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Amazon’s new Echo lineup starts at $99.99. Here’s which one to buy

New Amazon Echo devices: Echo Show 16, Alexa Photo Frame, Echo Dot, Echo Time and Echo Studio side by side

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The new Amazon Echo devices are here. Amazon announced five on Oct. 28, 2026: a new Echo Dot, an Echo Studio with a built-in camera, the Echo Time bedside clock, the Alexa Photo Frame and an all-new Echo Show 16. Prices at launch run from $99.99 to $569.99 before stands, and the Echo Show 16 stand is sold separately. Here is which one fits which room, what each really costs, and who should skip it. Prices here are Amazon’s launch prices, checked on Amazon’s store on Oct. 29, 2026. They can change, so the buttons below show the current price.

The short version

Amazon’s new lineup covers a speaker, a smart speaker with a camera, a bedside clock, a photo frame and a 16-inch screen. Most people only need one of them, and the right pick depends on the room.

  1. The new Echo Dot is $99.99 at launch and adds a smart home hub and a Wi-Fi extender that covers up to 1,000 square feet, Amazon says.
  2. Echo Studio with Home Camera is $249.99, which is $30 more than the regular Echo Studio at $219.99, so you pay $30 for the camera.
  3. Echo Time is a $199.99 bedside clock with no camera that can wake you during lighter sleep, anywhere within 10 to 60 minutes of your set alarm.
  4. Echo Show 16 starts at $499.99, preorders get $100 off, and a stand costs $69.99 or $124.99 extra unless you use the included wall mount.
  5. Certain features on all of them need Alexa+, which Amazon includes with a Prime membership.

The upshot: this is a lineup where the extras add up. A stand, a kids edition or a wood frame each adds $10 to $125 to the price on the box. Decide which room you are buying for first, then add the extras you will actually use.

How we picked

We have not tested these new Amazon Echo devices ourselves yet. This guide is based on Amazon’s Oct. 28 announcement and its product pages, with prices as announced by Amazon on Oct. 28, 2026, and checked on Amazon’s store on Oct. 29. Prices can change, so check the current price before you buy. We will update this page if we get hands-on time.

Best for most people: Echo Dot

New Amazon Echo Dot smart speaker in a light blue finish on a wooden desk
Image: Amazon

Echo Dot · paid link

Best for: a first smart speaker, or a home with smart lights and plugs that need a hub.

Why we picked it: Amazon says this is the first Echo Dot with a built-in smart home hub that supports Zigbee, Matter and Thread, the three main ways smart plugs, bulbs and sensors talk to each other. It also has a built-in eero Wi-Fi extender that Amazon says adds up to 1,000 square feet of coverage. It comes in Graphite, Glacier White, Agave Green and Coral Pink.

The downside: $99.99 is a lot for a small speaker if you only want music and timers. There is no screen, and the optional stand is another $39.99.

Skip if: you already own a recent Echo Dot that plays music and runs your timers fine. The hub and Wi-Fi extender are the reasons to upgrade, not the sound alone.

Good to know: the Amazon Kids Echo Dot is $109.99 and includes a year of Amazon Kids+, which makes it $10 more for the year of kids content.

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Best for music in a living room: Echo Studio with Home Camera

Amazon Echo Studio with Home Camera, a dark round speaker, on a wooden shelf next to books and a lamp
Image: Amazon

Echo Studio with Home Camera · paid link

Best for: people who want Dolby Atmos sound from one speaker and like the idea of checking on a room while they are out.

Why we picked it: Amazon says it keeps the Echo Studio’s Dolby Atmos sound and adds a camera. Through Live View in the Alexa app you can check on the room, for example to see the dog or whether the lights are on. Amazon also says you can hold up a board game box and ask for the rules, or show a cereal box to reorder it.

The downside: it puts a camera in your living room. Amazon says it has a camera status light, a button that turns off the microphones and camera, and camera controls in the Alexa app, but some households will not want one there at all.

Skip if: you only want the sound. The regular Echo Studio is still sold at $219.99, so the camera costs you $30.

Best for the bedroom: Echo Time

Amazon Echo Time smart clock in coral pink on a bedside table next to a sleeping woman
Image: Amazon

Echo Time · paid link

Best for: anyone who wants Alexa by the bed but not a camera.

Why we picked it: it has no camera, and Amazon says its sleep sensing uses ultrasound to read your breathing and how close you are to the clock, so it can wake you during lighter sleep, anywhere within 10 to 60 minutes of your set alarm, with no wearable needed. You can choose from hundreds of clock face designs.

The downside: $199.99 is a lot for a clock, and the matching stand is $39.99 more ($239.98 as a bundle). The smart wake-up only helps if a 10 to 60 minute window works for your mornings.

Skip if: you need to wake at an exact minute every day, or a basic alarm clock and your phone already do the job.

Good to know: the Amazon Kids Echo Time starts at $209.99 with a year of Kids+ included. Amazon says sleep sensing can be turned off in the Alexa app or by muting the microphones.

Best gift for grandparents: Alexa Photo Frame

Amazon Alexa Photo Frame in a wood frame showing a family selfie on a dresser
Image: Amazon

Alexa Photo Frame · paid link

Best for: families who want new photos to show up on a relative’s shelf without anyone touching a cable.

Why we picked it: Amazon says it is the first photo frame with Alexa built in. It syncs with Amazon Photos, picks out well-composed shots and skips screenshots, and lets you ask for photos of a person, pet or trip. The screen is a 10-inch anti-glare touchscreen. It starts at $199.99 in black, or $229.99 in birch or walnut, so real wood costs $30 more.

The downside: your photos need to be in Amazon Photos. If your family’s pictures live in Google Photos or iCloud, someone has to move or upload them first. Some features need Alexa+, which comes with Prime.

Skip if: nobody in the family uses Amazon Photos and nobody wants to start. Amazon listed it in stock on Oct. 29, but check the delivery estimate if it is a gift.

Best kitchen or family screen: Echo Show 16

Amazon Echo Show 16 on a wall showing a smart home dashboard with lights, thermostat and camera feeds
Image: Amazon

Echo Show 16 · paid link

Best for: a busy kitchen or family room where a big screen can run the calendar, the cameras and the smart home.

Why we picked it: Amazon says it has a 16-inch full HD screen, is nearly 40% thinner, has Fire TV built in, and has its widest-angle Echo Show camera with auto-framing. Screen Styles turn it into a family organizer, photo frame or smart home dashboard.

The downside: the stand is sold separately. The standard model is $499.99, and with the $69.99 stand that is $569.98. The $100 preorder discount brings that to $469.98. The Nanomatte glare-reducing version is $569.99 before the stand, and the premium adjustable stand is $124.99. A wall mount comes in the box, so you only need a stand for a countertop. Amazon lists a Dec. 16 release date.

Skip if: you want a screen mainly for recipes and timers. A smaller screen, such as one of the Alexa tablets in our guide below, may be all you need.

Which of the new Amazon Echo devices should you buy?

  • You want one smart speaker for the whole home: Echo Dot.
  • You care most about sound: the regular Echo Studio, unless you want the camera.
  • You want Alexa by the bed: Echo Time.
  • You are buying for parents or grandparents: Alexa Photo Frame, if the family already uses Amazon Photos.
  • You want a family command center: Echo Show 16, and budget for the stand.

If you want a screen that also runs regular apps, our guide to Amazon’s Alexa tablets compares them. A new Echo Dot can extend your Wi-Fi a little, but for a dead zone in a bigger home, our best Wi-Fi routers for home guide is the better fix. Shopping on a tighter budget? See our tech gifts under $50.

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