Amazon Echo Auto Second-Gen Launched With Better, Smaller Design: Features, Price

At its annual hardware event on Wednesday, Amazon announced a new refresh of the Amazon Echo Auto that it originally launched back in 2018. The new Echo Auto has a completely new design with a smaller footprint and additional features. 

The new Echo Auto is Amazon’s attempt to put its Echo voice assistant inside cars in case it already doesn’t come with support for Alexa like some modern cars do. This is essentially a stripped down version of the Echo Dot which comes sans the speakers, but with powerful microphones and Bluetooth. 

Echo Auto: Features And Specifications 

You connect the Echo Auto to your car’s infotainment system with Bluetooth or through a 3.5mm AUX cable. The power is supplied from the car’s USB port. The new Echo Auto features five microphones, fewer than the original Echo Auto’s eight mics. Amazon states that the new mics come with improved algorithms to better detect voice commands, so it needs just five now. Amazon has also designed the mics so it can be heard over the car’s air conditioning system, music, and road noise. 

The new Echo Auto also comes with adhesive for a better mount on the dash. The audio output jack has been moved to a breakout box closer to the USB plug. 

The Echo Auto is also capable of making roadside assistance calls to let you call for help on the road. This does not require a subscription service and instead requires payment for services, like a flat tire change or a gas fill-up, as needed. Needless to say, the feature is only available in the US for now. 

Echo Auto: Price And Availability

The Echo Auto is priced just $54.499, which roughly converts to ₹4,484. The availability will be confirmed at a later date. 

Amazon also launched a slew of other devices including a new Kindle Scribe with stylus support, a sunrise alarm clock with sleep tracking capabilities called the Halo Rise, a new Fire TV Cube, all new Echo Dot and Echo Dot Kids, as well as a new Echo Show 15.