Amazon Alexa event live - latest news and rumors ahead of the suspected AI-enhanced Alexa 2.0 unveiling
Amazon has sent out Alexa-themed invites for the February 26 event. Read our beat-by-beat breakdown of the event as we react to the news.
Amazon is set to host its first Amazon Devices event since 2023, scheduled for 10am EST / 3pm GMT / 2am ACT on Wednesday, February 26, with many expecting this to be the launching pad for a new, AI-enhanced Alexa, alongside a handful of rumored Echo and Fire TV devices.
After announcing Alexa 2.0 alongside an array of hardware launches back in 2023, all has been relatively quiet from Amazon regarding the future of the LLM (large language model)-boosted smart assistant. Elsewhere, however, rumors have spelled a challenging road to release for Alexa 2.0, including recent concerns that there may be further delays even with its unveiling on the horizon.
It could end up being a divisive event, however, and not because of AI-related concerns; Amazon could be about to fill out its "trends of the 2020s" bingo card by also announcing a subscription plan for the newly smartened Alexa.
We're on the ground in New York City attending the event, which is not publicly available to live stream, and we'll be sharing all the news live as it happens. Stay tuned!
The latest news
- Amazon has scheduled its Devices and Services event for for 10AM EST / 3PM GMT / 2AM ACT on Wednesday, February 26.
- The event is rumored to be the announcement of a new, AI-enhanced Alexa 2.0...
- ... however further rumors suggest this will be a subscription-only service.
- Further rumors suggest new Fire TV hardware and potentially new Echo devices.
Welcome to our live blog coverage of Amazon’s Devices and Services event! Our very own Lance Ulanoff and Jacob Krol are on the ground in New York City to attend the event in person, and I’ll be covering all the news as we learn more from Amazon about its 2025 products.
Stay tuned, because this could be a big moment for Amazon!
Instead of a Devices and Services event in 2024, Amazon opted to trickle various product releases throughout the year, including a surprise launch for the all-new Echo Show 21, as well as second generations of the Echo Spot and Echo Show 15.
We’ve reviewed them all - check them out!
With rumors flying about Alexa 2.0’s subscription fee, we’ll hopefully be learning more later today on what that means for the original Alexa. Logic would dictate they wouldn’t fully ditch it and would leave that as the ‘basic’ option in all Echo devices, right? Right?
Anyway, for a refresher on what Alexa can do, check out our list of the Best Alexa Skills and commands.
Especially at release, Alexa was a real game-changer, but with the passage of time comes new technology and new demands on aging software. That’s certainly the case with Alexa; the voice assistant has seen many quality of life updates and new features, but it’s starting to show its age.
There’s plenty that could be improved, but I wrote yesterday about five specific features that would make Alexa 2.0 genuinely worthwhile. Check it out!
Not everyone on the Alexa subreddit is totally against the idea of a paid tier, but they want it to offer something special. Suggestions include a less robotic voice (more like ChatGPT or Claude), the ability to use Boolean operators in commands, or just scrapping the option to play soothing ocean sounds when the lights are turned off at night. Shame, I quite like that.
Comment from r/alexa
When might Alexa 2.0 actually land?
It seems almost certain that we'll hear about Alexa 2.0 during today's big Amazon event – but when will it actually roll out to smart speakers? The latest rumors suggest a rollout might not happen until March 31, because Amazon needs to make some tweaks to improve the assistant's accuracy.
That doesn't seem like a lot of extra time to make meaningful adjustments, so I'm hoping we don't get a vague "in the coming months" release window for the rebooted Alexa today.
But Amazon does need to get it right – it's supposedly planning to charge $5-$10 a month (around £5-£10 / AU$8-AU$16) for full access to its AI-powered Alexa. With ChatGPT's Advanced Voice Mode now coming to its free tier (an announcement that was surely timed to rain on Amazon's parade), Alexa 2.0 will need to be capable of some impressive tricks to justify that rumored cost.
As we patiently wait for Amazon to commence its first device-focussed event since 2023, we’ve been casting our predictions and throwing guesses as to what could be unveiled later today. As it stands, we’re pretty confident that the AI-infused Alexa 2.0 will receive a release date after it was teased at Amazon’s last Alexa event and like we’ve said, the voice assistant has been revolutionary in the realm of smart home tech since its inception over a decade ago. Therefore, it’s definitely time for a revamp, but the catch is that Amazon has been toying with the idea of a subscription fee for the new AI voice assistant.
Other rumors we’ve spotted also point to a new Echo smart speaker device which could serve as a new home for Alexa 2.0. Amazon’s lineup of Fire TV devices may also have their time in the spotlight at today’s event with speculations pointing to new function updates and maybe even new hardware announcements.
For a deeper insight to what Amazon could be announcing be sure to check our roundup of the four things you can expect to see at Amazon’s Alexa event!
It seems a lot of Reddit users are shocked at the idea of potentially paying for Alexa, which isn’t too surprising considering how many people only use its most basic features. Last summer, it emerged that Amazon had made over $25 billion in losses from its smart device business between 2017 and 2021, partly because owners prefer to use their smart speakers to set alarms and not much else.
“We worried [we’d] hired 10,000 people and we’ve built a smart timer," one former senior employee told the Wall Street Journal at the time.
Who is Panos Panay?
One name you're likely to see a lot today is Panos Panay, current head of Devices and Services. Panay took the reigns in 2023 from long-serving Amazon SVP of Devices and Services, David Limp, following his retirement from the company (he didn't go far though, hopping over to Bezos' Blue Origin venture as its new CEO).
Panay joined Amazon following a 19-year stint at Microsoft, where he was best-known for leading the development of Windows 11 in 2021 as well as creating the Surface line of devices in 2012; so his are a safe pair of hands for Alexa both on the hardware and software front.
One of the biggest questions for the leagues and leagues of Echo device owners is whether or not Amazon will follow suit with many of its peers and brick older speakers in the coming years.
Our US Editor-at-Large laments the future of his original Echo speaker in his recent feature, and it’s an excellent read.
Amazon has done a sound job at keeping all of its new announcements under wraps, and although we have a pretty strong idea of what to expect based on rumors and speculation, nothing has been set in stone on Amazon’s side. But we’re confident in our guesses of what products will be a no-show at today’s Alexa event - most notably Kindles.
Though Amazon skipped its Alexa event last year, it made up for it by unveiling brand new Kindle models, including the Kindle Colorsoft, in October last year. In addition to its first color Kindle, Amazon announced its pricey Kindle Scribe, the 12th gen Kindle Paperwhite, and 11th gen Kindle - a generous launch for keen readers. So, if you’re an admirer of Amazon’s line of ereaders, then I’m sorry to say that it’s unlikely a new Kindle will be announced later today.
If Amazon announces that Alexa 2.0 will be compatible with existing Echo speakers, this could be a good time to pick up one or two more so you’re prepared. We’ve rounded up all today’s best deals on the full range, including offers from Amazon itself and other retailers around the web.
Once your speakers arrive, check out our guide to setting them up and avoiding common mistakes to save yourself potential headaches later on.
Will we see new neural network hardware today?
Judging by the trends of silicon valley, processors are the real golden goose of the AI revolution; so will Amazon’s AZ2 neural edge processor also see an upgrade?
The AZ2 debuted in 2021 alongside the Echo Show 15, and has been used in pretty much all of the Echo devices since. It’s plenty powerful and pretty scalable thanks to its quad-core architecture, allowing for more local processing instead of relying heavily on the cloud - though not enough so that Alexa won’t occasionally switch to its default voice when WiFi connectivity drops.
The big question is, will it be enough to handle the demands of a more intelligent Alexa, and if not, what does that mean for the millions of Echo devices housing the AZ2?
I’d hedge my bets that, at the very least in the early years, the AZ2 will be enough - models using older hardware may, however, be excluded from Alexa 2.0 compatibility. Amazon hasn’t slowed its Echo product release cycle whatsoever in recent years, with many products like the Echo Show 15 (2024) seeing iterative upgrades (and some meatier redesigns for the likes of the Echo Spot), so I’d be surprised - and disappointed - if they’d jumped the gun knowning new components are on the horizon.
Will Alexa 2.0 change Amazon’s pricing strategy?
As I've mentioned, based on the rumor mill, we’re fairly confident the newly enhanced Alexa will be a subscription-based service, but how might the software effect hardware pricing?
As we’re seeing from the AI boom in silicon valley, AI is a pricey business, which is in direct conflict with Amazon’s price-point strategy. This strategy may have contributed to the company reporting $25 billion in losses from its smart device business between 2017 and 2021, alongside the fact that Alexa usage hasn’t driven the e-commerce revenue Amazon had hoped for.
So, what happens if subscription fee uptake isn’t high enough? If Amazon keeps its ‘basic’ Alexa subscription-free, many consumers may still opt to use the affordably priced smart speakers and displays as glorified digital timers, and the company will need to recoup its costs elsewhere.
That’s where my last post regarding chipsets comes in; if we see an AZ3 processor, or further hardware adaptations in the coming years to support a more powerful Alexa, does that spell the end for cheap and cheerful Echo devices?
We've arrived!
Punctual as always, Lance Ulanoff is on the ground and has arrived at the venue for today's event!
In truth, he actually arrived about an hour ago, left to get breakfast and is still there with enough time to leave and come back again. Meanwhile, Alexa has to remind me three times every morning that I'll be late if I don't leave for work soon.
Over the past decade, we’ve seen Alexa evolve from a fun gimmick into a trusted companion capable of controlling different rooms and tech within the home.
There’s no doubt that today will be smart home-centric, but there’s a chance that Amazon could take this as an opportunity to push the use of Alexa outside of the home. By that, I’m talking about improving its Alexa voice assistant in products such as the Amazon Echo Frames and Echo Buds earphones - possibly to match the more advanced features of the anticipated Alexa 2.0.
... and we're through the doors now, too! Jacob Krol joins Lance Ulanoff as our in-person team at the event.
No news yet, barring that the room breakfast is being served in features ample extension cords, which is tantamount to caviar for us journalists.
