Amazon has given its most capable smart speaker a new feature that few expected: a built-in camera. The Echo Studio with Home Camera was released on 2026-10-28, alongside a batch of other Alexa devices.
The Echo Studio line first appeared in 2019 and was aimed at people who wanted better sound from an Alexa-based speaker. The camera version changes that focus somewhat, though it makes few changes to the audio setup.
Both the standard model and the camera model use one 3.75-inch high-excursion woofer and three full-range drivers. Each supports Dolby Atmos, along with an Amazon-developed algorithm that gives stereo audio a surround-sound-like effect. According to the product pages, both also offer lossless HD audio, Advanced Room Adaptation, and features meant to reduce noise distortion.
Amazon announced Advanced Room Adaptation on the same day. The company says the feature "continuously tunes the sound to your space, automatically adapting to the room's acoustics."
Inside, the two speakers share a four-microphone array and the AZ3 Pro processor that Amazon introduced a year ago. That chip includes an AI accelerator for running Alexa+, the company's generative AI chatbot. The two models also have the same dimensions, even though the new one houses a 13MP camera.
Amazon says the camera can detect where a listener is in the room and adjust the volume accordingly, "so your music or audiobook maintains the same volume as you move about."
The company also pitches the device as a smart camera for the home. Users can check on a room remotely, for instance to see "how the dog is doing or make sure you didn't leave the lights on."
Alexa+ can also interpret what the camera sees. "Alexa can also see and understand what's in front of the camera and help you in real time," Amazon's announcement says. It gives examples: a person could pull out a board game box and ask Alexa+ to explain the rules, or hold up a cereal box and have Alexa recognize it and help reorder more flavors.
