next time please!

Thank goodness for WhatsApp, where Lance has told me he just tried out grocery shopping with Alexa Plus for the first time; video coming soon!

For now, here's a clip of the first ever Alexa Plus demonstration from earlier's presentation.

Early access information has dropped; apparently, the Alexa Plus rollout will prioritize households with an Echo Show device (though not the Echo Show 5).

Is this just a case of the interface being better, or is Amazon hedging its bets on a similar "screens everywhere" mantra touted by Samsung in recent years?

I blogged about this moment earier; here's when Panos Panay asked Alexa to analyse the sentiment of the crowd to see how "pumped" they were; a fun demo that shows how much more Alexa can make out of its camera-equipped devices.

Word on the ground is that there are some upgrades to Alexa Routines, a function which allows you to automate smart home devices.

I use Routines every day to help me keep organized, and as much as I'm happy to have the ability to automate at all, I've long since been asking for some serious attention to be paid to the software.

Needlessly complex in places and frustratingly simple in others, many Alexa users' automation woes could be solved without the help of the AI used Alexa Plus, so I'm really hoping subscription-free users will benefit from some TLC to this segment of Alexa's offering.

Mara Segal earlier demonstrated how Alexa Plus will be able to retain and act upon stored information from dietary requirements to household documentation. In this demo from earlier today, Seagal asks Alexa to recall which date her daughter's first soccer practice is from a document she'd previously shared, and to add these events to her calendar.

Amazon has been live blogging its own event (personally I think ours is more fun and interesting but I might be biased) and dropped a link for some new features to try with Alexa Plus, and there are a few in there that caught my attention.

During today's event, there was lots of talk about personalization with Alexa Plus, but it appears there will be some pretty neat interactions across a variety of Alexa Skills and commands.

For example, Amazon says you'll be able to get personalized news briefings based on your interests, so I imagine you'll be racing straight to ask for a daily TechRadar briefing, right?

It's not all about voice control, either. Apparently, you'll be able to set up widgets that track topics you're interested in in real-time, whether that's freshly-released tickets to see your favorite artists or the deal alert you’ve got set.

I didn't really touch on this earlier in the throes of some very exciting news, but another fascet of the Alexa Plus rollout is Alexa.com, allowing you to access your voice assistant on basically any device with a web browser. It'll recall everything you've told Alexa on other devices, too.

If you don't fancy scrolling through all of my updates below, firstly, how dare you, secondly, don't worry about it; we've covered all the need-to-know information in our Alexa Plus news roundup.

Check it out, then come back here to hear more as we speak with Amazon representatives in New York City.

According to that same Amazon blog post I mentioned earlier, Alexa Plus will also be able to give you personalized recommendations for media based on your mood and preferences.

Of course, this kind of recommendation engine is widely used acrosss different websites, but I imagine you'll be able to curate it a little more easily with Alexa by correcting any poor recommendations or deviations from the prompt.

We've seen features like this crop up on some of the best AI phones, but calendar management, reminders and lists based on documents you've shared with your voice assistant has always felt to me like more of a smart display feature than a phone feature. Am I biased as a smart home fanatic? Yes.

However, I know that plenty of customers also feel like a big, bright and beautiful home display for all the family to see is better suited for household management than a personal handheld device.

We saw a sneak peek of what that might look like today with Alexa plus - check it out.

Ooh, another gem from the Amazon blog post; apparently, announcements can now be made by-device. Hurrah!

However, this is where a gripe comes in from me... this feels like a quality of life upgrade that could very easily roll out on standard Alexa.

I get it, Amazon, you want people moving to some kind of paid subscription. That's capitalism. But if you want people to like the idea of an Alexa that does more, it helps to make sure the Alexa that exists is feature-rich and functional enough to make them commit to something new. Right now, Alexa is great, but some of the things it can't do are a little mind-boggling and inconsistent. Ringfencing these kinds of features just to pad out the value proposition probably isn't going to garner much favor with long-term Alexa users.

Still, who am I to talk when I've already been looking into Prime Membership again despite not knowing when Alexa Plus will roll out in the UK...

I was having so much fun diving through that blog post I decided to write a whole piece about it; here are the seven features coming to Alexa Plus which I think make it a better AI assistant than the likes of Apple Intelligence / Siri or Gemini.

Now, as the news peters out, my watch has ended. It’s been a real one.

To close us out, here's the official trailer for Alexa Plus. It's really interesting how many of the AI service trailers opt for the same approach here; an intrepid tech explorer gingerly dipping their toes into conversation with their new AI companion. Nothing says “get creative with AI” like the bajillionth trailer featuring the same prompts and abilities.

All jokes aside, I’m really excited to see how Alexa Plus’ rollout shapes the next age of smart home technology, and there are some genuinely exciting features on the way for Prime Members and those who think a $19.99 subscription is a better deal than a $14.99 subscription that give you more. Which, i'd assume, is very few people.

Make sure to also follow us on TikTok and subscribe to our YouTube channel to see more exclusive footage from behind the scenes at Amazon’s 2025 Devices and Services event.

• Some Google smart speakers recently stopped responding to questions
• Users reported the problem with a variety of different devices
• Google investigated, and says the issue should now be fixed for most users

If you've noticed that your Google Nest smart speaker or hub appears to be ignoring voice commands, you're not alone – but Google says it has identified the problem, and is rolling out a fix to stop your devices giving you the silent treatment.

The problem was highlighted by, among others, Rita El Khoury of Android Authority, who returned from her Christmas vacation to find that her Google Nest Hub and Google Nest Audio would no longer respond to requests to tell her the weather. She was able to use the speakers to control her smart home devices, but functions like setting timers were hit and miss.

She wasn't alone, and it seems those two devices weren't the only products affected. Several other device owners have reported similar problems on the company's support forums.

"All of my Nest speakers suddenly got dumb; all were working, but as of yesterday, they all freeze up when I [try] to get past 'Hey Google'." explained Thom Drewke, who found himself faced with a similar issue. "That is, 'Hey Google are you there' gets a response, but 'What's the weather' gets no response. All of my speakers did this at the same time. Bizarre!"

Another person explained that they had nine Google Home speakers – a Google Nest Hub Max display, and a mix of various first-generation devices – and all of them had stopped responding to questions.

"I have a lot of devices connected to Google Home and I can control all of them still, I just can't ask certain questions," they wrote. "I have tried rebooting the google home devices, I have tried rebooting the router a dozen times and still nothing."

Hey Google...

Google was quick to act, and told Android Authority via email that although its team was still investigating the root cause of the problem, it had resolved the problem "so all users should be up and running now".

That should come as a relief to anyone who's looking forward to the arrival of Gemini for Google Assistant, which should allow your existing smart speakers to give you more comprehensive answers – but only if they're willing to talk to you.

You might also like

• How to choose the perfect smart speaker for you
• Alexa vs Google Assistant: which is best for your smart home?
• Gemini is coming to supercharge Google Assistant on smart displays and speakers

Amazon may be best known as the internet's largest marketplace, but its second-est accolade is for releasing the world's first smart speakers; the Amazon Echo device lineup. Embedded with Alexa smarts, these affordable gadgets have continued to grow in popularity, combining humble yet capable tech specs with impressive utility in one, affordably priced package.

Of course, the best Alexa speakers, being Amazon products are also regularly discounted during major sales events like Amazon Prime Day (which, as of writing, we're right in the midst of, meaning a fair few are heavily discounted right now). You can use the navigation bar to find the best prices on Alexa devices in your region today.

So, whether you're deals hunting and considering smartening up your home or a new Alexa speaker is already on its next-day journey to a countertop or nightstand near you, here's the seven tips I'd give any new Alexa user so you don't repeat my mistakes.

1. Don't buy them at list price

Let's pick back up on that deals point; every year, we see huge discounts on Echo speakers during sales events like Black Friday and around the Christmas/Holiday deals. The most recent event as of writing is Prime Day, which as mentioned, is currently happening while I'm writing this.

Below are the deals we're seeing right now, which are likely to be the deals prices we see all year-long. Not in the US? Check out today's best deals, localized to you, at the end of this article.

2. Placing your speaker out of Wi-Fi range

This might seem obvious, but you'd be surprised how many people don't think about connectivity when setting up internet-connected devices.

Alexa is broadly considered to be low-bandwidth in terms of internet usage. However, the speaker still needs to be in decent proximity to a strong internet connection to deliver important, timely updates and fetch information upon request.

I'd suggest placing your smart speaker within 30ft / 10m of your router to ensure the best possible performance. Still, it's also worth noting that newer Amazon Echo devices also function as Wi-Fi extenders for Eero mesh systems.

3. Not connecting your other smart home devices

You might not realize that some of the gadgets you have in your home are among the best smart home devices, so the first step after setting up your Alexa is seeing what else you might be able to connect to your new smart home ecosystem.

Especially with the ever-growing number of Matter-compatible devices, you might be surprised that you already have smart devices at home.

Normally, if the device is powered and detectable, pop-ups will appear in the Alexa app to prompt you to connect them, but you can also just say "Alexa, discover devices" to prompt your new smart speaker to search for devices in your home.

4. Not organizing smart devices

OK, so you've added your smart home devices, great! Now comes the boring part: app admin.

Especially if you have a lot of devices or multiple of the same type, your devices list can get pretty messy pretty quickly. Luckily, Amazon considered the potential problems that could arise from devices with similar names or nondescript names and offers the ability to rename them for ease.

For example, I have a Hue Signe floor lamp at home (it's beautiful!), but Alexa frequently struggles with my pronunciation of the name, so in the app, it's just called "Hue floor lamp."

Simply press 'Devices' in the Alexa app, navigate to the device you want to rename, hit the cog icon in the top-right-hand corner of the device control screen and press 'Edit name'. Thank me later; this is a frequent lifesaver for me as a smart home device reviewer.

Have multiple Alexa devices? Make sure you also group your speakers so you can enjoy multi-room audio.

5. Not checking out Alexa Skills

Alexa is pretty capable as it stands, but you can drastically improve its capabilities by bolting on Alexa Skills.

Skills are, effectively, plug-ins that allow Alexa to increase its capabilities. Want to listen to the radio? Try myTuner.Need some encouragement to get fit? Try the 7-minute Workout Skill. Can't quite unwind? Try Deep Breath.

You get the gist; there are abundant and varied Skills available in the Alexa ecosystem. Head to the 'More' tab in the Alexa app, then select 'Skills and Games.' You can search for specific Skills - perhaps those that align with other gadgets in your home - or browse through the most popular options in the Top Skills section.

We've also got a list of the best Alexa Skills if you're experiencing a paralysis of choice.

6. Changing Alexa's wake word, voice and more

Alexa is a highly configurable smart speaker; you can change its voice, wake word, and various other voice command settings.

To change Alexa's wake word, you'll need to head to 'More' and 'Settings' and then scroll to 'Voice Responses'. Select 'Alexa's Voice,' then select an Alexa-compatible device in your network. Press the cog icon in the top right-hand corner and scroll down to 'Wake Word.' Here, you can select from one of five options: Alexa, Amazon, Computer, Echo, or Ziggy.

It's annoying that you have to change this device by device, but it's well worth the effort to tailor your Alexa experience. Under the same settings menu as the Wake Word settings, you can also toggle settings like 'Follow-Up Mode', which reduces the amount of times you'll need to summon Alexa in a single interaction, or select 'Alexa's Voice' to change its voice, accent and speaking rate.

You can also turn on settings like Adaptive Listening Mode, which improves accessibility for different speech patterns, and Gestures, which allow you to dismiss some interactions with a raised hand (provided the speaker has the right sensors to detect this motion).

From the same 'Voice Responses' menu, you can also select 'Brief Mode', which keeps Alexa's responses short and snappy, or 'Whisper Mode'.

7. Not changing audio preferences

One of the most underrated settings, in my opinion, is the ability to customize the audio settings in your smart speaker. Especially if you want to use your Echo device for streaming or if you have unusual acoustics, this can be a real lifesaver for enjoying the speakers in all their glory.

Head once again to the 'More' tab in the Alexa app, then select 'Settings.' Next, head to 'All Devices' and choose the speaker you want to tweak. Hit the cog icon in the top-right-hand corner again, then select 'Audio Settings.' Here, you can use the Equalizer to adjust the Bass, Mid Range, and Treble of your speaker.

Streaming music is one of the most popular uses of Amazon Echo devices, and while you can use these smart speakers like Bluetooth speakers and play from your phone or computer, it's nice to have the hands-free option of asking Alexa to play your favorite tracks. By default, it will try to stream from Amazon Music.

Once you've logged in to your Amazon account in the Alexa app and paired your new speaker, there should be a prompt in the app's home page to change your preferred streaming platform. Select this, follow the instructions and enjoy streaming music from one of the best music streaming services.

If the option isn't immediately apparent, tap ‘More’, then ‘Settings’, ‘Music & Podcasts’, and lastly ‘Default Services’. There should be a ‘Music’ heading; under this, select ‘Change’ and opt instead for services like Apple Music, Spotify, and more.

While you're in this menu, check out the various other preferences you can play with; from dietary preferences under 'Food and Recipes' to preferred news outlets under 'News', there are ample ways to customize Alexa's assistance.

Today's best deals

More Alexa tips and tricks

• How to set up Amazon Echo devices
• The best Alexa Skills and commands
• How to set up your Amazon Echo Dot (5th Gen)
• How to set up Routines with Alexa
• How to connect an Amazon Echo device to a Bluetooth speaker
• How to use Alexa to make phone calls on an Amazon Echo
• How to change Alexa wake word
• How to set up and use Alexa sound detection
• What is Alexa Drop In and how to use it on an Amazon Echo
• Alexa not responding? Here's how to fix
• Every Alexa privacy setting and how to change them
• How to use Alexa Whisper Mode on an Amazon Echo
• How to change Alexa's voice, speed, language and accent

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• Alexa AI latency problems are a "critical issue"
• Leaked memo claims Alexa AI has missed three 2024 launch dates
• Amazon wants to give Alexa supercharged skills

Generative AI updates from Google and Apple have made their artificial assistants more useful in a number of ways – giving them new features, and generally making them easier to instruct – but one big name in the smart assistant world has been noticeably absent from the upgrade list: Alexa. Amazon is reportedly working on rolling out an Alexa AI, but it’s just too slow to respond to queries to be launched yet.

Fortune has shared leaked internal documents highlighting a few critical flaws with Alexa, with the big one apparently being latency – the AI takes way too long to respond when given an instruction or asked a question.

This issue has reportedly led to low satisfaction scores from testers. Before launch Amazon reportedly wanted to achieve an average satisfaction score of 5.5 out of 7, but testers rated the AI service at just 4.57. This is why it appears Amazon has missed its three target launch dates in 2024 – the most recent being November 14.

Another concern, not one not labeled a “critical issue” like latency but still a concern, is that the Alexa AI may be incompatible with some older models which could force a lot of users to upgrade their tech to access the new AI. Admittedly, this isn’t a major surprise given that for many phones only the latest models are getting some AI improvements, but Amazon might fear it’ll upset customers who have been wanting this kind of update for years only to miss out when their ‘smart’ assistant finally gets a brain.

One thing that is noticeably absent from the leaked memo is any mention of Claude AI. Athropic’s Claude is seen as one of the best ChatGPT alternatives but it lacks a voice mode; a partnership with Amazon when it was teased by leakers therefore made a lot of sense as it would give Amazon a leg up in the AI race and Anthropic assistance in teaching Claude to communicate with a voice.

It could mean the Claude leak was false, or perhaps the partnership was decided on after this memo was published as a way to resolve the issue. Either way it highlights that as with all leaks these details should be taken with a pinch of salt; as such issues such as Alexa AI’s latency could be in a much better state now than when the memo was written.

Teaching an old Alexa new Skills

Beyond Alexa AI delays, the leak also teases upgrades to Alexa services involving Amazon’s partners like GrubHub, Ticketmaster and Uber (via Business Insider, behind a paywall). While these services already had Alexa skills Amazon wants to alter their relationship with the smart assistant.

Specifically it wants its AI enhanced Alexa to perform more of the task itself, rather than handing things over to a third-party app on your phone as it does with some skills. So you could instruct the smart speaker to call you a ride to the movie theatre, or reorder that takeout you had last week and it could – using data from your linked accounts – perform those tasks for you without any manual input from you.

It’s certainly an intriguing idea, but this strategy’s success will come down to whether users trust the AI to get their request completely right, and trust it not to accidentally reorder a takeout because of something it overhears from your TV. It’s one thing for Alexa to play the wrong song, it’s another thing entirely if it spends your money on the wrong thing.

We’ll have to wait and see what Alexa AI has in store for us when it eventually launches. All signs point to a 2025 release, that is assuming it doesn’t face any more bumps in the road.

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If you like the idea of using a smart speaker to control devices like your thermostat, lights, and switches but aren't enthusiastic about the idea of a device constantly listening in your home, smart home company Aqara may have a solution. 

Rather than passively waiting for you to speak a wake phrase (like 'Hey Google' or 'Alexa'), Aqara's button-like device with a microphone will not begin recording until you pick it up.

Smart speakers don't work by constantly recording everything in your home. Instead, they use software that spots the distinctive acoustic patterns of their wake phrase and ignore everything else. However, not everyone feels comfortable with having a hot microphone in their room.

The AI-enabled Voice Mate H1 gets around that problem by requiring a physical interaction. That does mean you can't use it hands-free, which is one of the main appeals of smart speakers, but it should help ease the privacy worries that continue to surround even the best smart speakers and put many people off trying one.

Although the wireless puck-style design is unusual, it makes the device simpler to operate than a button and allows you to easily carry it between rooms throughout the day.

Compatibility check

The Voice Mate H1 works with Aqara's voice assistant, Copilot, which launched earlier this year. The button requires the Aqara Hub-M3 to work, and according to The Verge, voice commands are cleared from the hub once they're completed.

Of course, all of this is only useful if the Voice Mate H1 works with the rest of your smart home tech. The Hub-M3 supports Aqara's own Matter-compatible Zigbee devices and works as a Matter bridge, but according to the company, it's currently only compatible with third-party sensors (presence, light, and contact), light bulbs, switches, thermostats, and plugs for the time being.

The Voice Mate H1 should work just fine if you stick with Aqara's own range of devices. However, if you want to mix and match your smart home tech, you'll need to make sure they're all compatible with the Hub-M3 first. Cautious homeowners will also want to check Aqara's full privacy policy to see what information the company collects and how it's used.

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There's no acoustic space quite like a bathroom when you want to sing along to your favorite tracks, but most smart speakers aren't really made to handle that kind of heat and humidity. Thankfully, Home Depot has come to the rescue with a Bluetooth speaker/ventilation fan/smart lighting combo that will transform your bathroom karaoke sessions with audio and color-changing illumination.

The Commercial Electric Smart Exhaust Fan Powered by Hubspace is a strange, but interesting device that fills a particularly damp niche in your home. Hubspace is Hope Depot's own smart home platform, and works with Alexa and Google Home, so you can use it with your existing devices and use voice commands to control it through a smart speaker (though it's not yet Matter-compatible).

Alternatively, you can manage it through the Hubspace mobile app, which lets you set schedules, change the color of the light, tweak the fan speed, and group various Hubspace products together. You can pick a warm or cool while light, or choose from a palette of RGB options.

Smarts after dark

It also has a humidity sensor, so the fan only kicks in when necessary, and turns off automatically when the steam has cleared. Airflow is adjustable, and the fan is quiet enough to avoid disturbing your tunes, operating at a 0.8-1.0 sone level depending on your chosen setting. That's no louder than your refrigerator, so it definitely shouldn't impede your in-shower singalongs.

There's a motion sensor too, and a subtle nightlight mode that will illuminate for nocturnal bathroom visits with no need to fumble for a switch or dazzle yourself when nature calls. 

The Smart Exhaust Fan is available to buy from Home Depot starting today, priced at $199 (about £160 / AU$300).

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Amazon has sold millions of Echo smart speakers, but its smart home devices are still making a massive loss according to internal documents and those with inside knowledge of the business. Now, Amazon CEO Andy Jassy is trying to turn things around – but it's not going to be easy.

It's widely rumored that Amazon will soon be introducing a paid tier for Alexa, with an AI-enhanced version of the smart assistant available as a monthly add-on to Amazon Prime subscriptions. However, according to The Wall Street Journal (paywall), the company made over $25 billion in losses from its smart device business between 2017 and 2021.

While a paid-for service could go some way towards filling that hole, it will be a tough challenge – particularly since many people only use Alexa's most basic functions, and may therefore be unwilling to pay extra for AI-enhanced services. Amazon had originally hoped that customers would use their smart speakers to shop online using voice commands, but that's something that has never really taken off.

"We worried we’ve hired 10,000 people and we’ve built a smart timer," one former senior employee told the Wall Street Journal.

AI-enhanced Alexa

The AI-enhanced service, said to be known internally as 'Remarkable Alexa', could cost $5 or $10 a month, which would provide an extra source of revenue for Amazon's device business alongside Kindle subscriptions and Ring home security plans.

However, 'Remarkable Alexa' will face stiff competition. Google is preparing to launch a new service that merges Google Assistant with Bard, with a price yet to be announced, and at last month's WWDC 2024 conference, Apple unveiled a major upgrade for Siri powered by Apple Intelligence, which is free for users.

Amazon has yet to confirm any details about a premium tier for Alexa, but it's suggested that the supercharged service could arrive later this year. We'll keep you updated as soon as we know more.

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• Where's Alexa AI and why isn't Amazon talking about it?

Amazon Echo Spot (2024): Two-minute review

Seven years on from the release of the original Echo Spot, Amazon has surprised fans of its smart home ecosystem with a revival of its smart alarm product line, announcing the Echo Spot (2024) just a week ahead of Prime Day 2024.

Amazon is known for making some of the best smart speakers, but the original Echo Spot was discontinued just two years after release with little fanfare from Amazon. The new model differs from its predecessor in a few key ways, and elsewhere we’ve compared the original Echo Spot and the Echo Spot 2024 in detail. 

For one thing, the original had a camera, video-streaming capabilities, and a 3.5mm audio jack, as well as a quirky round screen that really gave the device personality and played cleverly on its clockface inspiration. 

The new model, on the other hand, feels a lot more streamlined, resulting in a lower list price, and offers improved audio quality and some fun customization options for its now-rectangular 2.83-inch display, as well as a more contemporary design and connectivity specs (although annoyingly it doesn’t offer a built-in Eero Wi-Fi extender like other devices in the Echo range).

I really want to love the Echo Spot (2024), and I think I would if its price didn’t feel so inflated for what you’re getting. I’m not upset to see the removal of its built-in camera, which felt out of place in a bedroom-based device, nor am I too bothered by the lack of video-streaming support. 

However, its rethought design, while appealing, is missing the fun and character of the original, and the display is far too limited overall. The viewing angles aren’t great, especially from the side, and the fact that the screen doesn’t fill the top half of the ‘clock face’ makes the whole thing feel cheap and unfinished.

Amazon Echo Spot (2024) review: Price and release date

• List price: $79.99 / £79.99 / AU$149

Launched just ahead of Amazon Prime Day 2024, the newest Echo speaker is priced at $79.99 / £79.99 / AU$149, which makes it considerably cheaper than the original was at launch with its list price of $129.99 / £119.99 / AU$199. It’s available in blue, white and black.

That price drop sounds appealing, given there are plenty of similarities between the 2017 original and the new model; however, that drop does come at the expense of the camera (although that’s arguably a good thing, given it’ll be used mostly in bedrooms), video-streaming capabilities and 3.5mm audio jack, as well as the distinctive and appealing round screen.

Given that Amazon is pitching this more as a smart alarm than a smart speaker, I was unpleasantly surprised by the price of the Echo Spot, much as I was by the price of the Echo Pop when I reviewed it last year. The new Echo Spot is an improvement upon the original in many ways, especially its audio quality and more contemporary design. Still, its features, design and performance really don’t warrant the high list price when there are plenty of small, high-performing speakers available at a lower price point; and especially considering that the powerhouse Apple HomePod mini is just $20 / £20 more expensive, and the same price in Australia.

With its release coinciding with Amazon Prime Day we’re seeing immediate discounts on the Echo Spot – it’s available for $44.99 / £49.99 in the US and UK in an introductory deal, which feels like a more reasonable price. Still, it’s frustrating to see the continued trend of Amazon’s devices being overpriced outside of its own major sales.

• Value: 3/5

Amazon Echo Spot (2024) review: Specs

Amazon Echo Spot (2024) review: Design

• Three control buttons for volume and microphone control
• Stylish semispherical design with bright and vivid 2.83-inch screen
• No 3.5mm port, no camera

Amazon has hearkened back to the original in the Echo Spot (2024)’s angled, semi-spherical design, but with a few modernizations that result in a chic and clean look that’s a lot more contemporary than the quirky original.

The new Spot measures 113 x 103 x 111mm, making it a little larger than the original (104 x 97 x 91mm). Where the original featured a round 2.5-inch display on the device’s clock face with a 480 x 480 resolution and a thick bezel, the 2024 model has a rectangular 2.83-inch 320 x 240 resolution display that occupies most of the top half of the face, while the bottom section’s speaker grille is home to the 1.73-inch forward-facing driver, and is encircled by the thin bezel of the device’s plastic casing. There’s a motion sensor at the very top of the face.

Broadly speaking, the glossy top half and display make for a classy and attractive clock face, but it’s disappointing that the display doesn’t occupy more of the top half – especially given that you’ll often catch a glimpse of its rectangular edges. 

On top of the device are three buttons for controlling the volume and toggling the microphone on and off, as is standard on most Echo speakers, as well as a pair of microphones. As a daily snooze-smacker I was initially disappointed that there was no snooze button, but – to my delight – you simply need to tap anywhere on the top of the Echo Spot (2024) to temporarily silence the alarm. At the rear is the power port, and the flat base is steadied by a rubber foot to stop it from slipping no matter how hard you hit ‘snooze’.

Overall, I think the redesign is largely effective. It takes the Spot from being a quirky product with a neat gimmick to something that feels a little more sophisticated and at home in non-techy households – but in doing so, the Spot loses much of the original’s charm. Still, it’s a more mature look and feel that befits its larger size and more slick display, and it looks wonderful in the white colorway I received for testing.

• Design: 4.5/5

Amazon Echo Spot (2024) review: Display and features

• Fun and vibrant customizable clock face
• …but the viewing angles aren’t the best
• Lacks features and functions from the wider Echo line and original Spot

As with all devices in Amazon’s Echo lineup, the Echo Spot (2024) houses the brand’s voice assistant, Alexa, and as such is designed to be mostly used hands-free. Under the hood is the same MT8519 processor as in the Echo Dot 5th Gen and Echo Pop, meaning Alexa’s responses are fairly zippy but still a little slower than on the standard Echo. The Echo Spot (2024) is also Matter-compatible but unfortunately doesn’t work as an Eero Wi-Fi as other Echo devices can.

There’s also no temperature sensor as on some other Echo devices to help create temperature-based automations, but a motion sensor on the clock face will allow for motion-based automation mapping, such as turning on your smart lights when you enter a room and turning them off when no motion has been detected for a given amount of time.  Unlike on the original Echo Spo, there’s no camera in the newer model; however, the idea of having an inbuilt camera in a smart device designed for use in bedrooms never quite sat comfortably with me. 

Broadly speaking, the screen is discreet in its semicircular housing, blending fairly seamlessly with the black glossy surface surrounding it; however at certain brightnesses and angles its rectangular borders become very clear, spoiling the effect somewhat. At the time of writing, there are no ads on the Echo Spot, but as with any service-based product you have to keep in mind the possibility that the service provider might at any point change the rules of engagement, whether that’s by gutting software or removing key perks unless you pay for a subscription.

The real standout is the Spot’s 2.83-inch touch display, which primarily services as a clockface. It’s sharp and smooth, even at its size and middling 320 x 240 resolution. There are six customizable animated clock faces in six different color themes available in the Alexa app, along with four new alarm sounds, giving you some freedom to express yourself with the Echo Spot. 

The screen will also display different visuals depending on your queries; I particularly enjoy the music visualizer and weather animations, which feel a lot more understated and finessed than Amazon’s usual cluttered screens (I’m looking at you, Echo Show 5). There are also a handful of widgets for other functions like smart home control, including a brightness slider for smart lights. 

The screen is fairly bright, at least when viewed straight-on, but it’s a little hard to read if you’re at an angle to it, which will likely frustrate in larger rooms; mine lives in the corner of my bedroom, and I have a pretty good view of the screen at all times. With night mode activated (either manually or by setting a schedule), the display switches to a dark mode and the colors are muted, and you can also toggle settings like Do Not Disturb from within the Alexa app. 

For me, it’s no great issue that the Echo Spot (2024) doesn’t offer video streaming or video calls, but I am disappointed that it doesn’t show video feeds from the best video doorbells. I appreciate that the Echo Spot isn’t intended to be one of the best smart displays, but there are some very simple and useful features, like recipes and location information, that l’d like to see added in the future – and I for one would like to know if whoever’s knocking at my door is worth getting out of bed for. The Echo Spot does, however, support voice calling.

• Display and features score: 3.5/5

Amazon Echo Spot (2024) review: Sound quality

• Decent audio for its size
• Struggles with complex textures and mids
• Great for spoken-word

While Amazon is branding the Echo Spot as more of a smart alarm than a smart speaker, that’s not to say you can’t reap the benefits of its 1.73-inch speaker and listen to some of the best podcasts, best music streaming services, or other audio broadcasts using the best Alexa Skills and commands. 

As long as you’re in front of the Echo Spot (2024), as its speaker is front-facing, you can enjoy the improved audio quality compared to the original Echo Spot. This is definitely not a party speaker, and nor is it for audiophiles, but that’s generally to be expected from smaller speakers. You can expect a decent audio performance overall, though; Alexa’s voice cuts through crisply and cleanly, and in general spoken-word audio sounds very pleasant, which is good news if you’re a podcast-lover. 

For music, the Echo Spot offers an energetic sound that’s impressive for its size, but not without fault. Without tweaking its equalizer settings in the Alexa app, the bass is fairly dominant, but lacks depth; Fleetwood Mac’s The Chain sounded hollow without its thumping rage and resonance, and the opening bass line of Led Zeppelin’s Dazed and Confused lacked its evocative trudging, bluesy depth.

The mid-range often becomes muddied, with pieces like Hans Zimmer’s Time from Inception sounding uncharacteristically unbalanced, while tracks like Radiohead’s 15 Step feel fuzzy and sluggish, with the Echo Spot (2024) unable to reproduce the track’s crisp and rich textures. 

As highlighted above, none of this is really a surprise given this speaker’s size, but it’s worth noting if you’re passionate about hi-fi. Much like many of Amazon’s smart speakers, the Echo Spot is best enjoyed at low-to-mid volume, as from 70-80% volume and above it begins to distort.

• Sound quality: 3.5/5

Should I buy the Amazon Echo Spot (2024)?

Buy it if…

Don’t buy them if…

Amazon Echo Spot (2024) review: Also consider

How I tested the Amazon Echo Spot (2024)

• I tested the Echo Spot for a week
• I used it as part of my Alexa-based smart home set-up, testing all of its features, functionalities and companion software.
• I used it to play music, set alarms, control my smart home, and as a main voice assistant

To put the Amazon Echo Spot (2024) through its paces I used it as my main smart home speaker for a week; and given that I’m both constantly using smart home devices for work and chronically lazy enough to lean on voice control, that means a lot of testing. 

I used all of its key features to test how well the device measured up against its marketing, ensuring that the audio, speed, voice controls and display all performed as expected. I compared it to the Amazon Echo Pop and Echo Show 5, as well as the Apple HomePod mini, to see how well it stacked up against the competition, as well as referencing it against TechRadar’s coverage of some of the best smart home devices.

I’ve been testing smart home devices for two years, but I’ve been an enthusiast for far longer. When testing tech, I try to consider not just the specs, but the lived experience I have with different devices, using this and my market knowledge, as well as a keen sense of value for money, to inform my opinions. 

• First reviewed in July 2024

• Read TechRadar's reviews guarantee

Amazon has brought the Echo Spot back from the grave; having launched in 2017, the original Echo Spot was discontinued in 2019. Five years later, out of nowhere, it made a return with several upgrades attached – which we're going to outline here.

The new and improved Echo Spot has a good claim to be one of the best smart speakers in the business. It does have a screen, but it's a pretty small one, and you can't watch videos on it – so we're not sure whether or not that makes it one of the best smart displays too.

Whatever category you want to put it in, this is your comprehensive guide to all the features and upgrades on the 2024 version of the Amazon Echo Spot, and how it compares to its predecessor in terms of size, features, price, and everything else that matters. You can also check out our full Echo Spot (2024) review.

Echo Spot (2017) vs Echo Spot (2024): price and availability

You can pick up the brand new Amazon Echo Spot for an official price of $79.99 / £79.99 / AU$149. Like a lot of Amazon Echo speakers though, you can expect it to be regularly discounted – and indeed it's been already cheaper as part of the Amazon Prime Day sales just days after its release.

We'd expect to be able to get it for less when the other big sales days roll around too, from Black Friday to the holiday season. In short, this is an affordable smart speaker (the standard Amazon Echo retails for $99.99 / £89.99 / AU$149).

You can no longer buy the older Echo Spot, so it's not available at all. When it was in stock at Amazon, the asking price was $160 / £119.99 / AU$210 – that's significantly more than the new edition, though again it was often sold at a discounted price.

Echo Spot (2017) vs Echo Spot (2024): design and screen

The Echo Spot (2017) and Echo Spot (2024) share the same sort of design language in that they both look like orbs cut in half,  with a display on the front and plastic around the back. There's also definitely a passing resemblance to the Echo Pop launched in 2023.

In terms of dimensions, the original Echo Spot measured 10.4 x 9.7 x 9.1 cm (w x h x d) front to back. The circular display size measured 2.5 inches, with a resolution of 480 x 480 pixels, and weighed in at 420 grams.

That compares with dimensions of 11.3 cm x 11.1 cm x 10.3 cm, so the newer model is a little bigger all around. It also has a large 2.8-inch rectangular display, which runs at a resolution of 240 x 320 pixels. The new Echo Spot weighs 405 grams.

Undoubtedly, the 2024 version of the Echo Spot is more modern-looking, as you would expect seven years later. The chunky bezels are gone, and half of the front panel is given over to the speaker grille. You can also get it in Black, Glacier White, or Ocean Blue, whereas the first-generation model was available in black or white.

Echo Spot (2017) vs Echo Spot (2024): specs

Echo Spot (2017) vs Echo Spot (2024): features and performance

Amazon is branding this device as a "customizable smart alarm clock", which gives you some indication of what you can do with the display: it works for widgets and notifications (like an alarm clock timer), but you can't watch movies on it.

There are several built-in clock faces to choose from, and the visuals can change to show the details of the audio currently being played, or to indicate the current weather forecast. There are several color themes available too: orange, violet, magenta, lime, teal, and blue.

The original 2017 Echo Spot was able to show videos, albeit at a very small size, so in that respect some of the functionality has been lost. Of course, if you need video, you can go for one of the Echo Show, like the Amazon Echo Show 8.

Speaking of video, the older Echo Spot could do video calling, whereas the newer Echo Spot can't – in part because it no longer has a built-in camera. Audio calls via Alexa are still supported, and the three physical buttons on the back are the same too, enabling you to raise the volume, lower the volume, and disable the mic.

There's just one connection on the back of the Echo Spot (2024), for the power cable – the Echo Spot (2017) had a 3.5 mm audio output socket as well, but this has been dropped. You can still connect a bigger speaker to the new Echo Spot via Bluetooth, as you could on the old Echo Spot.

The audio performance is noticeably better than it was on the old model, based on our testing. The screen looks much better too, even if it is technically running at a lower resolution – the seven-year difference is noticeable here.

As far as Alexa features go, the speakers are evenly matched: Amazon's digital assistant hasn't changed all that much over the years, though it's a little faster and more accurate these days. You can use voice commands to check the weather, look up facts, control your connected smart home devices, get sports scores, and everything else.

We've previously put together a round-up of the best Alexa Skills and commands, and you can also create custom routines on any Echo, including both versions of the Spot. All of this can be managed through the Alexa app for Android or iOS too, and that hasn't changed between the two versions of the Echo Spot.

Echo Spot (2017) vs Echo Spot (2024): should you buy?

With the original Echo Spot from 2017 well and truly off the shelves for good, you don't have to choose between it and the new Echo Spot 2024 when it comes to your next smart speaker upgrade: it's more a question of choosing between the latest Echo Spot and any other Amazon model, or any other smart speaker.

The Echo Spot (2024) will suit anyone looking for a compact, affordable smart speaker – it's perfect for the kitchen or a bedside table. While the screen can't do video, it does give you something extra over the speakers that are audio-only. If you need something to watch the best Prime Video movies on, choose an Echo Show. Overall, it's a comprehensive upgrade to the previous model.

In terms of other smart speakers, there's no real equivalent available from Google, Apple, or anyone else. It's particularly appealing if you're already invested in the Amazon ecosystem – maybe you've already got an Echo or two at home, or maybe you're kitted out with a video camera from Ring (which is owned by Amazon).

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Since they first appeared in 2014, Amazon's Alexa-powered Echo devices have become an essential part of everyday life for many of us, and they frequently rank among the best smart speakers. However, many people who've bought an Alexa-enabled speaker or smart screen, or received one as a gift, aren't using the powerful voice assistant to its full potential. 

Thanks to Alexa voice commands and skills – these are like apps for Alexa, which enable you to access services, control smart devices and more – you can access a world of information, manage your smart home, and organize your day,  without having to pick up your phone or open your laptop. 

Alexa skills can be enabled on any Alexa-compatible device, and not just the best Alexa speakers. So, whether you have an Amazon Echo speaker, one of the best smart displays like the Echo Show 8 (3rd gen), or an Alexa-enabled smart speaker like the Sonos One, here are some of the best Alexa skills and commands.

FAQs

Music, radio & television

Music and radio playback is one of the most popular Alexa features – Echo devices are fundamentally speakers, after all. The best place to start with personalizing your Alexa smart speaker is by setting a default music streaming service, and it helps that Alexa supports most of the best music streaming services. 

Amazon Music is naturally the default option, with a range of free and paid tiers available, and once you've signed up it's easy to get started. Try asking: "Alexa, play Taylor Swift", or "Alexa, follow Harry Styles on Amazon Music". 

The same can be done for other music platforms, and the setup process is simple. Once you've signed into your account in the Alexa app, all you have to do is go to the 'More' tab on the bottom right. Tap 'Music & More', then the settings cog icon at the top right. From there, you can set other services as your default. 

Not only is Alexa a reliable music playback source, but there are also numerous Skills you can enable that will take your listening experiences to another level, be that for music, podcasts, or just by dabbling with sound settings. 

If you're a frequent radio listener, TuneIn is a useful skill that can help you make the most of radio by receiving live sports updates, local talk radio, and ad-free music. With TuneIn, just ask Alexa to play any of the available radio stations on the service and it will play automatically. Note that TuneIn offers a free three-month introductory trial, but after that you'll need a TuneIn Premium subscription.

One area where Alexa has fallen flat with in the past is its support for podcasts, but this is improving. You can easily ask Alexa to play a podcast, and it will play a randomly selected episode; try "Alexa, play Anything Goes with Emma Chamberlain". The podcast will play on your default streaming service, but it's worth that noting Alexa still has trouble with recognizing episode names and numbers. 

If TED Talks are more your thing, then the TED Talks Alexa Skill is worth checking out. Once you've launched the skill, try asking "Alexa, ask TED Talks to play the latest talk", or "Alexa, ask Ted Talks to find talks about nature". This skill is particularly useful when you want to listen to a talk about a specific topic, or even a talk hosted by a particular speaker. 

One of the most popular radio skills is myTuner, which allows you to listen in on international radio stations across a host of genres. Drawing from personal experience, I've found that the BBC Sounds Skill works best for UK listeners who want to have a smooth and easy listening experience with Alexa – and it's simple to get started. You can say, "Alexa, play BBC Radio 1", and it will give you its live radio broadcast. The same works for other BBC radio stations, and Alexa also has support for its podcasts.

Getting organized

Sure, Alexa's simpler skills, like voice-activated alarms and timers, can be super-helpful when we have our hands full, but Alexa's organizational functions don't stop there. 

For starters, you can link your calendar to your Alexa smart speaker, and add important events to it with your voice. In the Alexa app, all you have to do is tap 'More' and then find 'Settings', scroll down to 'Calendar', and select 'Add Account'. 

Alexa will take your messy schedule and help you optimize your time. When the Amazon Echo was first launched, one of its primary services was a built-in to-do list function, but it was fairly basic. Now, Alexa's shopping list feature is much improved, but there's a somewhat murky future for to-do services like Todoist on Alexa because as July 1, 2024, Amazon has pulled support of List skills and the List Management API.

Something that most people find themselves guilty occasionally is forgetting people's birthdays, and the Birthday Tracker skill will make sure you never forget another birthday again. You can add and remove birthdays to your log, and you can also ask how long you have until a particular date comes around. 

Alexa can also be handy when it comes to managing your financial life with the help of the Money Saving Tips Skill. Thinking about money can be quite daunting for some, and while this skill doesn't actively help you to save big bucks, it has a range of money-saving tips to offer, and all you have to do is ask. 

Supercharging your morning routine

Not everyone is a morning person, but if you have an Alexa smart speaker it might be worth your while to start integrating it into your morning routine.

One of the best ways to kick-start your day is through flash briefings. For US listeners, you could opt for a Skill like NPR News now, or in the UK, Sky News, which both offer a quick and snappy flash briefing with updates on UK and international breaking news across politics, entertainment, and more when you say "Alexa, what's my Flash Briefing?". It's an easy way of getting your morning news fix before you've left your bed or looked at your phone. 

Checking the weather is another integral part of the morning routine for many of us, and with Alexa you can ask for weather updates without having to open the weather app on your phone. When you say "Alexa. what's the weather like?", it will respond with results for your specific location. If you're traveling to a different area, you can also ask Alexa for region-specific updates.

A disrupted commute can also ruin your morning, and in most regions, you'll be able to access an Alexa skill that will enable the voice assistant to give you crucial live traffic information to help keep your day on track. 

Controlling your smart home

Amazon devices and Alexa skills are excellent tools for controlling smart home devices, whether that's smart air quality management, the best smart lights or the best robot vacuums.

Home security systems are becoming increasingly integrated into the smart home, and companies like Abode, Ring, Honeywell, and ADT (US only) are all integrated with Alexa. With these systems, you can arm and disarm alarms, or enable different security settings for when you're indoors, sleeping, or out of the house – all just with your voice, or by using Alexa's clever automations.

Alexa can also help if you're away and are concerned about your home when paired with the best video doorbells and best home security cameras, which allow you to check on your home via their respective mobile apps. 

Alexa skills can help to set the mood across your home without you having to navigate remotes and switches. With the Philips Hue Skill, your Alexa app will be able to identify the Hue smart light bulbs across your home. When you've named each one, you can say "Alexa, turn on the living room lamp", and it will listen to you. Lifx also has a useful Alexa Skill if you're not a Philips Hue user, and it works the same way. 

If you have a unique entertainment setup, then you could try integrating a Skill like Harmony from Logitech, which allows you to control a range of compatible entertainment devices. When enabled, Alexa will be able to do things like turn on your TV and launch your chosen streaming service, and can even act as a remote.

The same goes for your heating system. If your home is kitted with one of the best smart thermostats, there's likely an Alexa Skill out there for controlling it, and keeping your home at the optimum temperature whether you're at home or away. 

Two popular options are the Google Nest and Hive Skills, which work perfectly if you have a Nest Learning Thermostat or the Hive Thermostat. When installed, both work in similar ways. Just say "Alexa, set the bedroom temperature to 70 degrees", or if you're on your way out, you can say "Alexa, I'm leaving" and the thermostat will begin lowering the temperature.

Health & Fitness

There are plenty of ways you can use Alexa to get more active. If you're new to working out, or you find the idea daunting, there are plenty of workout skills that can help you ease your way into fitness, like the 7-minute Workout Skill. During set-up, you can alter the settings to cater to your fitness level. You can choose between low-impact, standard, and HIIT circuits, and even select the type of music you'd like to exercise to. 

One of the best things about this skill is that the circuits are different each time you launch it, and you can upgrade your experience with its Seven Squad subscription. This extra tool helps you to target specific muscle groups, and provides you with weekly and monthly performance reports for a small monthly fee. 

Since some of the best fitness trackers have Alexa-integrated functions, there are also companion skills designed to optimize your fitness-tracking experience. For example, if you own one of the best Fitbit watches, downloading its companion skill could make tracking even simpler. 

The Fitbit Alexa Skill is compatible with the Versa 2, Versa 3, and Sense models, and gives you easy voice-activated access to all things fitness, sleep, and even weather-related. You can ask for daily updates on your progress by using prompts such as "Alexa, ask Fitbit how I slept last night", and "Ask Fitbit how many steps I've taken", in addition to setting reminders, checking the weather, and beginning a workout. 

Mindfulness & wellbeing

Fitness is only one form of self-improvement; there's also wellness and mindfulness, and there's a range of Alexa skills that can help to optimize your wellbeing. 

This can be particularly helpful if you're someone who's expecting a bundle of joy, as something like the My Pregnancy Alexa Skill could serve as a loyal companion to guide you through each trimester. If you have questions about how far along you are, or what to expect at different stages, My Pregnancy can provide answers and offer useful tips. And the setup is simple, all you have to do is enable the skill in the Alexa app and tell it your due date, or ask for a specific pregnancy week. 

Are you keen on meditation? There are lots of guided meditation skills that are great for both morning meditation sessions and night-time cool-downs. Enable the skill by saying "Alexa, open guided meditation", and you'll be on your way to the zen zone. You may have to pay a small monthly fee to access the premium versions, but most guided meditation skills offer a basic package. 

Deep Breath is a similar skill that releases you from the hectic day you may have had. While it doesn't provide a full meditative session, it's a useful skill to use if you need to take a few minutes for yourself. Once installed, say "Alexa, start a Deep Breath session", and a three-minute session will commence. 

There are also skills available that are sleep-related, aiming to get your mind ready for a good night's shuteye. The Sleep Sounds Skill differs from guided meditation, and instead plays the sounds you find most soothing and calming to send you to sleep. With over 40 free sounds, get started by saying "Alexa, open Sleep Sounds" and ask it to play sounds from its list. 

Since many people are starting to integrate daily affirmations into their everyday lives, Alexa has also jumped on the trend. Instead of jotting yours down on a dedicated page in your journal, enable the Daily Affirmation Skill and say "Alexa Daily Affirmation".

Travel

Alexa's travel skills are few and far between, but that doesn't mean it's incapable of getting you from A to B. There are skills that will help you to get organized and plan ahead of a trip, or even give you suggestions for your next one. 

Unsure of where to head to next? Launch the TripAdvisor Place of the Day Skill and you could be booking your next flight sooner than you think. Alexa will choose a new destination each day, providing you with additional information on local cuisine, must-sees, and hidden gems. It's a useful skill that can tell you why a particular location is worth visiting, or it can just be a fun way to learn about different places around the world. 

There are also plenty of local travel-oriented skills. For instance, London-based Alexa users will be relieved to find out that they can check the status of different underground tube lines using their Alexa smart speaker, thanks to the Tube Status Skill. When you say "Alexa, open tube status" you can instantly check the status of each line and ask if there are any delays.   

There are also useful travel skills that only US users can take advantage of, like Visa Requirements, which is designed to make getting a visa a less difficult process by offering advice based on your nationality, and where you want to travel to. For example, saying "Alexa, ask Visa Requirements for American citizens to go to the UK" will tell you if you need a visa, along with additional information. 

Food & drink

You may be thinking, "Food and drink skills? Can Alexa cook me a meal?" but you'd be surprised to discover what Alexa can do – and you should start by having it order a takeaway. 

The Just Eat Skill allows you to place an order through the service by saying "Alexa, open Just Eat", and it will send a link to your phone to place an order through the app. Or, you can simply say "Alexa, ask Just Eat to re-order my last Chinese" if you're a creature of habit.  

If you're a cocktail connoisseur, there are apps that offer tips on how to mix the perfect drink. There are plenty available, but we'd recommend Mr. Bartender in the US, The Bar in the UK and The Bar Cart. You can ask for the ingredients to a particular cocktail, or have Alexa generate a random drink if you want to try something new and impress your friends with your newly-discovered mixology talents. 

Choosing a place to eat can be a chore, especially when your options are wide. But with Alexa's recommendations, say goodbye to the days of indecisiveness. The Pick a Restaurant Skill is simple, but effective. Start by saying "Alexa, ask Restaurant Decider where I can eat", and it will follow up with a random cuisine. If the first doesn't tickle your fancy, then it will keep giving suggestions. 

Games & skills to pass the time

Alexa isn't all about reminders, planning, and smart home management, and there are plenty of options for passing the time with some fun and games. 

One of the most popular gaming skills is The Magic Door, an adventure game where you create your own original story. As you progress through the story you can tell Alexa what paths to take, exploring a variety of regions while solving riddles and collecting hidden items. 

AI has started making its way into some Alexa game skills, and Volley Games is just one example. It's essentially the classic 20-questions game, but with a generative-AI twist. Say "Alexa, open Volley Games" and start asking your 'yes or no' questions to guess the mystery object – a great party game. 

Splash Music and Character.ai are other AI-generated skills available on Alexa devices, but these are US-only. Enabling Splash Music allows you to form short songs by using your voice. You could say "Alexa, create a folk rock indie song", sing along to your track, and even have it set you a link so you can download the song. 

Random fun

Alexa is great for bringing an element of fun into your home – and it has a surprising sense of humor. 

One thing that Alexa is renowned for is its thing for random daily facts. Whenever you ask "Alexa, tell me an interesting fact", a new fact will be generated each time, and you can even ask for topic-specific facts – Alexa is quite the polymath. 

Not only can Alexa spit out fact after fact, it's also a dictionary and thesaurus, with answers to all your burning questions about all things words and language-related. Ever had unfamiliar words thrown at you in conversation? Alexa will give you the definition, and you can ask it how to spell a word, and ask for synonyms. 

A skill that's proved popular among those with Alexa-supported smart home hubs is the Reddit TIL (Today I Learned) Skill. If you're not familiar with r/todayilearned on Reddit, it's a forum where users can post interesting and unique facts about specific areas, and some of them can be rather left-field. 

To start, enable the Reddit TIL Skill and use the command "Alexa, ask Today I Learned to tell me something", and Alexa will respond with a random TIL that's in the top 25 of the day. It's another way to get some fun out of your Alexa experience, but do be prepared to come across some that are NSFW – it's Reddit after all. 

Alexa skills are what take your smart home hub from a simple speaker to an everyday companion, and as you can see, they can be very helpful in all aspects of your life. 

While we've highlighted a handful of some of the most popular skills we think are most helpful, there are over 100,000 available online at Amazon and through the Alexa app. As you'll find when you start exploring skills, Alexa can do all kinds of helpful things – all you have to do is ask. 

Google Nest Mini deals can save you plenty of cash on the brand's own smart speakers, and the best part is these are already particularly well priced devices. The Nest Mini is Google's refreshed Google Home Mini model, so whether you're looking to upgrade your existing setup or if you're taking your first step into the smart home ecosystem, you'll find the best prices on Google Nest Mini sales here. 

The Google Nest Mini takes on all the features of its predecessor and adds handy hardware improvements that quell some of the device's earlier issues. Whether you're in need of a personal Google Assistant around your home, or simply want to dim the lights, the Nest Mini acts as a smart home hub with a boosted bass to boot.

You can check out all the best Google Nest Mini deals and prices in our comparison chart below, and if the Google Home Mini deals are anything to go by, you'll want to keep an eye on these prices. Already using Amazon Prime or a Fire TV Stick? You might want to consider opting for an Amazon Echo deal instead.

The best Google Nest Mini deals around

The new model offers capacitive touch features to control volume and playback, with the help of ultrasonic sensor-activated LEDs to guide your hand to the correct control spots on the unit. While the Google Nest Mini is still powered by Google Assistant, it utilizes on-board machine learning to fine-tune your queries and speed up your response time. 

The speakers themselves are supported by an improved bass, and an overall larger speaker system housed in the same sized shell, though any audiophiles should still spring for a more substantial offering.

What's the difference between Google Home Mini and Google Nest Mini?

The Google Home Mini is the predecessor to the Google Nest Mini. The newer model boasts improved sound and bass quality and a Google Assistant supported by built in machine learning for faster, more streamlined responses that don't always need to route through Google's servers.

With the new refresh, you can also string two Nest Mini devices together for true stereo sound, a feature only previously available to Google Home Max users. Plus, if you're tired of having your Nest Mini on your desk, you can now mount your smart speaker to the wall - making excellent use of the new colour variants on offer.

What does Google Nest Mini do? 

The Google Nest Mini is a refreshed Google Home Mini model, with all the same Google Assistant features and integrations plus added quality of life enhancements in the hardware department. Ask your Google Nest Mini to play your favourite songs on Spotify, stream your favourite movie through a Chromecast, or adjust your Philips Hue lighting, all using just your voice. Control your Nest thermostat as well as any appliances you have using smart plugs, or simply settle in and listen to the latest news, podcasts and audiobooks. 

What devices are compatible with Google Nest Mini?

Use your iPhone or Android to control your Google Nest Mini through the Home app, and pair your speakers with a wide range of devices within the Nest and Chromecast ecosystem. 

You can also sync your Nest Mini to a selection of non-Google devices, including Philips Hue lighting, Ring cams, Nanoleaf panels, and many more!

What services should I use with Google Nest?

Ask your Google Nest to play some music and you can choose from Google Play, YouTube Music, Spotify, Pandora (US and AUS), TuneIn and iHeartRadio. But the Google Assistant carries far more power on top of that. Ask Uber for a quick ride, add a meeting to your Google Calendar, stream your favourite shows to your Chromecast via Netflix, YouTube, Hulu and HBO Now, or create your own IFTTT commands to bring other apps to the party. Find the full list of supported Google Nest Mini apps here. 

Is Google Nest Mini private?

Check out Google's privacy statement regarding the Google Nest Mini states the company's commitment to the care of your data and information. If you're ever concerned about your use of the Nest Mini, however, you can take a break by switching the microphone off completely.

It appears that Siri on the Apple HomePod and HomePod mini smart speakers has somewhat forgotten how to provide the time to its users. 

MacRumors reported that when the virtual assistant receives the voice command “What time is it?” Siri failed to answer, and directed people to their paired iPhone, with the response: "I found some web results, I can show them if you ask again from your ‌iPhone‌." 

The publication then reported that Apple appears to have fixed the issue, but Siri still can’t answer similar questions such as “Can you tell me the time?” and “What’s the time?” 

We’ve not encountered such issues ourselves, but HomePod-based Siris (or should that be Sirai?) have reportedly been stumbling over other commands, like being asked to turn off smart lights in a particular room. Such bugs and virtual-assistant slip-ups aren’t uncommon, but this report further cements the idea that Siri isn’t the smartest assistant in the virtual box. 

Silly Siri needs some clever chops 

While I use an iPhone 15 Pro Max, I almost never use SIri, preferring to bark commands or queries at the Google Assistant in my Nest Hub and other smart devices. And I’m sure I’m not the only one.

This fact, and now these time-telling troubles, tell me that it’s time Siri got a real upgrade in smarts. Sure, Apple products and software are pretty slick, but the folks at Cupertino appear to have been dragging their heels when it comes to making clever virtual assistants and adopting generative AI.

I’m not super-keen for Apple to go the Google route and make generative AI front and center to its devices, as the search giant did with its Google Pixel 8 series; I’d rather go for natural-looking photos than ones that have been heavily manipulated by clever algorithm. But I do feel that Siri isn't fit for purpose right now, and a little more seamless integration of AI into Apple’s various software platforms could be a boon to users, without raising fears of a robotic uprising.

With new iPads likely to be just around the corner at Apple’s Let Loose event on May 7, and WWDC 2024 coming not long after, we should get a glimpse at what Apple plans to do with generative AI, and what type of smart tools could be integrated into the likes of macOS, iOS, and the rumored iPhone 16.

The silver lining to all this, at least in my mind, is that when Apple does turn its hand to a segment of the technology world it’s a little late arriving to, it tends to do a very good job of integrating said tech into its devices and platforms. So my hope is that Apple will make smart use of generative AI so that it's genuinely useful to future iPhone users, rather than a gimmick to tout how smart algorithms can be.

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It’s been a while, but we could soon see a new Nest Audio speaker and a Google Nest Hub Max, potentially around Google I/O, which takes place on 14 May. 

Evidence for this comes from a deep-dive into the latest version of the Google Home app by 9to5Google. It uncovered mentions of a "Nest Hub Max" sitting alongside reference to the current Nest Hub Max, along with a mention of "Nest Audio" that bears the same name as the 2020 Google Nest Audio smart speaker. 

Given these speakers are a good few years old, it’s not surprising that Google may be eyeing them up for a refresh. Although capable, we've seen a slew of newer audio devices creating increased competition – Google will need to bring something fresh to the table in order to ensure it retains its spot on on our best smart speakers list.

And there’s the kicker. There isn't exactly a deluge of rumors suggesting what the next-gen Nest speakers and hubs could come with in terms of features and upgrades. As 9to5Google points out, ultra-wideband (UWB) connectivity would seem like one obvious addition to aid in the 'handoff' of audio from one device to another. And we'd bet on there being improved audio features and streaming options, too. 

However, with Google going big on generative AI – as seen with the Google Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro – it’s likely that some of these smart features will come to new Nest hardware. We’d expect things like smart transcription – say when you’re cooking a new recipe and discussing what ingredients you’re using, but want to avoid touching a phone or notepad – in addition to smart translation features.  

Features like the ability to smartly pull together an agenda or come up with a plan for a week based on one’s calendar and verbal requests could also play a role in generative AI on a new Nest Hub and Nest Audio speaker. 

This is all speculation, of course, and Google could simply release mild updates of the two Nest devices with precious little changed from a user’s perspective. We’ll probably have to wait until at least mid-May before we hear more. 

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The rumor mill has once again lurched into action regarding an upcoming Apple HomePod with full touchscreen. In this new leak (shared by X user @Kosutami_Ito), an alleged part image appears to show a new, bigger HomePod display top plate – yes, where the current waveform swirling orb lives. 

There's no point of reference to estimate the circular screen's actual size, but the tipster says it shows a "glossy" HomePod with display, codenamed B720.

This isn't the first we've heard of an Apple smart display-enhanced HomePod, mind you. Back in October 2023, a leak posted by a KotsutamiSan (an X handle that seems to be no more, although it sounds remarkably similar to Kotsutami_Ito, author of the latest leak) also referenced a B720 HomePod with a bigger touchscreen which might be capable of showing images – of album covers, say. 

Just over a year ago in March 2023, the respected Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo predicted a HomePod with a display would land at some point in 2024.

And the story goes back even further, to February 2022, when Siri allegedly started slipping up by mentioning a HomePod display of some kind – and let's not forget, that was long before the HomePod 2 arrived, in January 2023.

'Siri, we need to talk' 

Look, I don't think there's anything wrong with Apple's smart speakers design-wise – I loved the original HomePod's dimensions and configuration. More than that though, I loved the way it sounded. And I loved the swirling, almost haunted vibes from the distinctive top-plate; no notes there. 

It's no secret that I also loved the Apple HomePod Mini; a classy but inexpensive (for Apple) update that sounded far bigger than it had any business being, with a driver that sonically still leaves Amazon's Echo Dot (5th Gen) for dust. 

The thing is, it's also no secret that Apple's voice assistant (originally integrated into the iPhone 4S way back in October 2011, after starting out as an app for iOS in February 2010) is lagging behind. TechRadar's own senior news editor, Mark Wilson, recently lamented "Siri is truly terrible", and despite his optimism about its rumored iOS 18 reboot (due September 2024), he's not alone in voicing this opinion. 

Siri was largely left behind in Apple's most recent WWDC 2023 event, with the once-pioneering vocal subordinate's big 'update' being… a shortening of the wake-up phrase from ‘Hey Siri’ to ‘Siri’. Wow. It's easy to think that Apple simply no longer cares about Siri.

The problem as I see it has nothing to do with how impressive a bigger, more fully-featured screen on an Apple speaker might be. The issue is that an Apple HomePod with the current version of Siri at its core can't compete with the best smart speakers in the business in 2024. Since April 2023, we've bemoaned the fact that Siri is being left behind – and Apple knows it.

But wait! All is not lost; at the start of the month, Apple researchers revealed an AI breakthrough that could make Siri much smarter. The new paper (entitled 'ReALM: Reference Resolution As Language Modeling') contains intel from Apple on how the Cupertino giant’s own AI system will aim to consider both what's on your device’s screen and the tasks you're performing simultaneously (both in the foreground and the background) as stimuli to respond to your queries.

If your HomePod can understand the context and the direct request, Apple thinks that'll give its AI an edge. Might this stop it from playing the top 25 hits on Apple Music when I say, "Siri, play me a good song" (and instead consider the genres of music I actually like)? Or, might it mean that if I say "Siri, play the hits" it would play the actual hits, rather than the Backstreet Boys 2001 album that also happens to be called The Hits? We live in hope… 

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Considering the amount of rumors and leaks we've seen about it, it seems likely that Apple is thinking about launching a smart display based on the HomePod speaker – and that display could well end up being an iPad mini.

The team at 9to5Mac has been digging into the code for tvOS 17.2 beta, and found something rather interesting: the software has been updated to add support for the iPad mini 6 that Apple launched back in 2021.

Bearing in mind that the HomePod and the HomePod mini run on a modified version of tvOS, it's then fair to make the assumption that Apple wants to explore the idea of launching a HomePod smart display with a decent-sized screen attached.

What adds even more credence to the idea is that rumors about a HomePod-plus-iPad have been appearing for more than a year now, and have come from some of the most reliable Apple tipsters in the business.

Form factors

At this stage it's worth remembering that even if Apple is testing out the iPad mini as a HomePod attachment, there's no guarantee that we'll end up with an actual product along these lines – company plans and market conditions change all the time.

In recent days we've also seen what is apparently a prototype HomePod with a small integrated display on the top. It's possible that Apple is experimenting with more than one different form factor for the upcoming smart display.

It does make sense that tvOS would be the software running on this smart display, as it's already used on the HomePod. If rumors from the start of the year are to be believed, smart home functions would be front and center.

Apple may take the approach used by the Google Pixel Tablet and its dock, and make a smart display that you can dock to a speaker or carry around with you; or, it could copy the Amazon Echo Show 10 with a display that can rotate. Time will tell.

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While we didn't particularly note the benefits that a display would bring in our HomePod 2 review, Apple seems determined to add a screen to its smart speaker, with new rumors emerging that suggest that's the plan for the HomePod 3.

This comes from Apple enthusiast @KosutamiSan on X (the social network previously known as Twitter), and apparently the images are of a prototype speaker device that Apple has been working on.

According to sources speaking to 9to5Mac, this prototype is still being actively developed, though "Apple hasn't yet decided" if there will actually be a launch. The device codename is said to be B720, for future reference.

The 9to5Mac report also adds that tweaks have been noticed in certain tvOS apps so that they can run on screens of a different aspect ratio – and that's significant, bearing in mind that the current HomePods run a modified version of tvOS.

The story so far

This isn't the first time that rumors of an Apple smart display based on the HomePod have appeared. Back in March, well-respected Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo predicted that a HomePod with a display would be out at some point during 2024.

In fact, the story goes back even further, to February 2022: Siri was noticed to be slipping up by mentioning a HomePod display of some sort, and that was before the HomePod 2 was unveiled in January 2023.

As it turned out, the HomePod 2 design was very much along the same lines as the original HomePod, and there was no screen attached. Nevertheless, it seems certain that Apple is at least considering adding to its range with a smart display.

Amazon and Google already have their own smart speakers with displays attached, and Apple definitely has the hardware and software nous to build a HomePod with a screen on the top – so watch this space.

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Amazon Echo Pop: One-minute review

The Amazon Echo Pop is the new entry-level Echo model in Amazon’s lineup of smart speakers, replacing the now ever-so-slightly more sophisticated Echo Dot. 

It joins the leagues of the best Alexa speakers as a decent, budget-friendly alternative to some of the brand’s more expensive models; but, I’d say it isn’t among the best smart speakers overall. The Echo Pop’s sound is passable, the mic pickup is decent, and its new semi-spherical design is really fun. However, I was a little disappointed that some features have been lost to come in at its marginally lower price tag.

Sporting a chic new design and a brighter, more customizable color palette, the Echo Pop will be great for smaller rooms and bedrooms, especially those most regularly occupied by kids. It’s a lot less conspicuous than other smart speakers, especially Amazon’s models, but definitely sits on the cheaper side when it comes to build quality. 

The real downer of the Echo Pop is its price. At $40.99 / £44.99 / AU$79.99, it’s just $9 / £10 / AU$20 cheaper than the Amazon Echo Dot (Generation 5), which offers marginally superior sound and doesn’t lose features such as temperature and motion detection. Plus, the Dot is so regularly discounted to below the price of the Pop, it just doesn’t make sense not to wait and save. 

If you’re happy to pay for form over function, or would actually rather your speakers not know quite so much about your home, the Echo Pop is great – and its design really is quite refreshing for a smart speaker. Note that it sounds best at 50-70% volume, starting to distort when played any louder; but for smaller rooms and bedrooms, for which it’s designed, you’ll rarely need to go much higher.

Amazon Echo Pop review: price and availability

• List price: $40.99 / £44.99 / AU$79.99
• Available at Amazon

The Echo Pop launched in 2023 and sells for $40.99 / £44.99 / AU$79.99 directly from Amazon in four colorways: black, white, lavender, and teal. As of writing, it’s just $9 / £10 / AU$20 cheaper than the next-best Amazon smart speaker, the Echo Dot, which is regularly on sale for cheaper than the Echo Pop. However, we’ve yet to see how much the Pop will be reduced to during sales periods, so there’s some hope there.

Regardless, it’s still missing too many of the value-adding features of marginally pricier devices such as the Echo Dot to justify its price tag. It appears that the new design – which, granted, is very nice – has inflated the price almost as much as the removal of temperature and motion sensors has reduced it. 

Alternatively, if you’re not sold on Amazon’s Alexa-based ecosystem, the Nest Mini is similarly priced at $49.99 / £49.99 / AU$79.99 and comes with much the same features as the Dot – although we still prefer the Dot overall.

Ultimately, it comes down to how important aesthetics are to you; if the design really sells it, the Pop is just about worth its list price. You can also buy covers for an additional $16.99 / £19.99 / AU$27.95 (which, notably, makes the Echo Pop more expensive than the Echo Dot.) 

• Value: 3/5

Amazon Echo Pop review: specifications

Amazon Echo Pop review: design

• Fresh and fun semi-spherical design
• Three microphones
• Three control buttons, but no action button

In a sea of spherical smart speakers, the Amazon Echo Pop stands out as a much-welcomed break from the orb overload – but it isn’t exactly a high bar for innovation versus its main competition at Google and Apple.

Overall, the Echo Pop feels pretty robust, and its plastic casing doesn’t feel too tacky. It’s about the size of an Echo Dot that’s been sliced in half diagonally, yet despite losing half the mass, it takes up a similar amount of real estate. 

Nevertheless, between its fabric-covered front speaker and the fact it arrives in a selection of colors (white, black, lavender, and teal), the Echo Pop feels less intrusive than its older siblings; it’s a fun and playful design that feels a lot more at home in bedrooms, smaller rooms or child-friendly rooms. Plus, the array of colorful sleeve accessories available at Amazon means the device can be further customized to fit your living space.

Above the front-facing speaker is a curved LED bar that lights up when Alexa is active. I tested the black colorway with a sleeve attached, and when inactive, this bar was quite a stark contrast to the otherwise bright casing. I imagine the same could be said for the lighter colorways, even without a sleeve.

Moving further back on the device, just behind the LED arc, are the three microphones to pick up voice commands and three buttons: volume controls and a mute button. There’s no action button as there is on other Echo devices, which personally I didn’t mind too much. 

Seated right at the hilt of the speaker is the power socket, which connects to the included power supply. As with the most recent Echo Dot, there’s no audio jack, but the device is Bluetooth enabled if you want to play music through your Echo Pop from another device.

• Design: 4/5

Amazon Echo Pop review: performance

• Decent enough sound, but not on full blast
• Good microphone pickup
• Lacking some value-adding features

As a smart home device, the Echo Pop presents some ups and downs. On the one hand, the Echo Pop is a zippy little smart speaker, picking up voice commands pretty consistently and quickly – unless you have other speakers absolutely blaring out in the background. Bolstered with Amazon’s AZ2 Neural Edge processor, it’s only ever-so-slightly slower than the Echo Dot, and a smidgen slower still when compared to the Echo, but the difference is pretty minimal.

It’s incredibly easy to set up, even for those who aren’t technically inclined;  and if you are, you’ll be pleased to know it also serves some extra purposes for your smart home, acting as a Sidewalk Bridge, a Matter Controller, and adding up to 1,000 square feet to your Eero mesh setup.

On the other hand, it’s missing some of the best features added in recent Amazon Echo devices: temperature sensors and motion detection. This omission is relatively inconsequential if you’re simply looking for the basic Alexa experience. However, if you’re setting up more advanced automations using temperature or motion triggers, you’ll be better off spending slightly more on the Echo Dot. 

Generally speaking, the sound emitted by the speaker is pretty good for its size. When Alexa responds, her voice is notably clear, more so perhaps than even other devices; but spoken word medium – including audiobooks and podcasts – is about as far as the Echo Pop goes when it comes to outperforming its peers for audio. Despite having a larger speaker driver (1.95in versus the Echo Dot’s 1.73in), bigger doesn’t mean better here, with the Echo Pop suffering a little at times.

When I cranked up the volume to full blast to listen to some music, the Echo Pop distorted pretty noticeably, making it not a terribly pleasant listen. It seems the speaker’s sweet spot is 50-70% for really pumping out tunes, but in general, it’s most enjoyable between 40-50%. At these volumes, the Echo Pop produces crisp mids and highs, and nice, warm bass.

This makes sense with the product’s positioning; Amazon recommends the Echo Pop for smaller rooms and bedrooms. If anything, I’d say the Echo Pop is comparable to a fairly good portable speaker in terms of its audio quality. If you’re going for higher quality, the standard Echo is the clear winner – if you want something this small that sounds as good as the large Echo, the Apple HomePod Mini is the best option (as long as someone in your house is in the Apple ecosystem).

Otherwise, the Echo Pop is capable of pretty much everything else other Echo devices can do; it has Alexa built in for answering your questions, it can assist you around the home with reminders, shopping lists and timers, and it can also integrate with your other smart devices pretty effortlessly.

• Performance: 3.5/5

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How I tested the Amazon Echo Pop

• I used the Amazon Echo Pop as my main smart speaker for two weeks
• I tested the audio against other smart speakers and across different mediums
• I used the Alexa app to test routines, reminders and other Alexa features

I used a test unit sent by Amazon to review the Amazon Echo Pop, and set it up as my primary smart speaker for two weeks. I used it to control my various smart home devices, from smart lights to plugs and cameras, and also used its lifestyle features. 

I compared the Amazon Echo Pop to my Apple HomeHub and the Echo Dot, as well as referencing our previous testing and reviews of Echo, Nest and home hub devices to benchmark its performance, design and value. I also compared the hardware and software specs to see how well-equipped the Echo Pop is.

I’ve been professionally testing smart devices for over a year, and have been progressively improving my smart home over recent years with various smart devices.

Read more about how we test

First reviewed June 2023

Amazon has announced that it's launching a new-look smart speaker called the Echo Pop, along with a new version of the Echo Show 5 smart screen, plus an Echo Show 5 Kids version for the first time.

The Echo Pop is the most interesting new device, launching at $40 / £45 / AU$79, with a "semi-sphere form factor", as Amazon describes it. It looks like someone chopped the Echo Dot (5th Gen) in half, basically – and gave it some funky colors. I like the look of it a lot, and if Amazon's promise of "full sound" from its custom front-facing speaker is delivered on, it could be the ideal mini speaker.

It has Amazon's AZ2 speech processor inside, which means it can handle some Alexa requests without having to contact the cloud, and works with the Matter smart home system for easy home control.

Amazon hasn't explicitly said that the Echo Pop replaces the Echo Dot but it effectively will. It's a little cheaper, it's cooler looking, it seems like it might be better sounding – who won't just go for this one?

Meanwhile, the new Echo Show 5 has a redesigned speaker system that promises "double" the bass, as well as clearer sound overall, though that seems to be the only change from the previous version based on what Amazon has told us so far. It's priced at $90 / £90 (around AU$162; Australian availability TBC).

The Echo Show 5 Kids ($100 / £100, around AU$190) is a new device. Much like the Echo Dot Kids, it costs a little more, but comes with a load of kid-friendly features. 

These include audiobooks, automatic lyric filtering in music, and – new to the screened version – unique home screen customization options that kids will probably enjoy more than the simpler options of the standard Echo Show 5. It also comes with a special two-year warranty, where if a kid breaks it, Amazon says it will replace it no hassle.

We'll bring you reviews of all of these as soon as we can, to see how they rank among the best smart speakers and best smart displays. Knowing Amazon, it'll probably be pretty high.

These devices are all available to pre-order from today (May 17), and Amazon says they'll be released later in May.

Amazon also announced that its latest-gen Echo Auto is now available in Australia for AU$99 and is coming to the UK imminently, having previously launched in the US in 2022.

18/5/23: This article has been updated with a response from an Amazon spokeperson.

Amazon might be brilliant at finding new ways for us to order more stuff from its vast online store, but it also likes to dabble in ludicrous smart home products that are divorced from reality. Unfortunately, some new leaked documents suggest it's up to those tricks again with the development of an AI-powered home robot.

A new report from Insider suggests Amazon is working on a next-gen version of its Astro home robot, which could use ChatGPT-like powers to help it remember and understand its environment (your house). As one of the documents remarks on Amazon's current Astro robot, "our robot has a strong body" but "what we need next is a brain".

That brain, apparently codenamed 'Burnham', will use "contextual understanding" to "make robots more intelligent, more useful, and conversational". Some examples in the leaked document include Burnham finding and notifying you about a stove that's been left burning, or simply telling you where you left your keys.

This all sounds good in theory, but it's also like sketching out a plane's cockpit before you have wings. For a start, the current Amazon Astro robot is still invite-only, a full 18 months after it was announced. And even where Astro is out the wild, it wheels around while surrounded by the flames of today's failed smart home system and its dying voice assistants.

Before we get home robots from The Jetsons, we need AI to help clear up the real-world mess that is today's smart home. It's a less glamorous job, but six months on from the rollout of Matter 1.0 (a new standard that is the latest savior of the smart home), we're still waiting for a simple, mature system where everything seamlessly works together as it should. And this is about a decade on from the arrival of the first smart home platforms like Apple HomeKit.

To be fair, Amazon has finally given over 100 million Echo devices support for the Matter standard. But we're still a long way from a world where all of our smart home tech seamlessly connects, regardless of which mobile operating system or voice assistant you use. And that's something that a concept robot, however charming, isn't capable of fixing, even with the promise of "contextual understanding".

Fix the foundations

Unfortunately, it's simply easier for Amazon to develop concepts that give it the glow of a tech innovator than to get its hands dirty and help fix the smart home's plumbing. Remember the Ring Always Home Cam that promised to fly around your house like an aerial security guard? It apparently won't actually arrive until 2024 at the earliest, if at all.

Like the Astro home robot, these ideas simply don't live in the real world. It's taken the best robot vacuums over 25 years to get to the point where they're finally mature enough to live in the mainstream. And yet robot vacs are one of many types of products that aren't supported by the Matter 1.0 standard, leaving many buyers in a quandary about how to future-proof their smart home.

To be fair to Amazon, fellow tech giants like Google and Apple are as much to blame for the glacial progress of Matter's rollout. For example, the Google Home iOS app is only just getting the ability to let you set up Matter devices from iOS 16.5, something that was previously only possible on Android. 

But it's going to be another long wait before we can set up our smart home without having to worry about what a Thread border router is or whether something has the Matter logo. Currently, your best bet for guaranteed Matter support is still the humble smart plug.

In the meantime, talk of a next-gen Amazon Astro robot with ChatGPT-style powers is more annoying than it is exciting. We'd rather see Amazon put all of its generative AI eggs into a modern version of Alexa, but its voice assistant department was apparently the hardest hit by recent layoffs, following a $10 billion loss.

That smarter reincarnation of Alexa may still come, even if it's seemingly a lower priority than a new chatbot-powered search function for the Amazon shopping experience. But for the messy smart home, the next version of Matter (which is on a bi-annual update cycle) is way more important than another smart home pipe dream, like Amazon's privacy-invading robots.

18/5/23 update. In response to this article an Amazon spokesperson told us: “We believe homes should have technologies and devices from many different brands, and are long-time champions of interoperability and open standards, including Matter. If customers want choice they look to Alexa—more than 140,000 devices from different brands work with Alexa and more than three hundred million smart home devices have been connected to Alexa. We're just getting started with the smart home, and there is so much more invention to come.”