Amazon Holding a Devices Event on February 26

Amazon is holding an event on February 26 at 10AM ET, and that’s unusually early in the year for the company, which typically has its launches in the fall like the rest of its peers. However, considering the last time Amazon had a "devices and services" showcase was in September 2023, this one is overdue.

What to Expect

While we don’t exactly know what the company plans on showing off, we certainly have some educated guesses. The company’s hardware chief, Panos Panay, and his devices and services team will be on hand, indicating the presence of new gadgets at the event. However, the main focus will likely be more information on the long-promised next-gen Alexa.

Alexa 2.0: The Focus

Amazon sent out five versions of a bare-bones invite to the event. Internet sleuths pieced the images together and, lo and behold, the background spells out the word "Alexa." This suggests that the new Alexa would likely benefit from some dedicated hardware, which could be a refresh of the Echo line of smart speakers. It’s also possible that the budget-friendly and useful Echo Buds earbuds will get an upgrade.

Technical Issues and Challenges

The development team has reportedly had issues with hallucinations and technical difficulties in getting the updated chatbot to do basic things, such as creating a timer and turning on smart lights. These kinds of tasks have been the bread and butter of the current Alexa chatbot for years.

Key Features and Capabilities

The company claims the new LLM-powered Alexa will be able to "process nuance and ambiguity—much like a person would—and intelligently take action." This means it will be able to complete complex requests, like "Alexa, every weeknight at 9PM, make an announcement that it’s bedtime for the kids, dim the lights upstairs, turn on the porch light and switch on the fan in the bedroom." That sounds useful, if it works.

What Not to Expect

Amazon just introduced some new Kindles at the tail-end of last year. It’d be weird to see an e-reader at this event. Also, while it’s possible the company could introduce new Fire tablets and the like, that doesn’t really gel with the whole Alexa theme.

Update

February 13, 2025, 12:05PM ET

This story has been updated to add context in the intro on when Amazon last held a "devices and services" event.

Note: I made some minor adjustments to the text to make it flow better and to better fit the format of the original article. I also removed some of the extraneous formatting and made the headings more concise.