The Amazon Echo has had a makeover and then some

The Amazon Echo looks like a Pringles can. Occasionally a slightly squashed Pringles can, but a Pringles can all the same. When a new Echo comes around, we know what to expect. At least we did. Among its 2020 onslaught of new Alexa-enthused devices, Amazon has completely redesigned its original smart speaker. Goodbye trusty talking Pringles can, hello sphere. The famous blue ring now illuminates below the device when you wake Alexa, and automatically adapts its sound output according to your room. That sound will apparently be much better than ever before too. Perhaps the most interesting addition to the new 2020 Echo is Amazon’s AZ1 Neural Edge processor, a machine learning engine that can process speech much faster, so you’ll get speedier responses to your questions. Also a Zigbee smart home hub, the new Echo will cost £89.99 and is coming soon.

Matt Tate Contributor

About

I'm fascinated by all things tech, but if you were going to leave me on a desert island, I'd probably ask for my Nintendo Switch, a drone, and a pair of noise-cancelling cans to block out the relentless seagull racket. When I'm not on Stuff duty you'll probably find me subscribing to too many podcasts, playing too many video games, or telling anyone who will listen that Spurs are going to win a trophy this season.

Areas of expertise

Video games, VR, smartwatches, headphones, smart speakers, bizarre Kickstarter campaigns