At the hardware event in New York, Amazon unveiled the new Echo Show 8 and the Echo Show 11 smart displays. These feature the new and improved Alexa+, which is powered by generative artificial intelligence, and a custom AZ3 Pro silicon with AI Accelerator. There’s a new 13MP camera on the new Amazon Echo Show devices, which is said to be the best ever on an Echo Show. More importantly, the new Echo Show devices bring a new design.
Amazon’s new Echo Show 8 and Show 11 bring a brand-new design
The Echo Show 8 and Echo Show 11 feature a custom silicon, the AZ3 Pro, with an AI accelerator, advanced sensors, and improved microphones for better noise cancellation. Wi-Fi radar will enable context-aware Alexa+ interactions. It can recognize when you walk up to the display, triggering the AI to greet you and display relevant information.
Besides the hardware improvements, the new Echo devices bring a completely new design, with a speaker module at the bottom and a floating screen on the top. The devices combine in-cell and negative liquid crystal screens for a better viewing experience. These maximize the viewing angles, enabling you to view them from anywhere in the room. The Echo Show 8 and Show 11 have 13MP cameras, which apparently are the best cameras on an Echo Show.
There are software additions, like a new media control center that puts “all your entertainment options at your fingertips.” This offers better access to music, ambient sounds, podcasts, and books in dedicated pages. The Echo Show devices include a built-in smart home hub with support for Zigbee, Matter, and Thread to control various compatible smart home devices.
The Echo Show 8 and Show 11 feature a new audio architecture
There are new color-coded calendars for family scheduling, while Alexa helps manage scheduling conflicts. Alexa will also help organize your to-do lists by assigning tasks to different family members. The new Alexa+ shopping widget lets you keep track of your Amazon shopping and Fresh shopping activities in one place. You can also view detailed production information right from your Echo Show home screen. Alexa+ can also help you pick the perfect gift across Amazon’s vast catalog for your loved ones.
For health and wellness, there’s Oura integration, where Alexa can provide personalized suggestions for a quick workout. Amazon notes it’ll bring support for Withings and Wyze to expand the health metrics. The Alexa+ AI assistant is now more conversational, where it retains your memories of your chats for more contextualized responses.
The new Echo Show 8 and Echo Show 11 feature a new audio architecture. Both feature new front-facing stereo speakers and a custom woofer for room-filling spatial audio.
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