Amazon is holding an Alexa and Ring event – expect new Echo smart speakers
Amazon has announced it’s hosting an event for its devices, services, and Ring products that’ll take place at 12 PM ET / 5 PM BST on Wednesday, September 28 (2 AM AEST, September 29) – that’s tomorrow at the time of writing.
The event doesn’t come completely out of nowhere. Amazon often hosts a product launch around this time each year with similar announcements occurring in 2020 and 2021. Based on its history we can expect the retail giant to unveil new entries in its best smart speaker line – the Amazon Echo – and from it calling Ring out by name we imagine we’ll see a new best video doorbell or best home security camera enter the scene too.
It may also give us some hints for the kinds of deals we can expect to see in October at its Prime Early Access Sale (read: Prime Day 2) – with the deals event acting as a precursor to its Black Friday 2022 sale. If Amazon announces a new Echo Dot (for example), then we’ll probably see older models get a large discount during the upcoming sale.
So what do we think will get announced?
Expect the expected
Amazon hasn’t explicitly said what it will be showing off, but we can make some educated guesses.
During last year’s Amazon event 2021 we saw its entire Echo Show lineup get a refresh – with the Amazon Echo Show 5 (2nd generation), Amazon Echo Show 8 (2nd Gen), and Amazon Echo Show 15 getting unveiled. Similarly, this year we expect we’ll get new Echo announcements, but for its more traditional smart speakers.
The Amazon Echo (2020) and Amazon Echo Dot (2020) are definitely due new models. These replaced their predecessors after only one year, so some new versions are already a year late, depending on how you want to think about it.
Plus, as we’ve seen before Amazon usually makes some kind of Echo announcement at these events, so a new Echo and Echo Dot make a lot of sense.
Beyond Echo, we’ll also likely get a Ring announcement, what with Amazon specifically mentioning Ring when it described what its September 28 event entails.
Ring has quite a few products that haven't been updated in a while, so we might see lots from the Amazon-owned security company.
And though we haven't heard any information about a Blink launch so far, it's entirely possible that Amazon's other security company will appear with updated products too.
Alternatively, Amazon could surprise us all with an all-new type Echo, Ring or Blink device, but we’ll just have to wait and see. There haven't really been any leaks or hints to clue us in.
One more (whacky) thing...
In addition to its more typical device announcements, Amazon loves to unveil weirder products at these events too.
On the lower end of the scale, we’ll probably see it launch a new whacky case for its Echo smart speakers – to match the Mickey Mouse and Grogu case we already have. Most likely this stand would be compatible with any new Echo devices that Amazon announces, and it’ll probably tie into yet another Disney property – though it could also be inspired by one of the best Prime Video shows like the Rings of Power.
Perhaps we’ll also get an update on Astro, the cute little robot that Amazon wants to act as our home’s assistant and bodyguard, but that disappeared shortly after it was announced.
Following its launch, the only thing we’ve heard was a supposed leaked internal document that warns Astro is dangerous and accident prone – something which Amazon denied in a statement to us. Maybe Amazon will want to take time at this year’s event to remind us about Astro, update us on its development, and assert that the robot isn’t a little menace.
But all of that is just our best guess, to really know what Amazon is announcing be sure to watch out for our live coverage of the event and our reviews when we get a chance to try out the new products for ourselves.
Don't want to wait for a new Amazon smart speaker? Check out our picks for the best Amazon Echo deals that are available right now.
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