Engadget sources report that the next Echo will include multiple tweeters inside, which should result in a dramatic improvement in sound. It also seems like the device will look more like a HomePod than the current Echo, substituting hard plastic cylinder for ‘cloth-like’ rounded shell.
Engadget says that this is a new version of the main Echo product, rather than a new addition to the line like the Echo Dot or Echo Show.
Form factor wise, the new rounded chassis will also be slimmer and shorter than the current-generation model which stands at 9 inches tall. The report roughly describes its appearance as four Echo Dots stacked on top of each other.
In comparison, the HomePod is about 7-inches tall and 6 inches wide, shorter but fatter than the Echo cylinder.
Engadget says it doesn’t know how the new Echo will be priced but it isn’t a reach to say it will be cheaper than Apple’s offering. The current Echo sells for $180 (although has been on sale at various discounts across the year). Apple’s HomePod will cost $349 when it launches in December.
