Amazon next generation Echo and Echo Plus has received an upgrade after three years with improved design, audio and with a built-in smart home hub all at a price that’s within anyone’s reach.

New shell designs that can blend with the home environment is the most obvious change you will notice-  choices include charcoal, sandstone, heather gray, oak veneer, walnut veneer, and silver. Aidio on the Echo sees a boost with an all-new speaker architecture, a dedicated tweeter, a 2.5” down-firing woofer, and Dolby processing delivers Alexa more crispier and clearer. Listening to music can be now more pleasant.

The new Echo uses Amazon’s second generation far-field technology, which features better wake word processing, improved beamforming technology, and enhanced noise cancellation. With far-field technology a wake word from across the room even in the noisiest parts of your home can now be detected by Echo.

Echo Plus now has smart hub built into it making connecting to compatible smart home devices now possible. By just saying “Alexa, discover my devices,” Echo Plus will automatically discover and set up compatible lights, locks, plugs, switches, and more without the need for additional hubs or apps.

Amazon has added more features like voice calling, messaging, smart home grouping and buttons for gaming, these will be rolled out  across the range in coming days. Echo is priced at US$99.99 while Echo Plus retails at US$149.99 both are already available for shipping, Echo Connect will arrive later at US$34.99.