Inside Amazon’s Echo hardware event

Amazon swapped its usual big fall hardware showcase this year for a series of smaller launches throughout October. So far this month, it has announced new Fire TV devices, new Kindles, the Alexa Tablet Pro 12, Ring’s first smart lock, new hardware from AI-wearable startup Bee, and new Blink 4K cameras.

Then this week, it hosted journalists at a small event in New York City’s financial district to showcase its new Echo hardware.

Panos Panay, senior vice president of devices, Alexa, and Leo at Amazon, kicked off proceedings by explaining the company’s approach this year. “We have so many products we’re launching that are meaningful,” he said. “However, we get to this point when we do everything at once; not all your children get enough attention.” This longer rollout allows for more focus on each launch. He also teased two more launches still to come — from Ring and some “Echo on the Go” news — before explaining that today’s focus is “the most important focus we have, which is the home.”

He then spent about 45 minutes introducing five new Echo smart speakers and displays — the Echo Show 16, Echo Time, Alexa Photo Frame, Echo Studio with Home Camera, and a new Echo Dot — with each product sitting on plinths in the warehouse-like space.

He also demoed several new software features for the Echo Show smart displays that will start on the Show 16 and trickle down to existing Show products, including dedicated home screens, an interactive 3D map view for smart home control, and a meal planning feature.

He also announced that they have “opened up Alexa Plus’ brain a little bit more,” unlocking a new layer of understanding in the generative-AI-powered voice assistant. He pointed out that AI in the home is still relatively new, and while it’s everywhere else, from your computer to your phone, the home has been harder to unlock.

Amazon is looking to change this with Alexa’s “new brain” — an updated version of Alexa Plus with new capabilities including the ability to do “deeper research” alongside its usual use cases, such as controlling lights, setting timers, and playing music. To manage these deeper conversations, a new “Card” interface on Show devices collects each chat. Cards also appear in the Alexa app and on Alexa.com, so you can continue chats with the assistant wherever you are.

The event continued in a selection of small rooms designed to feel like home spaces, where product engineers and designers demoed the new devices and explained their features.