Amazon
- Amazon announced a new version of its popular Echo smart speaker during an Alexa-focused event on September 25.
- The new Echo will keep the same price at $99 but the new model will have improved sound quality.
- Amazon also introduced a bunch of new features for the Echo's virtual assistant, Alexa.
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The latest version of Amazon's Echo smart speaker improves the device's sound quality without increasing its $99 price tag.
Amazon says the new Echo will share the same audio architecture as the Echo Plus, the premium smart speaker introduced in 2017; that includes a 3-inch subwoofer and enhanced rear volume for more balanced sound. The new Echo will share the same fabric design as the Echo Plus too, and buyers will be able to choose between multiple colors.
Amazon also unveiled new versions of the smaller Echo Dot, and the Echo Studio, the company's most powerful smart speaker to date. To make use of the Echo family's improved audio quality, Amazon Music has been updated to enable HD audio streaming for an additional $5 month.
Read more: Amazon reveals what's next for Alexa and launches new Echo devices at its biggest event of the year
Amazon revealed the new Echo devices during a special event on September 24. Amazon shared details on a bunch of upcoming products and introduced new features for Alexa, the virtual assistant that controls the Echo family of devices.
Alexa will now have more personable expressions that change its tone of voice to match what it's saying, and next month the assistant will be able to activate a multilingual mode that allows it to function in English and Spanish at the same time.
