Amazon's Echo Dot Max and Echo Studio speakers are now available (they were announced in September). I went hands-on with both models to find which one offers the best performance for the money.
The new Studio, which costs $210, boasts "premium audio," including Dolby Atmos capability and comes in a spherical design. Amazon says it's reduced the size of the Echo Studio by 40%, but this is a little disingenuous. The new speaker is the same size as the existing Echo (about 5.5 inches in diameter). All the company has really done is rename that product's follow-up.
Meanwhile, the Echo Dot Max, priced at $100, is a 4-inch-diameter speaker with an improved microphone array. Amazon says the speaker can now detect the chosen wake-word up to 50% better. It lacks Dolby Atmos, though.
Amazon Echo Studio (left) and Echo Max Ty Pendlebury/CNET
The larger Studio speaker uses the new AZ3 Pro chips, while the Dot Max uses the AZ3, which enables the new "AI Accelerator" for compatibility with future AI models. The new range is designed to be used with Alexa Plus, the company's AI upgrade to Alexa.
Apart from the size difference, the two speakers appear identical, with their "Death Star" appearance and controls at the center. Both have 3D knitted covers, which are supposed to improve sound.
When Amazon first introduced the Echo 10 years ago, it was in the shape of a Pringles can and, frankly, sounded like one as well. The most recent Amazon Echo was the company's first compact speaker that really impressed me. It's no accident that it's called the Studio, as it does inherit some of its DNA -- namely, TV connectivity and Dolby Atmos support.
Do we really need Generative AI in our smart speakers?
Amazon Echo Studio ($220) Ty Pendlebury/CNET
Alexa Plus is a large language model upgrade on the original Alexa, and can now potentially do the kinds of things you can ask ChatGPT for. You can ask it to write a poem, for instance. So I did -- it was all about emotional intelligence (randomly), and it rhymed. But is that good?
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