Amazon Unveils Redesigned Echo Show 8 and Echo Show 11 with AI‑Enhanced Alexa+
Key Points
- Amazon introduced redesigned Echo Show 8 and Echo Show 11 at a private event in New York City.
- Both devices feature 13‑megapixel cameras, custom silicon, advanced sensors, and improved microphones.
- The new models are built around Alexa+, an AI‑enhanced voice assistant that remembers prior interactions.
- Alexa+ is free for Prime members and available for a monthly fee to non‑Prime users.
- The redesign aims to blend the displays into home environments while delivering superior audio and visual performance.
- These updates expand the Echo Show lineup, positioning the 8‑inch and 11‑inch models as central smart‑home hubs.
Amazon announced a revamped Echo Show 8 and Echo Show 11 at an invite‑only Devices and Services event in New York City. The new smart displays feature custom silicon, advanced sensors, improved microphones, and 13‑megapixel cameras, and are built around the AI‑enhanced Alexa+ service. Alexa+ offers more conversational interactions and memory of prior chats, and is available free to Prime members or for a monthly fee for non‑Prime users. The redesign aims to blend the devices into home environments while delivering higher‑quality audio and visual experiences.
New Hardware and Design
At a private Devices and Services gathering in New York City, Amazon introduced updated versions of its Echo Show line, specifically the Echo Show 8 and Echo Show 11. Both models receive a fresh aesthetic that allows the screen to blend into background settings. Underlying the display, the base houses a speaker designed to project sound outward and around the device, improving room‑filling audio. Each unit now includes a 13‑megapixel camera, which Amazon touts as the most capable camera ever placed on an Echo Show. Custom silicon, advanced sensors, and upgraded microphones enhance noise‑cancellation and overall performance, positioning the devices as the most powerful Echo offerings to date.
AI‑Powered Alexa+
The redesign is closely tied to Alexa+, Amazon’s AI‑enhanced iteration of its voice assistant. Alexa+ promises more natural, conversational interactions by retaining memory of previous chats, allowing for contextualized responses and multi‑step task handling. The service is currently free for Amazon Prime members, while non‑Prime users can access it for a monthly subscription fee. Amazon frames Alexa+ as a key differentiator for the new Echo Show models, aiming to deliver a smarter, more intuitive user experience.
Context Within the Echo Show Lineup
Before this announcement, the Echo Show portfolio consisted of four primary sizes: the compact Echo Show 5, the mid‑size Echo Show 8, the larger Echo Show 15, and the premium Echo Show 21. The newer 8‑inch and 11‑inch displays replace the previous iterations of the Echo Show 8, which last saw an update in 2023, and expand the lineup with a size that sits between the existing mid‑range and larger models. The larger Show 15 and Show 21 remain wall‑mountable options that double as family planners and small televisions. Amazon’s latest additions are intended to serve as central smart‑home hubs, offering improved visual and auditory capabilities for everyday tasks.
Broader Device Ecosystem
During the same event, Amazon also previewed upcoming Ring and Blink security devices, new Fire TV models, streaming sticks, and Kindle Scribe updates. While the focus of this story is on the Echo Show redesign, the broader product reveal underscores Amazon’s ongoing commitment to expanding its smart‑home and entertainment ecosystem.