Amazon Alexa event live - latest news and rumors ahead of devices and service announcements

Amazon is set to host its first Amazon Devices event since 2023, scheduled for 10am EST / 3pm GMT / 2am ACT on Wednesday, February 26, with many expecting this to be the launching pad for a new, AI-enhanced Alexa, alongside a handful of rumored Echo and Fire TV devices.

After announcing Alexa 2.0 alongside an array of hardware launches back in 2023, all has been relatively quiet from Amazon regarding the future of the LLM (large language model)-boosted smart assistant. Elsewhere, however, rumors have spelled a challenging road to release for Alexa 2.0, including recent concerns that there may be further delays even with its unveiling on the horizon.

It could end up being a divisive event, however, and not because of AI-related concerns; Amazon could be about to fill out its "trends of the 2020s" bingo card by also announcing a subscription plan for the newly smartened Alexa.

We're on the ground in New York City attending the event, which is not publicly available to live stream, and we'll be sharing all the news live as it happens. Stay tuned!

Live blogged by

Josephine is TechRadar's Managing Editor of Lifestyle, and has been reviewing and writing about the best smart home devices (Amazon Echo speakers included) for several years. Based in the UK, she oversees the homes, cameras and fitness sections of the site, and regularly edits TechRadar's smart home-related reviews and buying guides.

The latest news

• Amazon has scheduled its Devices and Services event for for 10AM EST / 3PM GMT / 2AM ACT on Wednesday, February 26.
• The event is rumored to be the announcement of a new, AI-enhanced Alexa 2.0...
• ... however further rumors suggest this will be a subscription-only service.
• Further rumors suggest new Fire TV hardware and potentially new Echo devices.

2025-02-26T11:27:47.461Z

Not everyone on the Alexa subreddit is totally against the idea of a paid tier, but they want it to offer something special. Suggestions include a less robotic voice (more like ChatGPT or Claude), the ability to use Boolean operators in commands, or just scrapping the option to play soothing ocean sounds when the lights are turned off at night. Shame, I quite like that.

2025-02-26T09:57:27.482Z

Especially at release, Alexa was a real game-changer, but with the passage of time comes new technology and new demands on aging software. That’s certainly the case with Alexa; the voice assistant has seen many quality of life updates and new features, but it’s starting to show its age.

There’s plenty that could be improved, but I wrote yesterday about five specific features that would make Alexa 2.0 genuinely worthwhile. Check it out!

2025-02-26T09:39:56.922Z

With rumors flying about Alexa 2.0’s subscription fee, we’ll hopefully be learning more later today on what that means for the original Alexa. Logic would dictate they wouldn’t fully ditch it and would leave that as the ‘basic’ option in all Echo devices, right? Right?

Anyway, for a refresher on what Alexa can do, check out our list of the Best Alexa Skills and commands.

2025-02-26T09:15:43.637Z

Instead of a Devices and Services event in 2024, Amazon opted to trickle various product releases throughout the year, including a surprise launch for the all-new Echo Show 21, as well as second generations of the Echo Spot and Echo Show 15.

We’ve reviewed them all - check them out!

2025-02-25T13:46:04.514Z

Welcome to our live blog coverage of Amazon’s Devices and Services event! Our very own Lance Ulanoff and Jacob Krol are on the ground in New York City to attend the event in person, and I’ll be covering all the news as we learn more from Amazon about its 2025 products.

Stay tuned, because this could be a big moment for Amazon!