Amazon unveils new Echo Spot in product refresh

Amazon has released its new Echo Spot smart alarm clock as it refreshes its Alexa voice assistant products.

The Echo Spot “seems to be a crossover between the Echo Dot and Echo Show”, The Verge says. It sports a 2.5-inch display and a curvier design than other products in the range.

Users “can make video calls and be connected to external speakers via cable or Bluetooth”, the website says. The device can also “double as a nursery camera.”

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As well as the Spot, says Business Insider, Amazon has introduced a new variant of the Echo smart speaker called the Echo Plus.

Although it looks “identical to the original Echo” and comes with the same Alexa voice assistance functions, the new speaker “features a ZigBee hub to allow the easy connection and setup of smart home devices”, says the site.

Joining the Echo Plus is an updated version of the standard Echo that is expected to rival Apple’s HomePod smart speaker, says Tech Crunch.

The new Echo comes with “a more premium sound”, the site says, and “the second generation of Amazon’s far-field technology, the microphone array the company uses so Echo can play nicely with other devices.”

It’s available in “six different shells”, Tech Crunch says, so it “can be coordinated for various rooms in the home.”

Buyers can pick up the new Echo and Echo Plus from Amazon for £89.99 and £139.99 respectively. However, the Daily Express says the Echo Spot won’t launch in the UK until 2018.