With compact bodies, powerful sound, state-of-the-art chips under the hood, and Alexa+ experiences out the box, Amazon’s newest smart speakers will probably top a lot of holiday shopping lists this year.
While Apple doesn’t seem to have any intention to release sequels for the second-gen HomePod or the one-and-done HomePod mini anytime soon, and Google’s next Nest smart speaker continues to keep us waiting and speculating for some reason, Amazon is out there doing what it does best.
In addition to preparing one of the fall’s most epic sales events, the e-commerce giant is expanding its already rich and diverse collection of in-house Echo devices.
What do you do if you like the look and size of the ultra-affordable Echo Dot, but want a little extra power? Well, you can make a compromise on the former front and go for a « standard » fourth-gen Echo with a « normal » size or, starting today, you can pre-order the first-of-a-kind Echo Dot Max.
This bad boy is almost as compact as the 2022-released Echo Dot (5th Gen), but it comes with the same « room-filling sound » promise as the aforementioned non-compact Echo. That’s made possible by a « sophisticated » two-way speaker system with a high-excursion woofer in charge of producing « deep bass » and a custom tweeter for « crisp high notes. »
Compared to the latest Echo Dot edition, which normally costs $49.99, the Echo Dot Max claims to improve the bass power threefold, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise that the retail price is also bumped up to $99.99.
That $50 increase doesn’t only cover a massive improvement in audio quality, mind you, as the Echo Dot Max is also « purpose-built for Alexa+ », which essentially means the ambient AI experiences unveiled by Amazon earlier this year will work better on this all-new device than older members of the Echo family.
