It hasn’t even been a decade since the first Amazon Echo was released, but this Alexa-powered smart speaker line has become popular in homes around the world. As Amazon continues to refine and refocus the Echo, we’re taking a look at the history of the device and how things have changed over the years. Let’s take a trip back in time to see how this smart device has evolved.
The standard Amazon Echo
This Echo is the standard smart speaker first released by Amazon, the flagship model that would define all others and introduce Alexa to the world. It’s also the model that has gone through the most changes.
The first Echo was released in 2014 to select Amazon members, with the company rolling it out to general consumers the following year. According to reports, when Jeff Bezos learned that the key to voice assistants was getting latency down to a more conversational level, he ordered the Alexa team to reduce latency to one second — something that had never been done with voice assistants at that time (the team’s goal had been getting latency to an all-time low of two seconds). Once they reached that goal, the first Echo was ready for the market.
1st Gen: This model sported a bare, cylindrical appearance with the indicator light on top and the speakers on the bottom. It included a seven-piece microphone set to pick up voice commands, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi capabilities, and a 360-degree speaker setup.
2nd Gen: The second-generation Echo, released in 2016, exchanged the bare design for a fabric covering (and more color options), as well as a shorter, thicker cylinder. The 0.6-inch tweeter and 2.5-inch subwoofer offered improved audio.
3rd Gen: In 2019, Amazon introduce the 3rd generation of the Echo, which softened the design with a more rounded profile and again improved the speakers and technology.
4th Gen: Fast on the heels of the 3rd-gen, the Echo 4th-gen was released in 2020 and featured a radically different design. Instead of a fabric-covered cylinder, the Echo was now an orb with the indicator ring at the bottom. All its smart features remained intact, and the company added Zigbee compatibility.
Amazon Echo Plus
The goal of the Echo Plus was to offer a premium version of the Echo with some extra capabilities. Amazon appears to have slowly merged the Echo and Echo Plus together, making this particular line a short-lived one.
1st Gen: The company released the first Echo Plus in 2017. Its design was similar to the original Echo (they are difficult to tell apart at a glance). For this version, the primary benefit was the addition of the Zigbee smart home communication protocol. The Echo Plus also sported a line out to send audio to another speaker and improved drivers for better sound.
2nd Gen: In 2018, the Echo Plus arrived and had the same redesign as the Echo third-gen model. However, Amazon decided that Zigbee and improved drivers were something it could incorporate into the primary Echo line, and the Echo Plus was dropped from circulation.
Amazon Echo Dot
Amazon felt that some users were looking for a smart speaker that was smaller and more portable than the Echo, something that could be used up close. Enter the the Echo Dot, which has all the same Alexa features of the Echo but inside a much smaller, puck-like speaker.
1st Gen: The first generation of the Echo Dot was released in spring 2016 and specifically designed for smaller spaces than the original Echo.
2nd Gen: In fall 2016, Amazon followed up the Echo Dot with the 2nd-gen model. This version featured the ability for Echo Dots to work together for shared sound, and received a price drop.
3rd Gen: In 2018, the third-generation Echo Dot hit the market. Like other Echos, it now had a fabric cover and a more rounded design, but that’s the extent of the changes. Amazon also started selling Echo Dots made specifically for kids around this time.
4th Gen: In 2020, a new Echo Dot was released to completely revolutionize the line. The new model was a smaller version of the orb-like 4th-gen Echo, but cost half the price.
Amazon Echo Show
Smart speakers eventually evolved into smart displays — which are essentially smart speakers with a touchscreen that can display information, video chats, and videos or shows, as well as offer more direct control, among other features. Amazon was one of the first companies to release a smart display in the form of the Echo Show, another line that has changed dramatically over the years.
1st Gen: In 2017, Amazon released the 1st-gen Echo Show featuring a slanted, panel-like design with a small 7-inch touchscreen and an outward-facing speaker on its base.
2nd Gen: Available in 2018, the second-gen Echo Show completely redesigned the smart display. The new model sported a more compact design (a bit like a pyramid lying on its side), with upgraded speakers hidden in the fabric angles behind the screen, making the display significantly larger at 10 inches.
Echo Show 10 3rd Gen: Renamed the Echo Show 10, the third generation of the smart display again entirely reinvented the design in 2020. The 10-inch display now sat on top of a rounded speaker base, and had the ability to rotate to follow people.
Echo Show 5 1st Gen: Amazon also diversified the Echo Show line into a variety of different sizes. In 2019, the first Echo Show 5 was a smaller version featuring a 5.5-inch display designed for smaller spaces. It was particularly friendly as a smart alarm clock.
Echo Show 5 2nd Gen: The 2021 version of the Echo Show 5 improved the quality of the camera and added couple of other features, but remained relatively the same as its predecessor.
Echo Show 8 1st Gen: This 2019 model was similar to the 2nd-gen Echo Show, but had a slightly smaller 8-inch screen and a more compact design featuring a battery base for wireless operation.
Echo Show 8 2nd Gen: The 2nd-generation model was released in 2021 and featured an upgraded 13-megapixel camera.
Amazon Echo Studio
While all Echos can connect to compatible sound systems, Amazon wanted an Echo that could really take center stage and offer great audio in entertainment systems. Enter the Echo Studio, a much larger model featuring five speakers plus support for Dolby Atmos and Amazon’s 3D Audio. The model also had sensors that could determine a room’s acoustics and make small adjustments in response.
Amazon Echo Spot
In 2017, Amazon released an interesting combination of the Dot and Show, called the Echo Spot. The model had a round screen and was designed primarily to be an alarm clock. Amazon quickly ditched this idea to focus on variants of the Echo Show line.
Amazon Echo Flex
The Echo Flex was a tiny plug-in speaker released in 2019. Amazon designed the unit to plug into an outlet and provide basic Alexa functionality. However, the tiny speaker wasn’t good enough to provide serious audio and was eventually discontinued.
Amazon Echo Input
In 2020, Amazon released this small device that’s not really an Echo at all. The Input was basically hardware housing Alexa that could be physically connected to another compatible speaker to give it some Alexa capabilities. The model is currently discontinued.
Amazon Echo Look
The Amazon Echo Look was an odd little device that appeared on the scene in 2017. Equipped with a camera but no display, the Look was designed to be a fashion assistant. It had an LED array for lighting and could take pictures of you and your clothing of choice. The Look could then make recommendations for clothes and accessories. The idea did not take off, and the Look was discontinued.
That’s the evolution of the Echo. Which is your favorite model?
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