Amazon’s latest Echo smart displays and speakers reinforce Google Home’s lost lead

Amazon just launched a new lineup of Echo smart speakers and a new smart display, all while Google Home’s lineup remains pretty quiet. Amazon has five new devices launching – two smart displays, a “Photo Frame,” and two speakers. Starting with the speakers, the latest Echo Dot has “a built-in smart home hub” and upgraded audio and starts shipping today for $100. Meanwhile, Echo Studio builds on that foundation with even-better audio and, optionally, a built-in camera. Those start at $220. Echo Dot at Amazon (shipping now) Echo Studio at Amazon (shipping now) On the smart display side, there’s the Echo Time, which is like an Echo Dot but with a small circular display built-in. Amazon touts “hundreds of clock faces” and “Omnisense” which can track your sleep just like Google’s second-gen Nest Hub, and it starts at $200. Echo Show 16, meanwhile, is a big 16-inch smart display meant to live on your wall with support for smart home controls, the ability to show a family calendar, and full Fire TV built-in as well. It starts at $500 and, like everything else mentioned so far, is built around Amazon’s AI-enhanced Alexa. Echo Time at Amazon (shipping now) Echo Show 16 at Amazon (pre-order for $100 off, shipping December 16) Rounding out the lineup is the Alexa Photo Frame, a simpler smart display that has Alexa built-in but focuses on showing photos from your Amazon Photos library. It has a 10-inch anti-glare display and a design that looks like a normal photo frame and starts at $200. Alexa Photo Frame at Amazon (shipping now) 9to5Google’s Take Google Home really is just so wildly behind isn’t it. In looking at Amazon’s lineup, I can’t help but feel like Google is just wasting potential here. A smart speaker that doubles as a Nest Cam would be awesome. The same goes for a giant Nest Hub that doubles as a Google TV. And, seriously, how does Google not sell (or at least partner with someone) a Google Photos digital photo frame. Google Photos is a wildly successful platform and that would sell like hotcakes. Big “how am I not in that movie” energy. I’ve said it before, but Google Home had such a lead in the smart speaker and smart display market, especially with Google’s ecosystem tie-ins, but Amazon is currently running laps around it with products that Google should be selling. Throw in that even Apple has a smart display now where Google hasn’t even teased a new Nest Hub, and it just feels all kinds of bad to be in Google’s camp right now. What do you think? More on Google Home: Nest’s Halloween doorbell chimes are live now through November 1 Old Google Home and Nest speakers getting big firmware update Google Home app gets local Matter control over Philips Hue lights Follow Ben: Twitter/X, Threads, Bluesky, and Instagram FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.