Amazon debuts $150 Echo Plus, which comes with built-in smart home hub that has 100 launch partners and ships with a free Hue light bulb; preorders start today
Brian Heater / TechCrunch :
Context & Ripple Effects
Amazon had already made Echo a voice-control point for Hue and WeMo devices through its earlier Hue and WeMo integration. Echo Plus moves that role into the hardware itself, pairing a built-in smart-home hub with 100 launch partners and a Hue bulb bundle.
The launch sits alongside Amazon's newly refreshed lower-priced Echo lineup, giving the company a distinct model aimed at buyers who want to begin building out a connected home rather than only add a voice speaker.
First-order effects
- Echo Plus buyers can use Amazon's $150 device as both an Alexa speaker and a smart-home hub, while the included Hue bulb gives the 100-partner ecosystem an immediate starter use case.
- Amazon broadens Echo's role from voice control of existing connected devices to the device that anchors their setup.
Second-order effects
- Hue gains a bundled route into Echo Plus households, tying its lighting products more closely to Amazon's smart-home onboarding experience.
- Amazon's standard Echo refresh and Echo Plus launch create a clearer product split: the $100 Echo serves general speaker buyers, while Echo Plus targets smart-home buyers at a higher price.
Third-order effects
- If Amazon continues to attach hub functions and starter devices to Echo hardware, smart-home compatibility becomes a route to Echo ecosystem adoption rather than a standalone feature for individual accessory makers.
The trend: Amazon is turning Echo from a voice interface for connected devices into a more central entry point for assembling a smart-home ecosystem.