Amazon Echo smart speakers have always been a great way to interact with smart home devices. But Amazon has just unveiled a device built just for smart home control.
Echo Hub: Purpose-Built for Smart Home Control
Announced at a media event, the Echo Hub is designed to be the center of an Amazon-powered smart home.
Featuring an 8-inch touchscreen, it can be placed almost anywhere. It can be wall-mounted or placed on a counter with an accessory. Along with Alexa commands, you can group, manage, and view smart home devices and even run an Alexa Routine that chains multiple actions together. It will also show home security camera needs and can arm a Ring security system.
When it’s not being used, the Hub will become an ambient display with photos or information like the time and weather. It supports a number of smart home protocols, including Matter and Thread. You can connect the Hub to the internet with Wi-Fi or a compatible Power-Over-Ethernet converter. There is no camera.
The Echo Hub will retail for $179.99 and arrive later this year. In 2024, the Hub will also be able to use the recently announced Alexa Map View. That will allow you to create a visual map of your home and smart devices.
Most other smart home controllers are much more expensive and difficult to use with outdated software. But the Echo Hub seems to be a perfect choice for anyone wanting better control of their smart home.
A New Echo Show 8: Faster and Adaptive Content
Amazon also unveiled a new Echo Show 8. Along with a new design offering edge-to-edge glass and softer curves, there are also significant upgrades inside.
A new processor provides 40 percent faster responses to some Alexa requests. The speaker will also provide spatial audio and will analyze and adapt the acoustics of your room for the best possible sound.
It will also feature Adaptive Content. That will change the on-screen content based on your proximity to the screen. The Echo Show 8 is $149.99. You can pre-order it now with shipments landing on October 25, 2023. It’s available in charcoal or white.
More New Echo Devices
And that was far from all announced at the event. The Echo Pop Kids Edition is available to pre-order now for $49.99. You can choose from a Marvel or Disney Princess theme. A six-month Amazon Kids+ subscription is provided with purchase. Internally, it's identical to the Echo Pop that was unveiled earlier in 2023.
A new generation of Echo Frames will offer five styles including sunglasses, prescription-ready, or blue light lens options. The frames are lighter and 15 percent slimmer. Improved battery life provides up to six hours of media playback or talk time on a full charge. Revamped audio architecture and speakers offer more than three times the bass of the previous generation. The Frames will start at $269.99.
Making a Better Smart Home
A big part of a smart home is being able to simply control all of your devices. Thanks to a competitive price and great feature set, the Amazon Echo Hub has a great chance to bring easier and streamlined smart home control to more users.