To put it simply, Alexa can now work seamlessly with third-party apps and devices. And with the Alexa+ launch, you can bet there will be new gadgets and devices that will be fully compatible with it soon, right? Right.
I want perfection in every single product that we ship — period. There won’t be a corner cut. It won’t matter if we tried it before. It won’t matter what you thought it used to be.
– Panos Panay, Amazon devices chief, March 2025
That being said, don’t expect Amazon to bring back devices like the short-lived Fire Phone, for example. Panos made it clear that it is not on the agenda, although he didn’t completely rule it out, too.
However, Panos teased that future releases could include augmented reality glasses and new wrist-worn devices. This could mean future Echo Frames might come with cameras, like the Ray-Ban Metas, but with even more features, all tied into Alexa+.
The first devices powered by Alexa+ that Panos has been working on are expected to hit the market sometime between August and October 2025 and the new AI operating system will be at the heart.
The main goal here is to create smoother and more useful experiences for users as they switch between devices. Adding premium gadgets to the mix is a strategy Panos used successfully when he ran Microsoft’s hardware division and this is a bit of a shift for Amazon.
While the tech giant offered higher-end products like the Echo Studio speaker and Kindle Scribe combo, the company is more commonly known for affordable devices like sub-$50 TV sticks and basic smart speakers.
I think Amazon’s future plans help explain why Alexa+ had to be introduced first. It is going to be the core feature of these new devices, acting as the platform that ties everything together and helps them perform at their best (hopefully).
