Amazon’s Fall Hardware Event: New Echo, Kindle, and Fire TV Devices Announced It’s not officially Techtober yet, but Amazon has kicked off the season of tech announcements with its fall hardware event. The company unveiled a significant refresh of its Echo speaker lineup, new Kindle Scribes, updated Fire TV devices, and fresh options for its Blink and Ring security brands, all with a heavy focus on its new Alexa+ AI. Echo Speakers Get a Major Update After five years, the core Echo lineup is finally getting an update. Amazon introduced the Echo Dot Max and a new, smaller Echo Studio. The Echo Dot Max, priced at $100, promises almost three times the bass of the previous Echo Dot model. It features a two-speaker system for deeper bass and crisper highs. The new Echo Studio, costing $220, is 60 percent smaller than its predecessor but still supports immersive spatial audio and Dolby Atmos. Amazon also announced Alexa Home Theater, a new feature that lets users connect up to five Echo Studio or Echo Dot Max speakers to a compatible Fire TV stick for a surround sound experience. Both new Echo speakers are available for pre-order and will ship on October 29. New Echo Show Smart Displays Amazon also refreshed its Echo Show smart displays with the Echo Show 8 and Echo Show 11. Built for Alexa+, they feature upgraded front-facing stereo speakers and microphones. The cameras have been improved to 13MP, and Alexa can now recognize individual users to show personalized information, such as AI summaries of Ring camera footage. The new models also function as smart home hubs for Zigbee, Matter, and Thread devices. The Echo Show 8 costs $180, and the Echo Show 11 is $220. Pre-orders are open now for a November 12 ship date. Kindle Scribe Goes Color and Gets Bigger In a major move for its e-ink writing tablets, Amazon announced the Kindle Scribe Colorsoft. This device uses Amazon’s custom display technology to bring color to the Scribe lineup without washing out details. Users can write and draw with 10 different pen colors and five highlighter colors. The Kindle Scribe Colorsoft will start at $630 and be available in the US later this year. The standard Kindle Scribe also gets a refresh. The new model has a larger 11-inch display, matching a standard sheet of paper, and is thinner and lighter. Amazon says it is 40 percent faster for page turns and writing. New AI features will allow users to search across their notes and get summaries. Starting in early 2026, users will be able to send notes from their Scribe to Alexa+ for conversation. The new Kindle Scribe starts at $500, with a version without a front light for $430. Updated Fire TV Lineup and New OS For its streaming products, Amazon unveiled the new Fire TV Stick 4K Select for $40. It also introduced new Omni QLED Series TVs that are 60 percent brighter and new 2-Series budget TVs that are 30 percent faster. A key software announcement was the confirmation that Amazon is bringing its Vega operating system to Fire TV devices, starting with the new 4K Select stick in October. This move away from Android-based Fire OS had been widely rumored. New Blink and Ring Cameras with AI The Blink security brand has new cameras, all capable of 2K video. The Blink Outdoor 2K+ is $90, and the Blink Mini 2K+ is $50. A new product, the Blink Arc, uses two Mini 2K+ cameras to create a single, stitched 180-degree view and costs $100. Ring is introducing what it calls Retinal Vision, using AI to optimize image quality, especially in low light. New cameras include the Wired Doorbell Plus with 2K for $180 and several 4K Pro models starting at $200. New AI features are coming, including Alexa+ Greetings, which lets the AI decide how to greet visitors, and Familiar Faces, a facial recognition feature. A feature called Search Party will help neighbors find lost pets by scanning nearby Ring camera footage. Alexa+ Integration Everywhere The push for Alexa+ was a central theme. The new devices support it out of the box, and it is being integrated across Amazon’s ecosystem. On Fire TV, Alexa+ can find specific movie scenes or recommend shows using natural language. On Kindle, new AI features like Story So Far and Ask this Book will provide spoiler-free summaries and answers about book content starting in early 2026. Alexa+ is also expanding to devices from other brands like Bose, Sonos, LG, Samsung, and BMW. For now, Alexa+ remains free for Amazon Prime members. A Surprise Smart Remote Not highlighted during the main event, Amazon also revealed a $20 Smart Dimmer Switch and Remote. This programmable remote can be customized via the Alexa app to control smart devices or trigger routines. It can be used as a handheld remote or mounted on a wall. It is available for pre-order and ships October 30.
