We may receive a commission on purchases made from links. Smart speakers often act as the centerpiece of a smart home setup ...

Considering it's been five years since its last smart speaker - the Amazon Echo (2020) - a hardware upgrade is more than overdue, but as Amazon’s 70-minute event went by, nothing was mentioned.

But for $499, you get a multi-use premium speaker that can handle itself underwater ... You can also connect via AirPlay 2 and Amazon Alexa. The Amazon smart assistant performs as well as any ...

While it was difficult for me to suppress my disappointment amidst the excitement of the arrival of Alexa+, it’s clear that Amazon is saving its next-gen Echo smart speaker for another date.