Amazon refreshed its Echo lineup last week, and the company is now bringing the products to India, including the all-new Echo, the Echo Dot, and the Echo Plus.
The Echo Dot is the most affordable of the lot and retails for ₹4,499 ($70), the second-generation Echo is available for ₹9,999 ($155), and the Echo Plus will set you back to the tune of ₹14,999 ($230). All three devices are currently available on an invite-only basis for 30% off, and will be released in the last week of October.
The Echo Dot is the smallest speaker in the series, with the puck-sized device featuring a single 0.6-inch tweeter. The Echo has a fabric design that's available in three color options — black, white, and grey — and comes with a 2.5-inch down-firing woofer along with a 0.6-inch tweeter, designed to produce 360-degree omni-directional sound. It also has an array of seven microphones, and Dolby sound processing.
The Echo Plus, meanwhile, has an integrated ZigBee smart home hub, and features a 2.5-inch woofer and a 0.8-inch tweeter. Like the Echo, the Echo Plus delivers room-filling sound. All three Echo devices feature music playback controls at the top.
The Echo devices are powered by Amazon's Alexa platform, and Amazon has customized the assistant to better understand local pronunciations and intonation. All three Echo devices have far-field microphones, which means Alexa will be able to hear you from across the room. It can also recognize non-English places, music titles, and names.
Amazon has customized Alexa for the Indian market.
Amazon is working with the developer community in India to provide localized skills for the platform, including the ability to book a cab on Uber and Ola, order takeaway from Freshmenu and Zomato, and getting the latest sports scores from ESPN Cricinfo.
You'll also be able to get news updates from the Times of India and NDTV, book flights on Ibibo, control Philips Hue and Syska Rainbow LED lights, and so much more.
Considering that the Echo devices are internet-connected speakers, you'll be able to stream music from the likes of Saavn and TuneIn, with Prime Music slated to make its debut in the country shortly. Over 10,000 skills are available for the platform at launch, and Amazon says that more will be added continually. In addition to its website, Amazon will make the Echo devices available at large format retailers, including Croma and Reliance Digital.
Who's looking to pick up an Echo in India?
