Amazons new Echo Time has a surprisingly good reason to exist

Date:
Wed, 28 Oct 2026 12:00:00 +0000

Description:
The Time is an intriguing smart display

FULL STORY ======================================================================Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Threads Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Subscribe to our newsletter AmazonsEchoTimeisasmartclockwithAlexa+anda3.2-inchdisplay Acamera-freedesignandcustomizableclockfacessetitapart Sensorsandadaptivelightingaimtoimproveyourwake-uproutine Amazon has long offered a wide variety of smart speakers and smart displays, all powered by Alexa, and more recently, many have gotten the upgrade to Alexa+. Now, after several new devices, from Kindles to tablets with a glare-free Nano Matte coating , Amazon has five more, and the most intriguing is the $199 / 184.99
/ AU$379 Echo Time.

A device that earns a spot on your bedside table needs to clear a high bar, and the devices team at Amazon, led by Panos Panay, thinks theyve cracked it with this one. Speaking to press and creators, Panos called the Echo Time the smartest clock in the world, and, first and foremost, it's meant to show you the time in a range of ways. It really presents itself as a more well-thought-out Echo Spot. Rather than a half-circle display, the Echo Time offers a 3.2-inch screen wrapped in what looks like the body of an Echo Dot Max, with woven mesh on the rear, top, and sides. Controls sit at the top, just above the woven mesh, for volume up, volume down, and microphone mute.
It does have microphones you can mute, but the Time notably doesnt have a camera. Latest Videos From TechRadar Watch full video here:

Thats a refreshing admission for a device designed for your nightstand and will likely make the Time more popular than the Spot. Image 1 of 2 (Image credit: Jacob Krol/Future) (Image credit: Jacob Krol/Future) Image 1 of 2
View Original Image 2 of 2 View Original Instead, Echo Time aims to mix clock skills with Alexa+. Like the previous Echo Spot and the forthcoming Apple HomeView, you can customize it with a range of clock faces and even add mini widgets. I saw several designs that look like traditional clocks, with or without hands or numbers, as well as digital ones and others that use photos. You may like The new Amazon Echo Show 16 looks like an iMac and puts Alexa+ front and center in a major smart display redesign The Apple HomeView is the smart display Ive been waiting for Which Amazon Echo smart speaker should I buy? A handy guide to your four options

There are some collaborative designs pulling from famous characters like
Harry Potter or the Powerpuff Girls I am hoping for some Disney, Star Wars , or Marvel ones one day. You can swipe left or right to adjust the clock face and long-press to swipe between and customize them.

It can, as you might suspect, function as an alarm clock, but Amazon takes this a step further, as it can raise or lower the brightness of the display and glow light at the bottom to help with your wind-down or wake-up routine. For instance, rather than blaring a loud horn as your alarm, it can intelligently raise the display brightness and work with connected smart home gadgets, like a smart bulb, to help ease your wake-up. It can gradually raise the brightness like a sunrise, and at night, it could start to dim things and even cut blue light from the display. At night, the display can drop to as
low as 0.3 nits, meaning that the glow wont keep you up and the screen can be viewed without burning your retinas. Get daily insight, inspiration and deals in your inbox Sign up for breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals,
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It will also utilize Omnisense to find the best time to wake you up if you
opt in, which is different from Soli on, say, the Google Nest Hub or the
Hatch Sleep Clock with sleep tracking. Echo Time isnt looking to track your sleep but is using these sensors room temperature, presence detection, ultrasound for breathing, and proximity to figure out when youre in a state of lighter sleep and start to wake you up. From there, when an alarm is set, Alexa and the Echo Time can make the call to sound it earlier. (Image credit: Jacob Krol/Future) And since its running Alexa+, you dont need to be precise with your asks. You could tell Alexa you have an important meeting at 9 AM,
so you need to be up by 7:30 or 7:45 AM, and have it figure out the best routine, potentially setting an alarm but also cueing the lights and
hopefully easing you into your day.

With its built-in speakers and screen, you can ask Alexa topical questions
and even request music playback, and the Echo Time will happily oblige. It seems like a fully capable Alexa smart display, but its unlike the rest of
the Echo Show or the standard Echo lineup. Echo Time is squarely built around being a digital clock with Alexa capabilities. And that's a good thing. What to read next When's the best time to buy an Amazon Echo Show? Right now here's why I've tried Apple's HomeView, and it could help me do more at home without reaching for my iPhone The best smart display 2026: our favourite smart screens for every home

Instead of trying to be another smart display that does a little bit of everything, it offers a camera-free design, customizable clock faces, and smart features designed to help you start your day or ease into slumber. It's a more purpose-built Echo, and that could be exactly what makes it worth the space on your nightstand. (Image credit: Jacob Krol/Future) At $199.99, it is the same price as the Echo Show 8 and more than the Echo Spot at $109.99.
That puts it in an interesting spot in the lineup, and I'm looking forward to spending more time with it soon. Its price puts it firmly in premium smart-clock, smart display territory, so itll be interesting to see whether its added features justify the cost over other Echo devices.

Amazons also dropping the Amazon Kids Echo Time at $209.99 / 194.99 in Galactic Grape my favorite or Cosmic Lime, and it comes bundled with a year of Amazon Kids+. The standard Echo Time comes in Graphite, Glacier White, and Coral Pink for $199.99. Both are available to order now and are shipping now. Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds. Make sure to click the
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