Alexa Plus: Amazon’s AI-Enhanced Smart Assistant
Amazon has unveiled Alexa Plus, a revamped version of its voice assistant boasting significant upgrades. The new features, some of which were demonstrated by Amazon, include the ability to find concert tickets and order ride-sharing services, like Uber.
Free early access to Alexa Plus will be available in the United States, starting in late March 2025 for customers with compatible Echo Show devices.
Subscriptions for Alexa Plus will cost $19.99 per month once the early access period ends, but will be free for Amazon Prime subscribers. Given the price of a Prime subscription, many users will likely find the combined package more appealing.
To fully utilize the new capabilities, such as controlling media playback, users will also need to subscribe to related services like Amazon Music and Prime Video.
Although no new hardware was announced at the event, Amazon confirmed that Alexa Plus will function on “almost every” Alexa device released to date, including the Alexa mobile app, Fire TVs, and tablets. However, early access will prioritize Echo Show 8, 10, 15, and 21 models with touchscreens. Incompatible devices include older Echo models like the Echo Tap and first-generation versions of the Echo, Echo Dot, Echo Plus, Echo Spot, and Echo Show. Moreover, the Astro robot will continue to be compatible only with the original Alexa platform.
