Amazon Echo goes on sale: new model coming later this month?

Amazon is said to be gearing up to release a new Amazon Echo product. The upcoming model looks set to be a substantial departure from the previous device with a square design and touchscreen interface rather than a “voice-only” cylinder. Speculation is now mounting that it will launch later this month, and this sale on the current Amazon Echo could be another indication of its successor’s imminent arrival.

The device has been discounted from $180 down to $150 dollars including free shipping. That’s a 17% discount; the most we’ve seen previously is 22% last November (it was down to $140).

Though manufacturers often try to sell stock of previous products before launching a new device, it’s possible in this case that Amazon is simply discounting the unit as a promotion for Mother’s Day on Saturday, May 13. That said, other Alexa-powered devices, like the Echo Dot and the Amazon Tap, haven’t seen a similar discounts, which suggests that Amazon is only trying to shift large numbers of the model which is to be replaced.

If $150 is still too much, you can read about how the Amazon Echo compares to the $50 Echo Dot here. If you’re interested, check out the current Echo deal at the link below.