Amazon has launched the Echo Time, a new Alexa-powered smart alarm clock designed to make mornings a little more manageable.
Unlike the company’s previous Echo Spot devices, the new model uses sleep monitoring, gradual sunrise lighting and smart alarms to help users wake up at a potentially more comfortable point in their sleep cycle.
The Echo Time features a spherical design with a 3.2-inch circular touchscreen, offering hundreds of customisable clock faces. These include traditional analogue designs, seasonal themes and characters from franchises such as the DC Universe. Users can switch between designs using Alexa voice commands, while the display automatically dims at night and gradually brightens in the morning to simulate a sunrise.
The biggest addition, however, is its optional smart alarm system. Rather than waking users at a fixed time, the Echo Time attempts to identify periods of lighter sleep and sound the alarm when waking up might feel less disruptive. It uses room temperature sensors, presence detection and ultrasound-based breathing monitoring to estimate sleep patterns, without requiring a smartwatch or other wearable.
There’s a catch, though. The smart alarm can wake users anywhere between 10 and 60 minutes around their chosen alarm time, which might not be ideal for anyone with a strict morning schedule. Fortunately, the feature can be switched off, allowing the Echo Time to work like a conventional alarm clock when punctuality matters more than sleep optimisation.
Amazon has also considered bedroom privacy. The Echo Time doesn’t include a camera, provides visual indicators when Alexa is listening and features a dedicated microphone-off button.
The standard Echo Time is available for $200 in Graphite, Glacier White and Coral Pink, with an optional adjustable stand costing $40.
There’s also an Echo Time Kids, priced at $210, available in Galactic Grape and Cosmic Lime. It includes a year’s Amazon Kids+ subscription, allowing children to personalise clock faces, set alarms and ask Alexa questions, while parents retain control over their sleep schedules.
Whether its sleep-tracking technology actually makes mornings easier remains to be seen, but at least Amazon is giving users another option beyond the usual blaring alarm.
