Among many iterative updates, some of Amazon’s new devices include the Echo Hub and Fire TV Soundbar. | Image: Amazon
During Amazon’s fall hardware event, the company announced a batch of new smart home devices across its Echo, Fire, Eero, and Blink lines. While some of these Amazon product announcements have led to a deluge of Alexa-infused smart home tech, this year’s event was slightly more subdued, with a lot of time dedicated to Amazon’s new large language model developments. But Amazon still found the time to unveil a bunch of new devices, including a third-gen Echo Show 8, a smart home controller, a pair of kid-friendly tablets, Fire TV Sticks, a Fire TV Soundbar, and more.
Some of these devices are coming as soon as October (with one exception that’s already in stock today). And while we’ll have to review them to see just how well they perform, here’s what you need to know about these new devices and how to get them if you’re already living that Alexa life and primed to be an early adopter.
How to preorder the third-gen Echo Show 8
First up, Amazon introduced a new Echo Show 8. The homescreen can now change based on how close you are to it, and Alexa should respond to requests much faster. It also comes with audio quality improvements, including support for spatial audio and room adaptation software. Other updates include a centered 13-megapixel camera and new tech that should minimize background noises while on video calls. The new Echo Show 8 will ship on October 25th, but you can preorder it now for $149.99 at Amazon.
Amazon also announced the Echo Show 8 Photos Edition, which primarily shows your personal photos and videos on the homescreen. It also comes with an extra 25GB of storage and a six-month subscription to Amazon’s new PhotosPlus, which allows you to share photos with other Echo Show or Fire TV owners. You can preorder it for $159.99, and it will be released sometime this fall.
How to preorder the Echo Hub
The new Echo Hub is a customizable, eight-inch touchscreen that mounts to your wall. The Alexa-powered gadget offers easy access to all of your smart controls, so you can quickly turn on lights, adjust the volume of your Echo smart speaker, or view multiple camera feeds. The device is also compatible with Matter and Thread. It’ll be available later this year for $179.99 at Amazon, where you can currently submit your email address to be notified of its availability.
How to preorder the Echo Pop Kids Edition
The new Echo Pop Kids is a kid-friendly version of the Echo Pop that comes with either a Marvel or Disney design. It also comes with six months of Amazon Kids Plus, which includes access to thousands of kid-friendly audiobooks, jokes, homework help, and more. You can preorder the smart speaker for $49.99 today ahead of its October 25th release date.
How to preorder the Fire HD 10 Kids and Kids Pro tablets
Amazon also released new versions of the kid-friendly Fire HD 10 tablets. The Fire HD 10 Kids is geared toward kids ages three to seven, while the Fire HD 10 Kids Pro is for children ages six to 12 — with both fetching a price of $189.99.
The 10.1-inch tablets are lighter and faster than their predecessor, with a 1080p Full HD display and three gigabytes of RAM. Amazon also claims they offer a maximum of 13 hours of battery life. Starting today, you can preorder both the Fire HD 10 Kids and the Fire HD 10 Kids Pro at Amazon, both of which are expected to arrive on October 18th and include a year of Amazon Kids Plus membership.
The Echo Frames and Carrera Smart Glasses are Amazon’s latest attempt at a stylish pair of audio glasses. They come in seven new styles, and according to Amazon, they offer a more balanced sound profile as well as better battery life. The glasses also come with support for multipoint pairing. The Echo Frames and Carrera Smart Glasses start at $269.99, and you can already sign up to get a notification when preorders go live.
Amazon also updated its streaming device lineup. The new Fire TV Stick 4K should be faster and more powerful than its predecessor, with support for Wi-Fi 6 and 4K Ultra HD streaming. The Fire TV Stick 4K sells for $49.99 and is available for preorder at Amazon ahead of its launch on September 27th.
Amazon also announced the new Fire TV Stick 4K Max, which it calls its most powerful Fire TV stick yet. Along with Wi-Fi 6E and twice the storage of the Fire TV 4K Stick, the streaming stick also supports Dolby Vision, HDR, and HDR10 Plus. It also now comes with the same “ambient experience” feature found in the Fire TV televisions, which means your screen will be able to display artwork and widgets. The Fire TV 4K Max will start shipping on September 27th for $59.99 and is available for preorder now at Amazon.
Along with its new streaming sticks, Amazon also introduced the Fire TV Soundbar, which is compatible with a wide array of TVs via eARC / ARC-compatible HDMI ports. It also supports Bluetooth and likely offers better audio than most built-in TV speakers (which is, frankly, a low bar to clear). The Fire TV Soundbar is already available at Amazon, where you can pick it up for $119.99.
The new Eero Max 7 is Amazon’s first Eero router to support Wi-Fi 7. According to Amazon, it can deliver speeds up to 4.3 Gbps and cover 2,500 square feet per router. It also comes with two 10GB ethernet ports and two 2.5GB ethernet ports, as well as built-in Matter support. The Eero Max 7 will start at $599.99 and be available in one-, two-, and three-packs. It’s not available for preorder yet; however, like with the Echo Frames, you can sign up from the product listing to receive an email when it is.
The new Ring Stick Up Cam Pro comes with radar sensors that’ll allow the security camera to watch for motion in specific areas of your choice. It should also feature improved audio and echo cancellation thanks to two array microphones. The Ring Stick Up Cam Pro will ship on October 18th but is available to preorder today at Amazon for $179.99 or with an add-on solar panel for $209.99.
How to preorder the new Blink Outdoor 4 Floodlight Camera and its various accessories
Amazon announced a handful of new Blink security devices to complement its recently launched fourth-gen Outdoor cameras. There’s a new $159.98 Outdoor 4 Floodlight Camera, a $29.99 Battery Extension Pack to increase fourth-gen camera battery life to four years, and a $49.99 Sync Module Pro for extending the camera range beyond Wi-Fi. The floodlight cam and battery pack are due out on October 17th, while the Sync Module Pro is coming later this year, with an option to be notified via email on its Amazon page.
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