Amazon launches Alexa-powered Echo Spot with new display design

The Amazon Echo Spot 2024 launched on Monday, ahead of the company’s annual Prime Day sale in the US, which begins on July 16. The new bedside smart speaker arrives seven years after its predecessor and marks several design and feature upgrades. The tech giant has ditched the camera that was present on the 2017 model, and the Alexa-powered device now only has a touchscreen display and speakers. The new Echo Spot also has a hemispherical display, as opposed to the circular display on the older-generation device.

Amazon Echo Spot 2024 launched

The Amazon Echo Spot 2024 price has been set at $79.99 (approximately Rs. 6,680). In comparison, the 2017 device was priced at $149.99 (approximately Rs. 12,500). The company further said that Amazon Prime members can buy it for $44.99 (approximately Rs. 3,750) during the US Prime Day sale. The device comes in Black, Glacier White, and Ocean Blue color options. The device will be available in select markets. Currently, the company has not shared any plans to launch it in India.

According to the company, the new Echo Spot has received a hardware upgrade across the entire device. The company also claimed that it has a better display and better audio quality. Unlike the circular display of its predecessor, the new device’s display only covers the top half of the device, with the 1.73-inch front-firing speaker taking up the bottom half.

The 2.83-inch touchscreen display with a resolution of 240×320 pixels comes with a customizable alarm clock, weather widget, interface to view song titles and more. The clock can be customized in six color options, including blue, lime, magenta, orange, teal and violet. Users can also mix and match the colors to create unique designs.

The Amazon Echo Spot 2024 has a physical button to turn the microphone on and off. There are also physical buttons for volume control. The device is powered by Alexa, so users can ask the voice assistant questions and give it commands as usual. The company has also added 10 different response animations that can be triggered with specific prompts such as “Alexa, hello,” “Alexa, tell me a joke,” and “Alexa, thank you.”

Additionally, Alexa can perform multiple actions, such as controlling compatible smart home devices, receiving audio drop-ins from other Alexa devices, and displaying notifications from compatible smart doorbells.