The much-anticipated Amazon fall hardware event is on the horizon, scheduled for Tuesday, September 30th, 2025, and it’s shaping up to be quite the spectacle. The company, cleverly guided by the words on their invitation, hints at fresh additions to the Echo line and a brand-new Kindle. A major event in Amazon’s calendar, it also marks another significant assembly for Panos Panay, who joined Amazon in 2023 to helm its devices and services teams after a distinguished career at Microsoft where he worked on launching notable products such as the Surface lineup.
Under the stewardship of Panay, Amazon has taken bold strides, introducing a flurry of new Kindle products last year, including the first-ever color Kindle, and publicizing its AI-operated Alexa Plus assistant. But what should we anticipate from the upcoming event?
Analysts are betting on at least one new Echo product. The notable blue Echo ring, an intrinsic part of Amazon’s invitation, strongly hints that we can expect new Echo smart speakers during the presentation. Speculations are high about an updated standard Echo, as the company has not unveiled one since 2020. It’s also logical to expect a revamped Echo Studio, last refreshed in 2023. As eager as these predictions are, it’s worth waiting out for the event before purchasing any new smart speakers, especially for consumers already invested in Amazon’s Alexa and Echo ecosystem.
However, untangling the hint about a color Kindle Scribe from Amazon’s invitation doesn’t require intensive guesswork. One of the images significantly features a color version of the Kindle logo. More excitingly, a hidden clue suggests that Amazon might announce a color version of the Kindle Scribe. The words “with the” and “stroke of a pen,” sneakily placed in the corner, conveys this message. The Scribe, a tablet-sized E Ink device accompanying a stylus, first made its appearance in 2022, with a second-generation version launched last year. Interestingly, both lacked a color screen, establishing it as a potential upgrade feature.
A Reddit user recently stirred excitement by sharing images of a prototype Kindle, the “Kindle Petit Color,” purportedly a size smaller than the 11th-generation Kindle. According to this user, the prototype offers superior colors compared to the preceding year’s Colorsoft. However, the confidence in this possible release is relatively lower as Amazon very recently introduced a cheaper Kindle Colorsoft, devoid of certain features present in the Colorsoft Signature Edition like wireless charging.
The invitation lends credence to the possibility of Amazon announcing new TV hardware, featuring an image reminiscent of a TV. However, the more thrilling TV-related news would be the potential launch of Vega OS, Amazon’s proprietary operating system set to replace the Android-based Fire TV. Vega OS has been an open secret, given the mentions in Amazon job listings and its implementation in Echo Show 5, Echo Hub smart displays, and the Echo Spot smart clock. So, an official announcement of Vega OS for TVs at this event would mark a grand revelation.
Amazon may also use this occasion to announce advancements or upgrades to Alexa Plus, a critical initiative for the company as it vies against other popular AI assistants like OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Google’s Gemini. While the enhanced Alexa hasn’t completed its rollout, Amazon might give updates on the progress and announce new features for the assistant.
Given Amazon’s track record of surprising audiences with new and unexpected products that work with Alexa, such as the Echo Buttons, Echo Wall Clock, and even an Alexa-enabled microwave, the company may spring another surprise this year. With Meta heavily investing in smart AI glasses, an upgrade on Amazon’s Echo Frames wouldn’t be too far-fetched.
Original article: The Verge
