Amazon Echo Studio gets a camera; Echo Dot adds smart home hub
Amazon announced an Echo Studio with a built-in camera at $249.99, plus a new Echo Dot with a Zigbee, Matter and Thread hub at $99.99.
The facts
- According to The Verge, the Echo Studio with Home Camera costs $249.99. It can monitor a room while you're away and show things to Alexa. Video calls on Fire TV devices are promised soon.
- Amazon says new audio features tune sound to the room continuously and adjust volume as you move around it. The standard Echo Studio stays at $219.99.
- The updated Echo Dot uses Amazon's AZ3 chip and has a fourth microphone. It has a built-in hub supporting Zigbee, Matter and Thread.
- The Dot also has an Eero Wi-Fi extender that Amazon says adds up to 1,000 square feet of coverage. It costs $99.99 and is available from today.
Case notes · Danny's take
Why it matters
A speaker with a camera is no longer just a speaker. It's a sensor in your living room that you've invited in. Amazon is also putting the smart home hub inside its cheapest everyday device, which means fewer separate boxes and more of your home running through one company's ecosystem. Convenience and control sit on the same shelf. Know which one you're paying for.
For builders
Matter, Thread and Zigbee support in a $99.99 device lowers the barrier to building for connected homes. If you make smart home products or Alexa integrations, check how your devices behave on a hub that is now this widely available. Camera-equipped speakers also raise the bar on privacy design.
Not financial advice. Do your own investigation.
This story was summarised with AI from The Verge's reporting and checked against our editorial policy. Danny's take reflects his views. Disclaimer.
Danny Walter
Founder of Moon Republic, Volt Terminal and Moon Republic Academy. Author of The Market Is a Crime Scene and After the Applause.