Echo Dot Max, Echo Studio, Echo Show 8 and Show 11 debut with Alexa+

The Echo smart speaker lineup just got its biggest glow-up in years. At a flagship event, four new smart speakers including Echo Dot Max, Echo Studio, Echo Show 8, and Echo Show 11 were unveiled, all powered by the brand-new Alexa+ AI assistant. And this isn’t just another incremental refresh. They provide more processing muscle, sharper conversational skills, and sound that actually fills a room.

And because Amazon loves a two-for-one surprise, the new Echos were announced alongside the latest Kindle, cementing the brand’s push into AI-everywhere living. Here’s everything you need to know about the new Echo smart speakers lineup.

Meet the new Echo family

The new Echo portfolio is built to feel faster, smarter, and more aware of its surroundings. Each device ships with more memory, stronger processors, and Alexa+ baked in.

First up, the Echo Dot Max is a small, yet mighty smart speaker tuned for voice clarity even in chaotic spaces. Then there’s the Echo Studio, which is more of a big-room speaker with a chip powerful enough to handle AI workloads and advanced audio tuning. Then there’s the Echo Show 8 and Show 11 with immersive smart displays, upgraded sensors and AI smarts.

All four run on the new AZ3 series chips. The Dot Max carries the AZ3, optimised for lightning-fast wake-word detection with 50 per cent better accuracy in noisy rooms. The Studio and Show models pack the AZ3 Pro, a beefier chip designed to run AI models and even vision transformers; the kind of tech you’d expect in high-end research labs, not a speaker in your kitchen.

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The star of the show is Alexa+, the AI assistant reimagined for a post-ChatGPT world. Forget stiff commands, Alexa+ is built for natural conversation, multi-layered queries, and smarter context handling.

Going deeper, The Echo Show 8 and 11 are more than smart screens, they’re loaded with Omnisense, a new sensor platform. With a 13MP camera, audio and ultrasound sensing, Wi-Fi and radar integration, plus accelerometer data, your Echo can literally see, hear, and feel what’s happening around it.

That means Alexa can respond not just to your words, but to your environment, whether that’s dimming lights when the room goes dark or adjusting playback when it senses you’ve walked away.

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These devices are meant to double as household hubs too. They juggle shopping lists, family calendars, and video calls. Pair a few Echo speakers with a Fire TV Stick and suddenly you’ve got a surround-sound home theatre that rivals mid-tier soundbars. It’s Alexa-driven orchestration with a bit of AI flair.

Echo lineup: Price and availability

The Echo Dot Max is priced at $99.99 (approx. Rs 8,860), the Echo Studio will set you back by $219.99 (around Rs 19,500), and the Echo Show 8 and Show 11 cost $179.99 (around Rs 15,900) and $219.99 (approx. Rs 19,500) respectively.

The Dot Max and Studio hit US shelves on October 29, while the Show 8 and 11 arrive on November 11. Indian availability remains a mystery but expect an update on Unboxed by Croma the moment they land.