Amazon has announced that it's launching a new-look smart speaker called the Echo Pop, along with a new version of the Echo Show 5 smart screen, plus an Echo Show 5 Kids version for the first time.
The Echo Pop is the most interesting new device, launching at $40 / £45 / AU$79, with a "semi-sphere form factor", as Amazon describes it. It looks like someone chopped the Echo Dot (5th Gen) in half, basically – and gave it some funky colors. I like the look of it a lot, and if Amazon's promise of "full sound" from its custom front-facing speaker is delivered on, it could be the ideal mini speaker.
It has Amazon's AZ2 speech processor inside, which means it can handle some Alexa requests without having to contact the cloud, and works with the Matter smart home system for easy home control.
Amazon hasn't explicitly said that the Echo Pop replaces the Echo Dot but it effectively will. It's a little cheaper, it's cooler looking, it seems like it might be better sounding – who won't just go for this one?
Meanwhile, the new Echo Show 5 has a redesigned speaker system that promises "double" the bass, as well as clearer sound overall, though that seems to be the only change from the previous version based on what Amazon has told us so far. It's priced at $90 / £90 (around AU$162; Australian availability TBC).
The Echo Show 5 Kids ($100 / £100, around AU$190) is a new device. Much like the Echo Dot Kids, it costs a little more, but comes with a load of kid-friendly features.
These include audiobooks, automatic lyric filtering in music, and – new to the screened version – unique home screen customization options that kids will probably enjoy more than the simpler options of the standard Echo Show 5. It also comes with a special two-year warranty, where if a kid breaks it, Amazon says it will replace it no hassle.
We'll bring you reviews of all of these as soon as we can, to see how they rank among the best smart speakers and best smart displays. Knowing Amazon, it'll probably be pretty high.
These devices are all available to pre-order from today (May 17), and Amazon says they'll be released later in May.
Amazon also announced that its latest-gen Echo Auto is now available in Australia for AU$99 and is coming to the UK imminently, having previously launched in the US in 2022.
