Amazon News: Company Debuts New Echo Devices, Including AirPod Competitors

Amazon held its annual hardware event Wednesday in Seattle, unveiling new additions to its line of Echo-branded audio products among other things.

Perhaps the biggest new product shown by Amazon was the Echo Buds, a pair of $129 true wireless earbuds meant to compete with the market-leading Apple AirPods. The buds feature a five-hour battery life, Alexa support, and noise-canceling capabilities from Bose.

New models in the company’s Echo line of home speakers were shown. The biggest addition to the line was the $199 high-end Echo Studio, which is larger than their predecessors and features high-quality, 3D sound with Dolby Atmos capability. The standard $99 Echo speakers will receive an update with better speakers and new color options. Also, a new version of the budget-friendly $59 Echo Dot will feature a clock display beneath the device’s fabric casing.

A new speaker aimed at kids called the Echo Glow will retail for $30 and feature a bright orb-component that will cycle through a number of colors when tapped. The $25 Echo Flex was also introduced and acts as a way to extend Echo functionality across multiple rooms, looking similar to a night-light in the way the whole device plugs into a wall socket. The Flex will also feature a USB port for phone charging.

Other products introduced included the first major update to Eero’s wireless router since the company was acquired by Amazon earlier in the year. It will include new technology that will allow for whole-home coverage and range in price from $99 for one device and $249.99 for a three-pack.

Amazon Sidewalk will utilize the 90mHz band to let users control their home devices at longer range than Bluetooth or Wi-Fi currently manage.