Amazon has introduced a camera-equipped variant of its Echo Studio speaker, enabling Alexa to identify and interact with objects in its field of view. Unveiled alongside four additional Alexa products on Wednesday, the Echo Studio with Home Camera represents a significant expansion of Amazon's voice assistant ecosystem. The camera-equipped model launches today at $249.99, while the original Echo Studio without a camera remains available for $219.99.
The integrated camera enables practical applications such as reading board game instructions when shown a box or facilitating product reordering by recognizing cereal packaging. Users can also monitor rooms remotely through the Alexa app. Amazon emphasizes privacy protections, including a dedicated button to disable both microphones and the camera, plus a visual indicator that activates when images or video stream to the cloud. Certain capabilities require Alexa+, which comes bundled with Prime membership.
The standard Echo Studio remains available for those who prefer no camera.
Amazon
A smart home hub in the Echo Dot
The refreshed Echo Dot, priced at $99.99 and shipping today, now incorporates a smart home hub as a standard feature. This hub supports Zigbee, Matter and Thread protocols, expanding the device's role in connected home ecosystems. Additionally, the Dot includes an eero Wi-Fi extender capable of covering up to 1,000 square feet.
The device operates on Amazon's proprietary AZ3 chip, which features an AI accelerator for processing tasks directly on the device. Two versions designed for Amazon Kids are available starting at $109.99 and include a year of Kids+ access.
Among the other announced products, Echo Time serves as a $199.99 smart alarm clock featuring a 3.2-inch round touchscreen and no camera. The device employs ultrasound technology to detect breathing patterns and can wake users between 10 to 60 minutes after their set alarm time without requiring wearable devices. Sleep sensing functionality is entirely optional, according to Amazon.
Photos and a bigger screen
The Alexa Photo Frame offers a 10-inch touchscreen interface starting at $199.99. Using Alexa+, the frame automatically curates images from Amazon Photos according to facial recognition, timestamps and emotional content, while filtering out screenshots and receipts.
The Echo Show 16 is now available for preorder at $499.99, or $569.99 for a version with an anti-glare Nanomatte display. The device will ship later this year and includes a 13-megapixel wide-angle camera with night vision capability—a first for the Echo Show line. Fire TV functionality is integrated into the device. According to Amazon, the Echo Show product line represents the company's fastest-growing Echo category, expanding at a rate exceeding 25% annually.
A 3D map of the home
Amazon introduced Alexa Home Map, an interactive three-dimensional representation of a residence created by scanning rooms with an iPhone. The map displays connected devices, Ring and Blink cameras, and provides a 360-degree overhead perspective of the property. Users can access a timeline feature that reviews footage from all cameras spanning the previous 24 hours.
Home Map will begin rolling out as a preview later this year on iOS, accessible through the Alexa and Ring applications, larger Echo Show models and the forthcoming Alexa Tablets. Certain functionalities require either a Ring Protect Pro subscription or Virtual Security Guard subscription.
Amazon reports that hundreds of millions of customers are already engaging with the new Alexa capabilities. These announcements follow the company's recent relaunch of Bee earlier this month and device price adjustments implemented in August.
Source: The Next Web
