Why You Can Trust CNET Amazon Echo Studio and 2 other new Echo speakers join the Alexa smart speaker lineup
Meet the new $200 Amazon Echo Studio with 3D Dolby Atmos audio and the next-gen $100 Amazon Echo.
Meet the new Amazon Echo Studio speaker, available for preorder today for $200.
Amazon announced a $200 (£190) Echo Studio speaker at its annual press event on Wednesday, as well as an all-new $100 (£90) Amazon Echo. The Echo Studio, available for preorder today, is the first smart speaker with 3D audio via Dolby Atmos and will have hundreds of songs available on Amazon Music HD this year, with more to come in 2020. It has three midrange speakers on the left, right and top.
More: Amazon Echo Studio vs. Apple HomePod vs. Google Home Max | The best smart speakers for 2019
Amazon has up till now largely avoided introducing a premium-tier version of the Echo to compete directly with the Google Home Max and Apple HomePod. David Limp, Amazon's devices chief, said in June 2017 that audiophiles prefer choice when it comes to more expensive speakers, and Amazon already offers that selection on its website.
Rumors of a higher-end Echo have persisted for years, however. Added to that, Amazon has a penchant for diving into its partners' businesses, increasing the chances that such a device could finally arrive.
The rollout of such a device could have a big impact on Sonos, Bose and other higher-end speaker manufacturers who already use Alexa in their devices and rely on Amazon for sales.
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The new Amazon Echo, also available for preorder today, and it ships to customers on October 16th. It will come has a new fabric design, including a twilight blue shade, and 3-inch woofers.
There were a ton of other announcements Wednesday, too. We saw a new $60 Echo Dot (£60) with an integrated digital clock, a $130 Echo Show 8 (£120), the $30 Echo Glow light, the $99 Eero (£99) and much more.
Last year, Amazon announced a bunch of new products at its annual event, from the next-gen Amazon Echo Dot and the Amazon Echo Wall Clock to the Amazon Echo Auto and the AmazonBasics Microwave.
Amazon released the Amazon Echo Show 5 smart display this summer amid reports that Amazon hires people to sometimes listen in on private Alexa conversations.
Read more: Every new Alexa feature Amazon announced at the September event | Amazon event 2019: Echo Studio, Alexa updates and everything announced so far
The article was originally published on Sept. 25. It has since been updated.
