Amazon is expected to reveal a new Echo device that has a touchscreen and can make phone calls as early as Tuesday.
The Wall Street Journal reported Monday afternoon that the new voice-powered device will sport a 7-inch touchscreen and let users make internet-powered telephone calls. The device could start shipping as early as June and will be priced at more than $200, the Journal said.
We’ve reached out to Amazon and will update this post when we hear back. Update: An Amazon spokesperson said “as a matter of company policy we don’t comment on rumors and speculation.”
Today’s report follows other hints of another Echo device from Amazon. Recode reported about the phone-calling feature in March; popular tech leaker Evan Blass tweeted this last week in response to a report from AFTVnews:
Here, let me help you with that. pic.twitter.com/9YokBj4pXQ
— Evan Blass (@evleaks) May 5, 2017
The new device will include Alexa-powered features already built into Amazon’s original $150 Echo, which does not have a touchscreen.
Amazon last month unveiled the Echo Look, a new $200 “style assistant” that has a built-in camera and is only currently available by invitation. The company also sells the the $130 Amazon Tap, and the $50 Echo Dot. The Fire TV and Fire tablets also have Alexa integration, as do hundreds of other third-party products.
Amazon is battling other tech giants like Google, Microsoft, and Apple in the smart speaker industry. Samsung subsidiary Harman International on Monday released new details about its upcoming Harman Kardon smart speaker that is powered by Microsoft’s Cortana voice-enabled assistant and can make Skype calls, a similar feature in the new Echo device.
A new forecast from eMarketer estimates that Amazon will have a 71 percent market share of all voice-enabled speakers in the U.S. this year.
A new survey from Consumer Intelligence Research Partners estimates that Amazon has sold more than 10 million Alexa-powered Echo devices since late 2014. Developers have now created more than 12,000 “skills” for Alexa.
