Amazon has announced refreshes to their Echo line of smart speakers with the launch of the Echo (4th Gen), Echo Dot (4th Gen) and the Echo Dot (4th Gen) with clock. They all have design refreshes in a new spherical shape, improved sound quality and bass, a tap-to-snooze feature and a Low Power Mode for power savings.
Amazon Echo (4th Generation)
The Echo smart speaker retains its fabric outer covering but this time its design has been updated from a long cylinder shape (3rd gen) to a spherical shape (4th gen) with a circular ring of LED on the bottom. The new Echo comes with a 3.0-inch woofer, dual-firing tweeters with support for Dolby Stereo processing, improving the overall sound quality from the speaker.
Amazon has also integrated the Zigbee smart home hub into the Echo, increasing its compatibility with smart home appliances and IoT devices. And finally, as we mentioned earlier, it now supports Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) for better energy efficiency.
Amazon Echo Dot (4th gen) and Echo Dot (4th gen) with clock
These two smart speakers are the successors to the 3rd generation Echo Dot, this time with the updated spherical shaped design. The speakers have 1.6-inch, front-firing speaker housed within the same fabric finish exterior, producing crisp vocals and balanced bass.
The Echo Dot (4th Generation) with clock is the same body as the Echo Dot (4th gen), except it adds a simple LED display that can show the time, outdoor temperature, timers, and alarms.
The Echo (4th gen) speaker comes in Black, White and Blue colours and will be priced at Rs. 9999, the Echo Dot (4th gen) will come in Black, White and Blue colours and will be priced at Rs. 4499, while the Echo Dot (4th gen) with clock will come in White and Blue colours and will be priced at Rs. 5499. The Echo Dot has begun pre-orders today on Amazon, with sales starting from October 26th, 2020 The sale date for the Echo and Echo Dot with Clock will be announced soon.
In related news, Amazon also announced a new Fire TV Stick with Dolby Atmos and a Fire TV Stick Lite.
Commenting on the launch, Parag Gupta, Head of Amazon Devices, India said:
Echo devices have played an integral part in simplifying the lives of our customers. With the convenience of voice, they simply ask Alexa for their favorite music, control smart home appliances or just have a fun time with family. With the new range of Echo devices, we are making it more natural and convenient for customers to interact with Alexa. The new range of Echo speakers are completely redesigned for an improved audio experience, and seamlessly merge into the home decor. We are proud to share that these are our most sustainable products yet.