Amazon speakers have a new look—and new leaders—with the latest line of Echo devices. Amazon Fall Hardware Event the next border was announced in September Alexa-enabled speakersbut strangely enough, none of them were fifth-generation Echoes. Instead, Amazon settled on two specific speakers: the Echo Dot, which is now called the Echo Dot Max and costs the same as the main full-size Echo, and the powerful Echo Studio speaker system, which is now in its second generation.
Amazon may finally be planning to pare down its lineup to focus on the best of the best. We have I have long recommended Echo Dot and Echo Studio as some of the best in Amazon's crowded Echo lineup, and there is no other smart speaker manufacturer offers as many options as possible. Availability of several Echo models has also been limited to zero this year, including the screen-based Echo Show 10 (which appears set to replace the new next-gen Echo Show 8 and 11 models due out in November) and the once-flagship Echo. However, the range is still wide, and perhaps Amazon's new strategy is to capitalize on the higher price of the popular Echo Dot model and allow speakers like Echo Pop take on the role of a cheap option.
Will it pay off? Will Amazon's lineup finally become more focused? We'll have to wait and see. For now, it's safe to say that the new Echo Dot Max and Echo Studio 2nd generation are excellent in sound quality and do what a smart speaker does best: answer questions, especially with Amazon's new assistant – Alexa+included straight out of the box. But they cost much more than the previous flagship Echo and Echo Dot.
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Photo: Nena Farrell.
These two models feature a new design for the Echo speakers: a round casing with a recess in the center, reminiscent of a speaker's dust cap. Now in this indentation you will find volume buttons and a mute button. There's now a touch control at the top where you can instantly pause or resume your music by tapping it. (The app has an option to turn off touch controls if you don't like them.) The glowing ring that tells you when Alexa is listening now sits around that indentation, and both models have a built-in smart home hub that the Studio previously had but the older Echo Dots didn't.
