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ZDNET’s key takeaways
- Amazon hosted a Devices & Services event on September 30.
- The event featured new Ring cameras, Echo speakers and displays, Fire TV devices, and a new Kindle Scribe Colorsoft.
- ZDNET was on-site at the event to provide the most up-to-date coverage.
Amazon has just wrapped up its next Devices and Services event, an invitation-only event held on September 30 in New York City. The company uses these events to introduce new products, including Echo speakers and displays, Kindle e-readers, and Fire TVs.
Also: The best Alexa devices: Expert tested
The e-commerce company announced a new Kindle Scribe Colorsoft, as well as new Ring Doorbells and cameras (including a full 4K lineup), Echo displays and speakers, Blink devices, and Fire TV products at the event — all available for preorder beginning today. We also saw new software features rolled out, including Alexa+ integrations in Fire TVs and even a Search Party feature in the Ring app to find lost pets.
How to watch the 2025 Amazon Devices & Services event
Amazon held its 2025 Devices and Services event as an invitation-only press conference, so it wasn’t livestreamed. However, ZDNET was on-site at the event and reported live to bring you full coverage of all the announcements Amazon made in real time. We also went hands-on with the new products to share our first impressions.
What products did Amazon launch?
New Kindle Scribe lineup (including Colorsoft): Amazon has just announced a new Kindle Scribe lineup, which includes a Colorsoft model – the first Scribe model with a color e-paper display. Panay explained that the new Scribe has perfected the feel of writing on paper, rather than a display. It’s also 40% faster than older models and has a unique color processing technology.
“This brings the real-world colors and doesn’t blast your eyes. Same front light design but with a color filter. It feels right – it just feels right. Same friction, same speed,” Panay said of the Kindle Scribe Colorsoft. “You want to make sure the ink coming out is the color you chose.”
Also: Why I use this $100 Android tablet more than my iPad Pro – and don’t regret it
The Kindle Scribe costs $430, a Kindle Scribe with FrontLight is priced at $500, and the Kindle Scribe Colorsoft costs $630. Amazon launched the Kindle Colorsoft Signature Edition in October 2024, followed by a 16GB Kindle Colorsoft–> and a Kids version<!–>.
Echo Studio, Echo Dot Max, Echo Show 11, and Echo Show 8: Amazon introduced its new Echo devices as built for Alexa+. The new devices are powered by the AZ3 and AZ3 Pro processors, which are faster and more powerful, capable of processing AI requests for Alexa+. Their built-in AI features enable them to process contextual awareness from real-world information gathered by sensors throughout your home. For example, it can learn patterns in your home and alert you when something happens out of the ordinary, such as if your front door is left unlocked after midnight.
The new Echo Studio is priced at $220, the Echo Dot Max is $100, the Echo Show 11 is $220, and the Echo Show 8 is $180.
Also: 8 smart home gadgets I invested in this year – and how they’re already paying off
While Amazon launched new Echo Show 15 and 21 smart displays last year, the company hadn’t released a new Echo Dot, its most popular smart speaker, since 2022. As for more recent smart speakers, Amazon launched the Echo Spot in July 2024, following the Echo Pop’s launch in May 2023.
Ring cameras: Ring founder Jamie Siminoff announced a new Retinal Vision technology for the Ring Video Doorbell. The long-awaited upgrade will improve the image quality and upgrade to 2K resolution. “Retinal Vision is a multi-step process that starts with sensors that use BSI pixels for superior low-light performance,” Siminoff said.
The new 2K cameras include a Wired Doorbell Plus 2K for $180 and an Indoor Cam Plus 2K for $60.
Additionally, Ring is finally bringing 4K to its security cameras, announcing the Outdoor Cam Pro 4K for $200, the Spotlight Cam Pro 4K for $250, the Wired Doorbell Pro 4K for $250, and the Floodlight Cam Pro 4K for $280. All products are available for pre-order today.
Also: My favorite backyard spotlight camera just hit its lowest price ever on Amazon
The Elite doorbell is also getting an upgrade with the launch of the new Wired Doorbell Elite 4K. Amazon also announced new POE cameras: the Outdoor Cam POE 4K and Spotlight Cam Pro POE 4K.
As far as Ring software updates, here’s what we heard:
- Retinal Tuning: Amazon also introduced Retinal Tuning, which enables consumers to customize their picture quality to match the scene they are viewing.
- Familiar Faces: Users can add family members and friends to the Ring app, as the new Ring cameras will also utilize facial recognition to identify who’s at the door or who has been spotted by a camera.
- Alexa+ Greetings: Will let Alexa act as an “intelligent doorbell attendant,” capable of managing deliveries and sending away solicitors. Familiar Faces and Alexa+ Greetings will be rolled out to new Ring devices in December.
- Search Party: Siminoff wrapped up the Ring updates with a Search Party feature, which helps pet owners be reunited with their lost pets. The feature initiates a search party on nearby Ring cameras whenever a pet owner reports a lost pet through the Ring app. The app will then notify nearby neighbors if the pet has been spotted on any of their cameras, allowing them to share the information with the pet owner.
Blink security cameras: The new Blink products include the Blink Mini 2K+ for $50, the Blink Outdoor 2K+ for $90, and the Blink Arc for $100, which features two Outdoor cameras that create a wide panoramic view of its coverage area.
Fire TVs and Fire TV Stick 4K Select: Amazon refreshed the Fire TV 4 Series, starting at $330, the Fire TV 2 Series, starting at $160, and the Fire TV Omni QLED Series. A new Fire TV Stick 4K Select will also be available for $40.
The new Fire TVs feature the new Amazon operating system called Vega OS, which moves the company away from relying on Android-based OS in favor of this Linux-based proprietary alternative. They also feature faster processing times and images that can automatically adjust to the room’s lighting. The TVs will also feature Dialog Boost to adjust the volumes in channels when the voices are too quiet, but the background noise is too loud.
Also: Amazon’s Vega OS is being updated to Fire TVs this year – here’s why that’s a big deal
Aside from maintaining hands-free Alexa, Amazon is also introducing presence sensors to its new Omni Series TVs, featuring a feature the company is calling Omnisense. This allows you to set up your TV so that it turns on when you enter the room, although it remains unclear whether this presence sensor can be used for routines and automations with other smart home products.
Live updates (refresh for changes)
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This is secretly the best product unveiled today
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By Kerry Wan, Managing Editor / Sept. 30 at 8:42 p.m. ET
Much of today’s keynote revolved around voice commands, but the best thing unveiled had more to do with the opposite. Let me introduce you to Amazon’s new Smart Dimmer Switch and Remote–>
, a $20 clicker with programmable buttons for routines, triggers, and more. Fittingly, it’s branded as an Amazon Basics product, but its capabilities are, from the demos I saw, limitless.
By default, the remote can turn on or off your lights, as well as dim them. But, through the Alexa app, you can also remap each of the four buttons to execute a chain of commands, such as opening your garage door, turning on the entrance light, and then playing some relaxing music through an Echo speaker.
