Edifier is the go-to choice for “bookshelf” speakers that sit on either side of your desktop PC’s monitor instead of on a bookshelf. The brand knows it’s popular with PC gamers, which is probably why its newest design looks uncannily like a gaming PC itself. The so-called HUAZAI New Cyber Speaker is, well, a speaker… despite featuring a transparent housing and a lot of faux computer parts inside.

Yeah, this is a strange one. In terms of form factor, the whole 2.1 unit is basically a boom box or perhaps an especially large speaker bar. That bottom section houses a pair of 52mm drivers and a 100mm woofer, a 60-watt amp, and a pair of passive radiators. Up top is a 2.8-inch screen over the area where a “CPU” would be if this was a PC (again, this is not a PC), and various blocks and LED-bedecked sections roughly mimic RAM DIMMs, SSDs, fans, and GPUs sitting on top of a motherboard. Those things that look like coolant lines are, allegedly, braided speaker cables.

According to Notebookcheck, the speaker unit can be connected via USB, standard auxiliary cable, or Bluetooth, and it doubles as a USB-C or USB-A charger at up to 35 watts. Set to release in black or white colorways—but only in China for the moment—the New Cyber model will cost 1,499 yuan (about $210 USD at current exchange rates). There’s no indication of when (or if) it will come to other markets.

I guess I could see this working as an accent piece for a “battlestation” setup if you have a gaming laptop but really want something on the side of your desk that looks like a cyberpunk fish tank? But then you’d lose a lot of the separation in a stereo setup, which is pretty important if you’re actually using it for gaming or media. I dunno. It looks cool, or at least interesting, and it’s not ridiculously overpriced for the hardware and bling… though there’s no telling what the price might stretch to in other markets, especially the tariff-wracked US.

It’s that spooky time of the year again! Amazon knows just how much we all love Tim Burton’s cult classic film The Nightmare Before Christmas, so it’s bringing back the Jack Skellington Echo Dot and Sally Echo Dot bundles. The best part? They’re 28% off, meaning you can grab each one for just $64.98 (was $89.98). Or get both for $129.96!

These are full-blown 5th-gen Echo Dot smart speakers with limited-edition themed covers, meaning you can take them off once the holiday season is over and use these Echo Dots like normal. This isn’t the first time we’re seeing the Jack Skellington cover, but it is the first time we’re seeing Sally! And she’s looking just gorgeous.

Echo Dots have improved a lot over the years, and these are the latest model so you’re getting crisp vocals, impressive bass, and overall great audio performance. Alexa integration makes it easy to play music, search the web, control other smart home devices, and more. (Learn more about why we recommend smart speakers as a first step for beginners!)

It’s time for another sad episode of “Smart Home Graveyard,” with Logitech warning users of its POP line of smart home buttons that their devices will be rendered useless in a matter of days. 

POP Smart Button owners began sharing the end-of-line emails from Logitech late last month, which noted that the buttons would cease working on October 15, giving them only slightly more than two weeks’ notice. 

“For close to a decade, we have maintained the POP ecosystem, but as technology evolves, we have made the decision to end support for the device,” Logitech’s email reads. “As of October 15, your POP button(s) and the connected hub will no longer be supported and will lose all functionality.” 

Logitech added that it would give POP button owners a promo code giving them a 15-percent discount on Logitech and Ultimate Ears products (Logitech owns the Ultimate Ears audio brand). 

Annoyed POP button owners on Reddit didn’t hold back about the prospect of their devices being turned into paperweights. 

“This is why, ‘local first’” wrote one user, while another complained, “12 buttons and 3 hubs in my home are going to become beautiful useless [pieces] of tech. Why?” 

We’ve reached out to Logitech for comment.

First introduced roughly 9 years ago, the Logitech POP system consists of a round, flat POP button and a hub that connects the button to your local network. Each POP hub could support up to 18 of the buttons. A POP kit that included a hub and a button cost $60, while additional buttons went for $40 each. 

You could program the buttons to trigger up to three different smart-home commands via a single-, double-, or long-press.

The original POP buttons were compatible with a variety of smart home ecosystems, including Philips Hue, LIFX, Lutron Caséta, Sonos, Belkin’s WeMo brand, and Insteon, among others. The buttons also worked with Logitech’s Harmony universal remote hub. A separate HomeKit-compatible version of the POP button arrived in 2017. 

Logitech’s decision to nix support for its POP buttons comes amid the company’s growing ambivalence towards the smart home.  

Earlier this year, Logitech chopped support for its earliest Harmony remotes, which can still work but can no longer be reprogrammed. Logitech purchased the Harmony brand in 2004 but stopped making the remotes in 2021, although it’s keeping the servers on for more recent Harmony products—well, for now, anyway. 

Two smart home products that Logitech does still sell are the Circle View Doorbell and Circle View Camera, although the company’s relatively new CEO seemed uncertain last year whether the devices are still available. (They are, The Verge later confirmed.)   

Has Google forgotten about smart displays? The company unleashed a torrent of smart home news last week, including details about Gemini for Home, new Nest cams, and a new smart speaker, but no updated Nest Hub hardware. 

The answer, as it turns out, is no, with Google’s Home and Nest boss assuring us that we haven’t seen the last of the Nest Hub. Beyond that, however, the details remain somewhat vague. 

During last week’s briefings, Anish Kattukaran, the director of product management for Google Home and Nest, promised us that smart displays are still on Google’s radar. 

“I think smart displays are going to be an awesome form factor for Gemini,” Kattukaran said, noting that the existing (and six-year-old) Nest Hub Max will “get an upgrade immediately” for Gemini, including the new conversational Gemini Live mode. The newer second-generation Nest Hub is also slated to get the Gemini update. 

“We don’t have something to share right now about smart displays, but what I will say is we’re still deeply committed to that category and we will have more to share next year.” 

Expanding on his comments for The Vergecast, Kattukaran said he remains “excited” about smart displays. 

“It does present itself as an incredible form factor to interact with something like Gemini,” noted Kattukaran: 

It’s got a screen…you can interact with it, you can visualize information, they’ve got cameras in them, so you’ve got that vision piece to it as well…for me, it feels like almost an ultimate form factor to be able to deliver a really great home experience. So that’s why we are going to continue to invest in that category. I think it’s going to be awesome.

OK, so when exactly can we expect new Google smart displays? Kattukaran stopped short of giving a specific timeline during the Vergecast interview, but added that “you should definitely expect that we’ll have news to share there soon.” 

It’s been four years since Google released its last smart display, the second-generation Nest Hub Max, while the Nest Hub Max made its debut way back in 2019. 

While both of those displays are getting Gemini updates (the original Nest Hub will also work with Gemini but won’t be getting Gemini Live support), many were disappointed that Google didn’t unveil any new Nest Hub devices during last week’s Gemini for Home announcements. 

Google did announce a new smart speaker—the Google Home Speaker—but said the device won’t ship until spring 2026, while the new Gemini-ready Nest Cams are available now. 

This story is party of TechHive’s in-depth coverage of the best smart speakers.

Sometimes you just want to relax and hear your music or movie’s audio without being encumbered by wearing headphones. That’s especially the case if you’re enjoying your media with friends or family. The problem is that laptop speakers just often don’t have great sound; they can sound muffled, tinny, and/or lack audio fidelity. What you need instead is a good pair of PC speakers to get the best sound from your media files.

Luckily, you don’t need to buy a complete 7.1 surround sound system to feel satisfied. For less than $100, you can find some affordable PC speakers that provide quality audio. It’s true that at this price point you will need to make a few compromises, but the best budget computer speakers can still offer a quality listening experience while saving you money, and that’s what we call a win-win.

Why should you trust us? Because our PC speaker reviewers have tried most of the budget speaker models on the market, so they know the ones that stand out from those that don’t quite hit the mark. Our testing criteria is also as thorough as it gets. To test each speaker, we set it up in a typical environment — on a desk in a home office — and play a variety of audio tracks while pushing a speaker system’s sound capabilities to the limit. We consider everything from how practical the design is, to the audio fidelity. We also compare and contrast models to make recommendations based on our findings.

Other speaker reviews and features

• Is 5.1 or 7.1 surround sound better for gaming?
• Please stop using your monitor’s crappy built-in speakers
• Edifier’s newest computer speakers look as good as they sound
• How we test PC speakers at PCWorld

Amazon’s fall hardware events can usually be counted on for a couple of things: an avalanche of new devices, and at least one new product that’s genuinely nuts. 

Take the Amazon Astro, a two-wheeled Alexa-powered robot that was rolled out—literally—during Amazon’s fall 2021 hardware event. A year prior, there was the Ring Always Home Cam, an indoor airborne drone that could patrol your home in a preset flight pattern.  

Other gems from yesteryear include the Echo Loop, an early stab at a smart ring that put Alexa on your finger, while the Echo Look was a camera that allowed Alexa to give you a morning fashion check. 

Even the introduction of the newly AI-enhanced Alexa—the first unveiling was back in 2023, mind you—was delightfully unhinged, with the “supercharged” Alexa channeling HAL-9000 during its spirited back-and-forth conversations. (In contrast, the February 2025 Alexa+ announcement focused on more prosaic applications such as shopping and smart home control.) 

So for Amazon’s big hardware reveal in New York City earlier this week—the first one in two years, as well as the first to be hosted by ex-Microsoft executive Panos Panay, now the head of Amazon’s hardware division—I was ready for a firehose of new products, as well as something crazy.

Personally, I was betting on a new, Alexa+-tinged take on the third-generation Echo Show 10, an Echo smart display with a motorized screen that could follow you around the room, perfect for allowing the new AI Alexa to scan your kitchen and guide you as you toiled over dinner prep. 

Or, how about this: a new generation of Echo Frames that would compete with Meta’s Ray-Ban smart glasses, complete with tiny integrated cameras that would let you take Alexa+ out into the world. Sounds like a no-brainer, right? 

Well, it turns out I was only half-right about Amazon’s fall hardware event this year. There was a truckload of new products, including four new Echo devices, more than a half-dozen Ring cameras, a couple of Kindles and a series of new Fire TV sets, plus a budget Fire TV 4K stick. 

Disappointingly, though, there was no crazy—no Echo robots, no Echo Show displays with autonomous rotating screens, no flying Ring drones, nothing to wear with Alexa+ on board. What gives? 

Well, one answer could be that Amazon’s become much more practical about its devices in the past couple of years, with a renewed focus on profitability as Panay took the reins from longtime Amazon hardware chief David Limb in fall 2023—which was, incidentally, the year Amazon uncharacteristically skipped its regular hardware event. 

Previously, Amazon seemed to take a throw-it-on-the-wall-and-see-if-it-sticks approach with its hardware, which led to a lot of wild pitches—and, consequently, a lot of abandoned products. That Ring Always Home Cam drone? Never left its early “Day One Edition” status. Same for the Echo Loop, while the Amazon Astro bot was briefly repurposed into a business-oriented guard dog before being summarily ditched. The Echo Look camera? Deactivated long ago. 

Instead, we got a lineup of sensibly refreshed products, including spiffy new Echo speakers and displays with beefed-up internals, the first 4K-capable Ring cameras, and revamped Fire TVs with AI-enhanced search. 

The upgrades all appear quite solid and practical, with reasonable price tags and no need to sign up for an early access ticket.

In short, Amazon played it safe with this year’s new hardware—a smart move, from a business perspective.  

Me, I miss the crazy. 

Weeks after sneaking it into a product demo and teasing it on social media, Google has finally taken the wraps off its first new smart speaker in five years, but we’ll have to wait a little longer before we can get our hands on one. 

The $99 Google Home Speaker—yes, Google dropped the “Nest” branding for the new device—has been built for Gemini, Google says, and it boasts features like 360-degree audio and the ability to pair with the Google TV Streamer.  

But unlike Google’s new Nest security cameras (Google is sticking with the “Nest” moniker for its smart cams, at least for now), which are available for purchase now, the Google Home Speaker won’t go on sale until spring 2026. 

That delay is a “very deliberate and intentional choice” that will give Google time to roll out and “perfect” Gemini for Home on its existing smart speakers and displays, said Anish Kattukaran, director of product management for Google Home and Nest. 

Wrapped in “eco-friendly” 3D-knit yarn and available in four colors (hazel, porcelain, berry, and jade), the Google Home Speaker arrives with an Alexa-style light right encircling its base, good for offering “expressive visual feedback of what Gemini is doing at any given moment,” including whether it’s listening, processing a voice command, or entering into the conversational Gemini Live mode. 

Inside, the speaker packs a custom processor that will “handle a lot of Gemini’s advanced AI,” including Gemini Live, Kattukaran said, while audio processing will help Gemini hear better by cutting down on background noise, reverb, and echos. 

Speaking of audio, the Google Home Speaker will support 360-degree audio, good for spreading sound around the room, and you’ll also be able to pair two of the speakers together for stereo sound, similar to what’s possible with Google’s older Nest Mini and Nest Audio speakers. 

Besides creating stereo pairs, you’ll also be able to connect one or more Google Home Speakers with the Google TV Streamer. That means you could use two of the speakers for outputting the left and right audio channels from Google’s streaming video player, just as you can use Apple’s HomePod speakers to output sound from an Apple TV 4K. 

One detail left unsaid about the Google Home Speaker during the company’s pre-brief session was its home hub capabilities, including whether the speaker will act as a Thread border router for Matter devices. We’ve reached out to Google for more information. 

Asked when Google might finally reveal a new smart display—the last one was 2022’s second-generation Google Nest Hub—Kattukaran declined to offer a timeline, but said the company remains “deeply committed to that category and we will have more to share next year.” 

This news story is part of TechHive’s in-depth coverage of the best smart speakers. Also, be sure to check our complete coverage of Google’s Gemini for Home rollout, including details on new Nest Cams and the new Google Home Premium subscription plans. 

“Hey Google, set bedroom lamp to 50 percent.” Such stilted voice commands have been the stuff of smart home for years, but with Gemini for Home, Google is promising a smart home you can have an actual conversation with. 

That idea—of a smart home that understands the big picture and can act with context in mind—underpins Google’s ambitious Gemini for Home plans, which it’s rolling out today following months of slow buildup. 

The Gemini voice assistant is just one part of Google’s Gemini for Home pitch. There’s also new hardware, including a refreshed lineup of security cameras and an all-new smart speaker, along with a faster, streamlined Google Home app (more on the app in a moment) and a rebranded subscription plan (say goodbye to Nest Aware). 

During a briefing prior to its big Gemini for Home reveal, Anish Kattukaran, director of product management for Google Home and Nest, painted the picture of a Gemini-powered smart home that can truly see and hear what’s going on in your household, as well as understand your intentions when you give it commands. 

Of course, the proof’s in the pudding, and as Kattukaran himself emphasized, Gemini’s performance needs to be as reliable as that of its predecessor, Google Assistant (which has had its own reliability hiccups over the past several months). As anyone who’s ever fallen victim to a ChatGPT hallucination knows, asking an LLM to perform a task repeatedly and in a predictable manner is no small feat. 

That’s why Google is plotting a slow phase-in for Gemini at Home, with an early access period beginning this month. Most existing Google smart speakers, displays, and security cameras will work with Gemini for Home, with the freewheeling Google Live chat mode (which lets you have lengthy back-and-forths with Gemini without the need for the “Hey Google” wake word) restricted to the Google Nest Hub, the Nest Hub Max, and the new Google Home Speaker. 

Of course, Google isn’t alone in its AI ambitions for the smart home. Amazon just revealed its own line of revamped Echo smart speakers and smart displays powered by Alexa+ (which has been in an early access mode for the past several months), while Apple is expected to eventually roll out new HomePod smart speakers powered by a AI-enhanced Siri (which has been delayed to next year, at the earliest).  

We’ve already seen some of Gemini’s abilities in the smart home, including its ability to describe the action in video clips captured by Nest security cameras. But with help from the new Google Home app, Gemini will gain new abilities, such as delivering a “home brief” that summarizes the past 24 hours of your Nest video history. 

You’ll also be able to ask Gemini questions about your home (such as “Is the front door locked?” or “What time did the kids come home”) or ask it to draft smart automations on the fly, using natural language (“At night, if the house is empty, make it look like someone’s home”), Kattukaran said.  

Underpinning Gemini for Home is the new Google Home app, which—among other features—will boast 70-percent faster startup times, as well as 80-percent fewer crashes and better memory and battery optimization, according to Kattukaran. 

A streamlined three-tabbed interface (Home, Activity, and Automations) lets you jump from device controls, activity feeds, and smart routines, along with one-handed gestures that let you swipe between broad device categories.

The new app promises faster scrubbing of camera videos, as well as the YouTube-style ability to double-tap one side of a video thumbnail or the other to jump forward or backward in the clip. 

In another change, the Google Home activity feed will include entries from connected third-party smart devices, not just Google’s own first-party cameras and gadgets.  

“This [Activity] tab will now become the canonical history of your entire home,” Kattukaran said. “Anything that happens in your home that’s connected into your [Google Home] ecosystem, you see the whole history right here now.” 

Sitting at the top of the new Google Home app is a Gemini-powered “Ask Home” chat box that lets you ask questions about or issue commands to your smart home, anything from “What happened today” or “Who ate the plants” to “Create an automation” or “Turn on the living room TV.” 

Naturally, Gemini’s best smart home features, such as the home brief and AI notifications, will be locked behind a paywall, with Google Home Premium replacing the former Nest Aware subscription plans.  

Gemini will still perform basic smart home duties (such as those once handled by Google Assistant, which is being phased out in favor of Gemini) for free. 

This news story is part of TechHive’s in-depth coverage of the best smart speakers. Also, be sure to check our complete coverage of Google’s Gemini for Home rollout, including details on the new Google Home Speaker, new Nest Cams, and new Google Home Premium subscription plans. 

Yes, round is still in when it comes to Amazon’s refreshed Echo smart speakers, with the high-end Echo Studio and the smaller Echo Dot both getting big Alexa+ makeovers at Amazon’s big fall hardware event in New York City.

Also on tap were new versions of Amazon’s Echo Show 8 and 11 displays, which chopped the chunky design of previous-generation Echo Shows in favor of slimmed-down screens mounted in front of oval-shaped rear speaker components.

Available for pre-order now, the new Echo devices pack Amazon’s new AZ3 and AZ3 Pro chips allowing for “on the edge” Alexa+ processing, ideal for getting speedier replies while enabling advanced sensors that allow the new Alexa to sense what’s going on in the immediate area.

First comes the new Echo Studio–pictured up top–that’s switching from its previous cylindrical look to a spherical design, same as the new Echo Dot Max.

The Echo Studio ($219.99) crams three full-range drivers and a high-excursion woofer into its round shell, which is encased in a 3D-knit fabric and now boasts a “face” housing the volume and “action” buttons. As with the previous Echo Studio, both spatial audio and Dolby Atmos are on board.

Meanwhile, the Echo Dot Max lands with the same size and shape as the previous fifth-gen Echo Dot, with the new Echo Dot Max earning its name thanks to the including of two drivers rather than just one. So yes, double the drivers versus the older Dot, but also double the price: $99.99 rather than $49.99. Amazon is promising a completely revamped audio design with the revamped Echo Dot Max, and I’m eager to give it a listen (we didn’t get to hear the Echos in action during the hands-on demos).

Besides using them as stand-alone smart speakers, you can also pair up to five Echo Studios or Echo Dot Maxes to compatible Fire TV sticks for surround sound, with a new feature–Alexa Home Theater–slated to automatically calibrate the audio according to the shape of the room and the position of the speakers.

We also got to see two new Echo Show displays: the Echo Show 8 and 11, both with enticing and slimmed-down designs if missing some of the “wow” factor of the earlier Echo Show 10 incarnations.

Both the Echo Show 8 ($179.99) and Echo Show 11 ($219.99) come with slim displays mounted on oval-shaped audio and processing components, allowing the screens to appear as if they’re suspended in space.

You can tilt the displays up and down, as well as swivel them back and forth–and refreshingly, you can swivel the screens without needing to hold the base as you do so.

It’s a pleasing design, but there’s no eye-popping feature like the motorized display offered by the third-generation Echo Show 10 that could follow you around the room. That motorized screen seemed like an ideal match for Alexa+, but alas, the screen swiveling is all manual with the latest Echo displays.

Still, the new Echo Shows do come with built-in 13-megapixel cameras, while the displays themselves offer in-cell touch and negative liquid designs for better viewing at wide angles.

The revamped Echo Studio and Echo Dot Max are set to ship October 29, while the Echo Show 8 and Echo Show 11 will arrive on November 12.

After skipping last year, Amazon is back with a big fall hardware event slated for next week, and we’re expecting plenty of new Echo smart speakers and displays that make the most of Alexa+, Amazon’s AI revamp of the Alexa voice assistant. 

Plenty of other hardware will also be unwrapped during Amazon’s September 30 event in New York City; for example, we’re sure to see new Kindle tablets, as well as Fire TV models and perhaps even some Ring cameras. For now, though, we’re concentrating on new Echo devices, and there are a few popular Echo speakers and displays that are ripe for an upgrade. 

We’re most interested in how the latest Echo hardware will take full advantage of Alexa+, the generative AI-enhanced Alexa that can carry on flowing conversations, take actions on your behalf, and control smart home devices based on natural-language commands. (It’s worth noting that most existing Echo speakers and displays already are compatible with Alexa+, so there’s no pressing need to upgrade if you don’t want to.)

There haven’t been many leaks or rumors about specific new Echo devices we might see next week. That said, we do have a bead on some older but nonetheless popular Echo speakers and displays that are in dire need of a refresh.  

Amazon Echo

What is it: Amazon’s flagship Echo speaker that doubles as a smart home hub 
Latest release: 2020 (fourth generation) 
List price: $99.99 

It’s been nearly five years since Amazon released a new version of its top-of-the-line Echo, making it the oldest speaker in Amazon’s current Echo lineup. It’s high time for a new one. 

A larger version of the popular and inexpensive Echo Dot, the Amazon Echo shares many of the Dot’s features, including motion detection, a temperature sensor, and the ability to extend the range of Amazon’s line of Eero mesh Wi-Fi routers. The Echo also houses stereo tweeters and a three-inch woofer, making for a nice upgrade to the Echo Dot’s so-so audio performance. 

But the Echo has an ace up its sleeve: a full-on Zigbee home hub, capable of directly controlling Zigbee lights, sensors, switches, and other Zigbee-enabled devices. The Echo also packs a Thread radio, allowing it to act as a Thread border router. Plunk an Echo in your living room, and you have everything you need to launch your smart home—well, aside from a Z-Wave radio, which would be a cool feature for an updated Echo. (We’re not holding on breath on that one, as Z-Wave is not embraced by the Matter standard.) 

An all-new Echo would seem like a no-brainer for Amazon’s hardware event next week, complete with beefier hardware for smoother Alexa+ performance and perhaps even a physical makeover.  

Amazon Echo Dot 

What it is: Amazon’s budget-priced Echo workhorse 
Latest release: 2022 (fifth generation) 
List price: $49.99 

If the Echo is Amazon’s flagship smart speaker, the Echo Dot is its smaller sibling, shedding the Zigbee smart hub but keeping the motion and temperature sensors as well as the Eero mesh extender functionality.  

Priced at $50 but often on sale for much less, the Echo Dot is a smart choice for putting Alexa in every room, what with its handsome design and good-enough audio performance. There are now cheaper Echos in Amazon’s lineup—see the $40 Echo Pop from 2023—but the Echo Dot hits the sweet spot in terms of price and performance. 

Now that it’s due to celebrate its third birthday, the Echo Dot is primed for a new Alexa+-enhanced version. I could see it sharing the same overall design as the new Echo—smaller form factor, of course—with a modest audio upgrade and even a Thread border router functionality, which would allow the Dot to act as a hub for Matter devices. 

Amazon Echo Studio 

What it is: A premium Echo speaker that does Dolby Atmos 
Latest release: 2023 (second generation) 
List price: $199.99 (no longer available) 

If you want an Amazon Echo speaker that can truly put on a sonic show, the Dolby Atmos-enabled Echo Studio is the obvious choice—if you can find one, that is. The second-generation Echo Studio has been out of stock for months now, making it a prime candidate for a makeover. 

Packing three two-inch mid-range speakers, a 20mm tweeter, and a 5.25-inch woofer, the Echo Studio has all the drivers its needs to belt out audiophile-quality sound. The Echo Studio isn’t just a great music speaker, though. Like the Echo, it offers a Zigbee home hub and a Matter hub. 

An upgraded version of the Studio with Alexa+ playing DJ could be a highlight of Amazon’s hardware event next week. 

Amazon Echo Show 10 

What it is: An Echo display with a pivoting screen that follows you around the room 
Latest release: 2021 (third generation) 
List price: $249.99 (no longer available) 

Hard to believe, but it’s been four years since the Echo Show 10 made its debut, and boy was it a showstopper.  

Yes, the Echo Show 10 boasts such smart home features as a Zigbee hub and a Thread border router (the unit’s Matter-over-Thread abilities were enabled after launch), 2.1-channel audio, a 13-megapixel camera, and an impressive 10-inch screen. 

But its killer feature was its swiveling display, which could follow you as you strolled around the room. That rotating display made the Echo Show 10 feel like the most aware Echo device yet, so just imagine how that would play with Alexa+ on board, looking out into your kitchen and making suggestions as you prepare a gourmet meal. Sure, Alexa+ can already work on the existing third-gen Echo Show 10, but we’re eager to see a new take on that motorized design.

As with the Echo Studio, the Echo Show 10 has been unavailable via Amazon for some time, leading us to believe that a fourth generation of the display is imminent. 

Amazon Echo Frames  

What is it: Amazon’s Alexa-powered smart glasses 
Latest release: 2023 (third generation) 
List price: Varies depending upon style 

With the likes of Meta’s camera-enabled AI glasses on the scene, Amazon’s audio-only Echo Frames are looking decidedly old hat these days. 

First announced back in 2019, the Echo Frames came with a handsome design and mini speakers and microphones in the temples that promised to put Alexa in your head. The most recent release from 2023 offered updated looks and plenty of audio refinements, and the Frames are now compatible with Alexa+. Still, the basic conceit and limitations remain: it’s Alexa (or Alexa+) in your head, and only in your head. 

Meta, meanwhile, has supercharged the market for smart glasses that allow an AI companion to see the world around you, offering commentary and insights wherever you go (even if the results are a tad uneven). Will Amazon take the fight to Meta with vision-enabled Echo Frames with Alexa+? It’s a bit of a long shot, but I’m not ruling it out.  

This feature is part of TechHive’s in-depth coverage of the best smart speakers.