Not all Echo devices will get Alexa Plus - see if yours made the list

Echo Dot (5th Gen) smart speaker with Alexa — Maria Diaz/ZDNET

Amazon has announced a gen AI-powered Alexa Plus, a revamped version of its popular virtual assistant that leverages the power of generative artificial intelligence to enhance the user experience. Alexa Plus is exactly what you may have envisioned when you first heard of voice assistants like Alexa, Siri, and Google, but without the accompanying disappointment at their shortcomings.

The improved voice assistant will be able to generate responses instead of repeating what it’s been programmed to say. With generative AI, Alexa Plus will also hold more natural conversations with users rather than listening to a prompt and responding with an action. It will support memory to recall preferences and conversations and will maintain context throughout a conversation, so it will remember what you asked at the beginning of a chat and respond in that context.

Also: Everything announced at Amazon’s Alexa event: Alexa Plus, new Echo Show UI, and more

But Alexa Plus will not be available for all Echo devices, at least not initially. Here’s a list of the Echo devices that will support Alexa Plus when it begins rolling out over the next month:

Echo devices compatible with Alexa Plus

Echo Show 8

Echo Show 10

Echo Show 15

Echo Show 21

Amazon said it is prioritizing these Echo Show displays in the early access period of Alexa Plus, so the revamped virtual assistant could eventually be available on other Echo devices not listed above.

Also: 7 exciting AI features coming with Alexa Plus (and how to get the service for free)

Every Echo device that initially won’t support Alexa Plus

Echo Show 5

Echo Show 5 Kids

Echo Hub

Echo

Echo Dot

Echo Dot Kids

Echo Pop

Echo Spot

Echo Studio

Echo Auto

Echo Buds

Amazon has a big lineup of smart speakers that won’t initially support Alexa Plus’ generative AI features, but that’s not to say they won’t gain compatibility later.

Amazon’s plans for Alexa Plus may be heavily tethered to the display factor, so Echo speakers could be excluded from the new generative AI assistant. A smart display offers users a visual glance of their conversation with Alexa Plus, including integrations with apps that require users to see what the virtual assistant came up with. Ordering an Uber without seeing the screen could end up being confusing, after all.

Also: Want your Safari to default to ChatGPT for search? Here’s how to do it

But Alexa Plus could do many more things for a user without relying on a display, like answering questions and creating stories. It is my belief that Amazon will eventually launch Alexa Plus for its smart speakers, especially as there are many Alexa households that don’t have an Echo Show. ZDNET reached out to Amazon for comment on this and we’ve yet to get a reply.

Amazon announced that Alexa Plus will cost $20 a month and will be offered as a separate service, though it will be included in the Prime membership. The Alexa Plus cost is the same as ChatGPT Plus, though its individual offerings will need to be compared when available to assess which one is better.

Alexa Plus will be rolled out to some of the Echo Show devices listed above over the coming weeks, followed by a gradual broader rollout. Amazon said the early access rollout will happen next month.