Amazon introduces battery-powered Echo portable speaker in India

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Amazon will launch the Echo Input Portable in India later this month, a compact portable smart speaker with a built-in battery. The device can play mobile music for up to ten hours and changes hands in India for 5000 rupees or about 63 euros.

The Echo Input Portable looks like a somewhat ‘higher’ Echo Dot, including the soft fabric finish. The larger housing can accommodate a 4800mAh battery. It sings up to ten hours on a single charge or keeps the speaker on standby for about eleven hours. Four LEDs above the volume buttons indicate the battery level.

The speaker supports WiFi, but users can also stream music to the Echo Input Portable via Bluetooth. If desired, the device can also be connected to another bluetooth speaker via bluetooth. Unlike the Echo and the Echo Dot, the new model does not have a 3.5mm line output.

Like any Echo speaker, the Input Portable also supports Alexa. Amazon’s voice assistant has understood Hindi, the language spoken by more than half a billion people in India, since September. Users can also address the speaker in Hinglish, a mix of Hindi and English.

The Echo Input Portable is available from December 18 via Amazon.in and costs 63 euros converted. This makes the speaker significantly more expensive than the regular Echo, which is sold in India for 38 euros. It is not known whether Amazon will also release the new smart speaker in other countries.

The concept of a portable battery powered smart speaker is not entirely new. For example, Sonos recently launched its Move speaker and various clickable holders with an integrated battery are available for the Google Home Mini, such as the Ninety7 Jot or the G1 from Kiwi Design.

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