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Apple and Amazon Launch New Smart Displays
Confirmed
In Short: Apple and Amazon have launched new smart displays that address many of the shortcomings previously identified in the market.
Apple and Amazon have launched new smart displays that address many of the shortcomings previously identified in the market, according to The Verge.
Three years ago, The Verge wrote an obituary for the smart display, citing issues with functionality and adoption. However, the recent launches by Apple and Amazon have revitalized the category.
Apple's new HomeView smart display, announced on October 13, 2026, features adaptive technologies including True Tone, with automatic brightness that ranges between 500 nits and 0.3 nits, and an interface that adjusts based on the user's distance from the device.
Amazon's Echo Studio with Home Camera can 'see and understand what’s in front of the camera,' according to Ars Technica. Since its debut in 2019, the Echo Studio has targeted users seeking superior audio quality from their Alexa-based smart speakers.
Amazon also announced the Advanced Room Adaptation feature, which 'continuously tunes the sound to your space, automatically adapting to the room’s acoustics,' as reported by Ars Technica.
In addition to these new smart displays, Amazon is offering significant discounts on various products during its Prime Big Deal Days event. For instance, the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra is available for $980, down from $1,400, saving customers $420.
Apple's Mac Studio M5 Max is currently on sale at Amazon for $2,299, down from its list price of $2,499, marking the lowest price ever seen at Amazon.
ASUS has also joined the fray with a deal on its latest 2026 Vivobook S 16 AMD-powered Copilot+ PC, available for $1,099.99 shipped.
These new offerings and discounts suggest a renewed focus on the smart display market, potentially reversing the trend of declining interest observed in recent years.
Apple has historically struggled to compete with Google and Amazon in the smart home market, but the new HomeView display represents a significant step forward in integrating hardware and software.
Amazon's redesigned Echo Spot, originally discontinued around four years ago, has returned with a new semi-circular touchscreen display, colorful clock faces, and an improved speaker.
The Echo Spot is now available in Black, Glacier White, and Ocean Blue, and Prime members can save £30 on the device when ordered before July 17.
What this adds
The new smart displays from Apple and Amazon address many of the issues previously identified in the market, potentially reviving interest in the category.
The discounts and new features offered by both companies during Prime Big Deal Days and Techtober suggest a renewed focus on the smart display market.
What's confirmed
- Apple and Amazon have launched new smart displays that address many of the shortcomings previously identified in the market, according to The Verge.
- Three years ago, The Verge wrote an obituary for the smart display, citing issues with functionality and adoption. However, the recent launches by Apple and Amazon have revitalized the category.
- Apple's new HomeView smart display, announced on October 13, 2026, features adaptive technologies including True Tone, with automatic brightness that ranges between 500 nits and 0.3 nits, and an interface that adjusts based on the user's distance from the device.
- Amazon's Echo Studio with Home Camera can 'see and understand what’s in front of the camera,' according to Ars Technica. Since its debut in 2019, the Echo Studio has targeted users seeking superior audio quality from their Alexa-based smart speakers.
- Amazon also announced the Advanced Room Adaptation feature, which 'continuously tunes the sound to your space, automatically adapting to the room’s acoustics,' as reported by Ars Technica.
- In addition to these new smart displays, Amazon is offering significant discounts on various products during its Prime Big Deal Days event. For instance, the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra is available for $980, down from $1,400, saving customers $420.
- Apple's Mac Studio M5 Max is currently on sale at Amazon for $2,299, down from its list price of $2,499, marking the lowest price ever seen at Amazon.
- ASUS has also joined the fray with a deal on its latest 2026 Vivobook S 16 AMD-powered Copilot+ PC, available for $1,099.99 shipped.
- These new offerings and discounts suggest a renewed focus on the smart display market, potentially reversing the trend of declining interest observed in recent years.
- Apple has historically struggled to compete with Google and Amazon in the smart home market, but the new HomeView display represents a significant step forward in integrating hardware and software.
- Amazon's redesigned Echo Spot, originally discontinued around four years ago, has returned with a new semi-circular touchscreen display, colorful clock faces, and an improved speaker.
- The Echo Spot is now available in Black, Glacier White, and Ocean Blue, and Prime members can save £30 on the device when ordered before July 17.
What's still developing
- Just less than 2 hours from the official start of the massive Amazon fall Prime Day event, Best Buy has now updated its equally as gigantic Techtober competitor sale with loads of freshly added deals.
- Sony BRAVIA TVs up to $1,000 off at Amazon – OLED, mini-LED, Google TVs with Gemini, more Best Buy is running its wide-ranging Techtober sale right alongside Amazon this year, but its weeklong event started before and will remain long after Prime Big Deal Days has ended.
- But it finally comes to a close today, June 26, so there’s only a few more hours left to save.
- Amazon has the first cash discounts on Apple's brand new Mac mini and Mac Studio, with up to $49 off select models.
- Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Amazon.
- The company announced HomeView on October 13, 2026, a dedicated smart display built around a version of Siri infused with Apple Intelligence, according to Apple’s own newsroom announcement and confirmed by MacRumors.
- That framing is consistent with how Apple has talked about the HomePod line since 2018: hardware as a vessel for software and services, not a spec sheet to win on its own.
- Smart glasses are getting banned across the country.
- Miami International Airport said Sunday that Amazon Air Flight 7598 became disabled at the northwest end of the airport, prompting temporary runway and taxiway closures.
- We found genuine, editor-tested sales on brands like Garmin, Apple, Brooks and more.
- Amazon is slashing prices on top-tier wearables, and the standout deal is a 34% off the Garmin Instict 3.
- Amazon is dropping prices on our favorite audio gear right now, starting with 35% off the Beats Studio Pros.