Google Home Mini meets a hockey puck: Is this the next Amazon Echo Dot?

AFTVnews

• Recently leaked photos appear to show the third generation of the Amazon Echo Dot.
• The photos reveal a number of design changes, such as a fabric covering around the edges.
• Amazon released the last version of the Amazon Echo Dot in October 2016.

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Two leaked images purportedly show the next generation of the Amazon Echo Dot. The images, revealed by Numerama and FrAndroid  (via AFTVnews), suggest that Amazon has gone with a softer design for its upcoming speaker by rounding off its edges and adding a Google Home Mini-style fabric covering. Amazon has apparently codenamed the speaker "Donut."

According to AFTVnews, the new device is being tested by Amazon employees, and its sound quality is supposedly better than the existing Echo Dot. AFTVnews guesses that the device in the pictures is slightly larger than the current-gen device — perhaps to accommodate an improved speaker.

The outlet also speculates that the device will be equipped with five microphones, as opposed to the seven found on the second-generation Echo Dot. This doesn't necessarily mean the new speaker will fare worse when it comes to hearing your commands, as technological improvements may have allowed Amazon to use fewer mics in the first place.

Other than that, however, much appears to be unchanged. The device in the picture still has four buttons: mute, action, and volume controls, and is still very small.

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Amazon released the second-generation Echo Dot in October 2016. The fact that it is powered by Alexa means it can do pretty much everything the bigger and more expensive Amazon Echo can do. However, its small size means its speakers are comparatively weak. While the speaker improvements mentioned above would be welcome, the size of the device means you might not hear a huge difference.

The leak does not hint at when Amazon will release the new speaker. However, considering the device in the picture looks close to finished and also that the current Echo Dot will be two years old in October, perhaps it will come sooner rather than later.

Next up: Amazon Alexa: The definitive guide to making your home smarter

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