Amazon has recently launched four new devices in the Echo line, including the Echo Pop, Echo Show 5 (3rd gen), a redesigned Echo Show 5 Kids, and Echo Buds (3rd gen). These new devices are smarter and more powerful than their predecessors, and they come with a range of new features that make them more useful and convenient than ever before.
The Echo Pop features a new semi-sphere form factor and comes in Lavender Bloom and Midnight Teal colors. It is designed for small spaces like bedrooms, dorm rooms, bathrooms, and such. It gets a front-facing speaker and Amazon’s AZ2 Neural Edge processor that debuted with the pricier wall-mounted Echo Show 15. The chip uses machine learning to process speech much faster than the last-gen AZ1 processor that powered many great Alexa speakers like the Echo Show 10. It’s also capable of facial recognition, but the Echo Pop doesn’t have a camera or display to take advantage of that.
The new Echo Show 5 pretty much resembles its 2021 predecessor. However, Amazon has made some valuable upgrades under the hood. The company says the smart display is now 20% faster than its previous generation and doubles the bass to provide better sound overall. It also now features the AZ2 chip. Considering the Echo Show 5 didn’t even have the AZ1 on board, the upgrade should result in speedier Alexa interactions on the 3rd gen device.
The latest Echo Show 5 Kids comes with a new space-themed design and has the same features as the previous model. That means Alexa will have more kid-friendly responses, tell jokes, help with homework, filter out explicit lyrics from music, and more. The device also features the same parental controls and comes with one year of free Amazon Kids Plus subscription.
The new Echo Buds get a semi-in-ear design and each wireless earbud features a 12mm dynamic driver that Amazon claims delivers rich sound and balanced bass. There are two microphones and a “voice detection accelerometer” on each bud to distinguish between the person speaking on a call versus others around. The new Echo Buds also offer multipoint Bluetooth pairing to switch seamlessly between two devices — a feature absent from the previous generation. Amazon says the latest Echo Buds are capable of up to five hours of music playback on a single charge, extendable to 20 hours with a fully-powered case.
The Echo Show 5, with its redesigned speaker system, costs $89.99, while the Echo Show 5 Kids comes in at $99.99. The latter will only be available in the United States, United Kingdom, and Germany. The Echo Pop is the most affordable smart speaker of the lot at $39.99. The new Echo Buds will cost you $49.99.
Sources: Android Authority
