In addition to new Echo Buds, Amazon today also announced new entries in the speaker and display categories, with the Echo Pop, a new Echo Show 5, and a new Echo Show 5 Kids.
“Customers around the world love Alexa as their trusted, personal AI — they’ve now purchased well over half a billion Alexa-enabled devices, and use of Alexa increased 35% last year,” Rohit Prasad, senior vice president and head scientist for Alexa, said in a press release. “These new devices give customers more options and more utility at an incredible value. And as with every Echo we’ve shipped, these devices will only continue to get better as we add even more generative AI-powered experiences for Alexa throughout the year.”
The Echo Pop looks like someone shaved the top off an Echo Dot, and the price is appropriately shaved as well. It’s $10 less expensive than the Echo Dot, landing at $40 … a pop. The front-facing speaker is directional, so maybe don’t expect it to fill a room. But Amazon still says it has “full” sound. It also has support for Amazon’s Eero mesh router network built in, with an Echo Pop able to extend a network up to another 1,000 square feet. The Echo Pop is available in Lavender Bloom, Midnight Teal, Charcoal, and Glacier White.
The Echo Show 5 has been around for a bit but is redesigned for 2023. It still has a screen and camera, but it’s now 20% faster and has a new speaker system that Amazon says has double the bass. The microphone array has been re-engineered and, like the Echo Pop, is powered by the Az2 Neural Edge processor. Also like the Pop, it supports the Matter networking standard. The new Echo Show 5 retails for $90.
In the same vein is the new Echo Show 5 Kids. It costs $10 more than the regular Echo Show but has a more kid-friendly design with a snazzy space theme, built-in parental controls, and a free year of the Amazon Kids+ subscription service. The Echo Show 5 Kids is available in the U.S., Germany, and the U.K.
Speaking of international products, Amazon Echo Auto — which brings the power of Alexa into a car that might not otherwise have other smart infotainment available — is now available in eight additional countries. They are Australia, Canada, the U.K., Germany, France, Italy, Spain, and Japan. It still comes with an adhesive mount and a slim design.
