Amazon’s next big Alexa event is imminent, and it’s set to be a major one for all things Echo and smart home. The device-focused event, which will take place on February 26 at 10AM ET in New York City, marks the company’s first Alexa announcement since September 2023. That was when the Echo Pop Kids smart speaker and its second-gen Echo Show 8 were unveiled. This time, Amazon is likely focused on the Alexa voice and could announce a big change for its smart assistant.
While Amazon hasn’t officially revealed what’s in store for its Alexa event, it hasn’t been afraid to drop little hints here and there in the build-up to the next device launch. So far, we can venture a safe guess that the Alexa voice assistant will be the prime focus of the event, which is said to receive a significant AI upgrade, followed by the announcement of a new Echo smart speaker and possible Fire TV updates.
Therefore, we have a solid idea of what we expect next from the tech giant, but as we’ve said, nothing has been set in stone. We won’t know for sure until Amazon makes it official during its event, so you can bet our eyes will be peeled for all the latest announcements during our live blog, which we’ll update regularly throughout the event. Still, before that, these are the announcements we’re expecting to see at tomorrow.
A next-gen Alexa
At Amazon’s last device event in September 2023, the company teased us with a brief look at Alexa AI, an AI-powered version of the voice assistant with ChatGPT-style functions. This could include an advanced ability to interpret context and distinguish natural speech, conducting multiple requests in a single voice command, and a possible monthly subscription fee.
There’s no doubt that Alexa AI will be the star of the show at Amazon’s event. However, as recent leaks have pointed out, the AI revamp may be slightly delayed before access is granted.
We’ve recently reported that an anonymous source informed The Washington Post ($/£) that the AI-revamped Alexa voice had been experiencing inaccuracies when asked questions. As a result, its release date could now be pushed back to March 31, but it will still be announced at Amazon’s Alexa event tomorrow.
New Echo smart speakers
There’s a chance we could see a brand new Echo speaker join Amazon’s seemingly never-ending lineup of smart home devices that make up some of the best smart speakers. The last time the company unveiled a new Alexa speaker was the Amazon Echo 4th Gen in 2020.
Despite skipping its Alexa event last year, Amazon didn’t starve us of some fresh Echo devices in its other smart home device ranges. Most notably, the Echo Show 21, which reigns as its largest Echo device, and its Echo Spot smart alarm speaker both made their debuts.
Given the near five-year time gap since Amazon’s last Echo speaker hardware update, an announcement isn’t completely unrealistic. A new smart speaker would also be handy for pairing with the AI-integrated Alexa voice.
Alexa subscription tiers
As we know, Alexa AI is likely to appear during Amazon’s big Alexa event. However, we believe that the revamped voice assistant will offer limited free use before introducing a monthly subscription fee. Thankfully, though, this will likely not impact the classic Alexa we all know and love.
We’ve been aware that Amazon has been toying with the idea of implementing a fee for its new Alexa voice which could cost you between $5 to $10 a month. Considering that Amazon has fallen behind its AI competitors ChatGPT, Google Gemini, and Apple Intelligence and has yet to ride the AI train, from a business perspective, charging a monthly fee makes sense. However, from a consumer perspective, we’re still not entirely convinced that this will be worth splurging on, given its numerous delays and reported inaccurate responses.
Updates for Fire TV, and maybe a new device
While its Alexa voice assistant will be the main focus, it’s likely that Amazon speak about its Fire TV device range. Amazon’s 2023 device event revealed features for its Fire TV devices, including an improved Alexa voice search function and AI screensavers. Following Amazon’s Android TV update, we believe the company could introduce new Fire TV devices alongside updates to the abovementioned features during its event.
Mentions of new Fire TV hardware were spotted on one of Amazon’s developer pages, stating the following; “Android 14-based Fire TV is based on API level 34. The following sections explain some of [the] important changes that you should consider when you build apps for Android 14-based Fire TV”. This gives a strong indication that new Fire TV devices will be one of the star announcements at tomorrow’s event.
This leak has come at an awfully convenient time with the Alexa event due to happen tomorrow, adding to our suspicions that Amazon could expand its Fire TV line. With the lack of mentions of specific hardware models, we’re unable to pinpoint what exactly this will entail, but we’d expect it to be the announcement of a new smart TV or streaming stick.
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