NEWS · COMPANIES · #1789
Review: Amazon’s Alexa Plus improves smart-home control but falls short as a personal assistant
The Verge’s hands-on review of Alexa Plus — Amazon’s generative-AI assistant available on Echo devices, Fire TV and the Alexa app — finds large improvements in conversational smart-home control, routines, speed and kitchen help since early access in July 2025 and the full launch in February 2026. The review also notes persistent issues with identity/context memory, some unreliable personal-assistant features, and intrusive ads on Echo Show displays.
KEY POINTS
- The Verge’s hands-on review of Alexa Plus — Amazon’s generative-AI assistant available on Echo devices, Fire TV and the Alexa app — finds large improvements in conversational smart-home control, routines, speed and kitchen help since early access in July 2025 and the full launch in February 2026.
- The review also notes persistent issues with identity/context memory, some unreliable personal-assistant features, and intrusive ads on Echo Show displays.
- It shows concrete consumer benefits from LLM-powered voice assistants for smart-home control while highlighting reliability, personalization, and UX gaps that will limit broader adoption.
WHY IT MATTERS
It shows concrete consumer benefits from LLM-powered voice assistants for smart-home control while highlighting reliability, personalization, and UX gaps that will limit broader adoption.