Introducing the Next Generation of Echo: the all-new Amazon Echo and Echo Plus

All-new Echo brings all the features you love about Alexa, now with a new design, improved sound with Dolby processing, and a lower price—just £89.99

Echo Plus has a built-in smart home hub to easily connect your smart devices—set up and start controlling lights, plugs, and more in minutes—just £139.99, with a Philips Hue smart lightbulb included while supplies last

Routines let you control multiple devices and actions with a single voice command—for example, simply say, "Alexa, good morning," and Alexa will turn on the lights, start your coffee maker, and read the day's forecast

Now, call anyone with Alexa—Alexa calling and messaging rolling out in the UK, plus the all-new Echo Connect brings the convenience of hands-free inbound and outbound calling to your home phone

Luxembourg—27th September, 2017—A year ago, Amazon introduced Echo and Alexa in the UK, offering a new way to interact with technology using just your voice. Today, Amazon introduced the next generation of Echo: the all-new Echo with a new design and improved sound for just £89.99, and Echo Plus with a built-in smart home hub for just £139.99. 

"We introduced the first Echo, powered by Alexa, with a goal to fundamentally simplify and improve the way customers interact with their homes," said Tom Taylor, Senior Vice President, Amazon Alexa. "Today, Alexa can call people, play music in every room, turn on your lights, and even order you a pizza. But it's still day one, and today we're making Echo and Alexa even better. The all-new Echo and Echo Plus deliver better sound, all new far-field technology, and new features we think customers will love."

All-New Echo—Now with a New Design and Improved Sound to Fit in Every Room—Just £89.99
New design 
With an all-new compact design, Echo fits easily into any room in your home while delivering next generation far-field performance and improved room-filling sound. Pick from a variety of shell colours and finishes to fit into your home's décor—choices include Charcoal Fabric, Sandstone Fabric, Heather Grey Fabric, Oak Finish, Walnut Finish and Silver Finish.

Immersive sound 
Echo combines an all-new speaker architecture, a dedicated tweeter, a 2.5" downward-firing woofer, and Dolby processing to deliver crisp vocals and dynamic bass throughout the room—all in a smaller design and at an even more affordable price. Alexa can play music from leading services like Amazon Music, Spotify, TuneIn, and more.

Second generation far-field technology 
The new Echo uses Amazon's second generation far-field technology, which features better wake word processing, improved beam-forming technology, and enhanced noise cancellation. The Echo far-field technology works to detect the wake word from across the room even in the noisiest parts of your home.

All-New Echo Plus—Built-In Hub to Easily Set Up and Control Your Smart Home—Just £139.99
Set up your smart home in minutes
With its built-in smart home hub, Echo Plus makes connecting to compatible smart home devices easy. Just say, "Alexa, discover my devices," and Echo Plus will automatically discover and set up compatible lights, plugs, and more without the need for additional hubs or apps. This simple set-up works with a variety of ZigBee products from leading brands such as Philips Hue, Hive and more. To help get your smart home started, customers will receive a Philips Hue smart lightbulb with the purchase of an Echo Plus while supplies last.

More powerful audio and better performance
Echo Plus has enhanced 360-degree omni-directional audio, with Dolby processing, to provide deeper bass and crisper high notes for better audio clarity. You can play music from Amazon Music, Spotify, TuneIn, and more. With Amazon Music, you can search for music by lyrics, time-period, or let Alexa pick the music for you. Like the new Echo, Echo Plus features second generation far-field technology for even better performance.

All-New Alexa features 
Alexa Routines
Routines allow you to automate a series of customisable actions using a single voice command of your choice. For example, say, "Alexa, good night," and Alexa will turn off the lights, lock the door, and turn off the TV. You can also create Routines based on the time of day – for example, you can create a Routine that has Alexa turn on the kitchen lights, start the coffee maker, and read the weather forecast at 6am every weekday and at 9am every Saturday and Sunday.

Routines are compatible with popular Works with Amazon Alexa lights, plugs and switches from leading brands like Philips Hue, TP Link and Wemo, and will be available for all Alexa devices including the all-new Echo, the previous generation Echo, Echo Dot, Echo Show, and Echo Plus starting next month. 

Improved smart home groups 
You no longer need to remember the specific name of a smart device or group of smart devices to control them. You can place your Echo and smart devices into smart home groups, which enables Alexa to act intelligently on your request, making your interactions with your smart home more natural and effortless. For example, when you walk into the kitchen, you can now say to your Echo "Alexa, turn on the lights" rather than "Alexa, turn on the kitchen overhead light."

This feature will be available on the all-new Echo, the previous generation Echo, Echo Dot, Echo Show, and Echo Plus starting next month.

Call anyone with Alexa 
Echo and Echo Plus launch alongside Alexa calling and messaging—a totally new way to be together with your friends and family. Just ask Alexa to call mum, and you'll be connected to her Echo device or Alexa app. You can also enable a new feature called Drop In when you want to connect with your closest family and friends, or other Echo devices in your home. For example, you can drop in to ask what time dinner will be ready, or check in with a close relative. With Drop In, you're always in control—turn it off at any time, select who is allowed to Drop In on you, and choose which devices are available for Drop In.

Alexa calling and messaging is rolling out across the Alexa family in the UK over the coming days, allowing current Alexa users to make calls and send messages to friends and family using Amazon Echo, Echo Dot or the Alexa app.

Amazon also introduced Echo Connect, a new Alexa accessory that turns your Echo into a high quality, hands-free speakerphone for your home phone line. Echo Connect will work with your existing home phone service – either landline or VoIP. Without touching a single button, ask Alexa to call anybody from your contact list – when you call, they will see your home phone number as the caller ID. When someone you know calls your home phone, Alexa will announce their name from your contacts list—just ask Alexa to answer to start the conversation.

Echo Connect is easy to set up—simply connect it to your home Wi-Fi network and home phone jack or VoIP adapter, and use the Alexa app on your mobile phone to set up Echo Connect. Echo Connect will be available in the UK early next year.

Echo Buttons introduce new gaming experience with Alexa
Echo Buttons are new devices that deliver ways for customers to play games with friends and family using Alexa. The buttons illuminate and can be pressed to trigger a variety of multiplayer and interactive game experiences. There will be a catalogue of new Alexa Skills to play with Echo Buttons including Dungeon Escape, Sounds Fun with Mike Epps by Ground Control, and Beat the Intro from Musicplode. Echo Buttons will come in a two-pack, priced at £19.99, and will arrive in the UK in time for Christmas. Echo Buttons are the first of many Alexa Gadgets, a new collection of accessories that enable fun and playful Alexa experiences. Sign up at www.amazon.co.uk/alexagadgets to receive notifications and updates when Echo Buttons are available for purchase.

Pricing and Availability 
The all-new Echo is just £89.99. It is available for pre-order starting today at www.amazon.co.uk/echo and will start shipping next month. Amazon Echo is also available in a two-pack—buy 2, get £25.00 off—or a 3-pack—buy 3, save £50.00.

Echo Plus is just £139.99. It is available for pre-order starting today at www.amazon.co.uk/echoplus and will start shipping next month. To help get your smart home started, customers will receive a Philips Hue smart lightbulb with every purchase of an Echo Plus while supplies last.

The all-new Amazon Echo and Echo Plus will also be available at retailers including Argos, Dixons, John Lewis and Tesco.

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About Amazon 
Amazon is guided by four principles: customer obsession rather than competitor focus, passion for invention, commitment to operational excellence, and long-term thinking. Customer reviews, 1-Click shopping, personalized recommendations, Prime, Fulfillment by Amazon, AWS, Kindle Direct Publishing, Kindle, Fire tablets, Fire TV, Amazon Echo, and Alexa are some of the products and services pioneered by Amazon. For more information, visit www.amazon.co.uk/about and follow @AmazonNews.

The Echo Buttons have not been authorized as required by the rules of the Federal Communications Commission. This device is not, and may not be, offered for sale or lease, or sold or leased, until authorization is obtained.

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