Amazon's October Hardware: Alexa Tablets, a Ring Lock on Sidewalk, and No New Echos

Amazon didn’t hold a fall hardware event this year. It announced devices one at a time through late September and October instead (Engadget roundup). Most of it is Kindles and tablets. Three pieces matter for a smart home: the new Alexa Tablets, the Ring Smart Lock, and the fact that there are no new Echo speakers or displays this round.

What was announced and when

Prices and dates are from Amazon’s tablet announcement, the Ring blog, the Ring Smart Lock page, and Engadget. Engadget says Amazon has teased more Alexa-branded devices, so this list may grow.

Alexa Tablets replace Fire tablets

Amazon is retiring Fire OS on its tablets. The new Alexa Tablets run Android 16 with Amazon’s own layer on top, and they come with the full Google Play Store. Fire OS tablets only had Amazon’s app store, so anything not in it had to be sideloaded.

For home automation, the Play Store is the part that matters. Apps like the Home Assistant companion app are available from the Play Store. A cheap Alexa Tablet 8 is a possible wall dashboard without the workarounds older Fire tablets needed.

What Amazon’s announcement doesn’t mention is just as important. It says nothing about Show Mode, a charging dock, or a built-in Zigbee, Matter, or Thread hub (the radio smart home devices pair to; Matter is the cross-brand smart home standard). The Echo Show 8 and Show 11 have those hubs. Until Amazon says otherwise, treat these as tablets that can control Alexa devices, not as hubs. There’s also no microSD slot, according to Engadget.

Alexa+ is built in. A feature called On-Screen Intelligence lets Alexa read what’s on the screen so you can ask for help with it, like adding a game schedule to your calendar. Amazon says it’s off by default and shows an indicator when it’s on.

I may use one of Amazon’s tablets in the future. I had an old iPad lying around, so that’s what I used for my wall dashboard.

Ring Smart Lock uses Sidewalk, not Matter

Ring’s first smart lock opens with a fingerprint reader, a keypad, the Ring app, or Alexa. If the rechargeable battery dies, a built-in dial lets you recharge it by hand. It fits a standard single-cylinder deadbolt.

The connection is the part to look at before buying. The lock talks over Amazon Sidewalk, the low-bandwidth network shared by nearby Echo and Ring devices, not Wi-Fi, Matter, or Thread. Amazon says unlocking at the door happens on the lock itself. Remote locking, status checks, and PIN changes go through Sidewalk, so they depend on Sidewalk coverage where you live. Ring links a coverage map and says coverage can vary or be interrupted.

Other details from the announcement:

• Alexa control requires setting the lock up in the Ring app first.
• Some app features need a Ring subscription.
• Matterhome reports the lock is still awaiting FCC authorization, so early 2027 is a plan, not a date.

No Matter support has been announced, so the lock works through the Ring app and Alexa, can’t join Apple Home, Google Home, or Home Assistant over Matter, and depends on Sidewalk coverage. For comparison, the LG lock in Apple’s Home Collection supports Matter and works locally, which I covered in Apple HomeView and Home Collection: What’s Actually Local.

I have a Level HomeKit lock.

Ring cameras

Ring added 4K versions of its Outdoor Cam, Spotlight Cam, Floodlight Cam, and Indoor Cam, plus a Pan-Tilt Indoor Cam 2K that turns 360 degrees and tilts 175 degrees. They’re available now. Nothing in the announcement changes how Ring cameras work: they’re cloud cameras tied to the Ring app.

I went with Reolink instead. I like the local storage and ease of using other ecosystems.

No new Echos this year

Amazon’s current Echo lineup is still the Echo Dot Max, Echo Studio, Echo Show 8, and Echo Show 11 announced in fall 2025 (Amazon). Each has a built-in Zigbee, Matter, and Thread hub. Amazon’s Matter developer docs say Matter-compatible Echos now run Matter 1.5 software and support a subset of Matter 1.5 and earlier device types, over Wi-Fi and Thread. If you already own one of those Echos, nothing this month replaces it.

What to watch for

• Whether Amazon adds any hub, dock, or Show Mode support to the Alexa Tablets.
• Ring Smart Lock FCC approval, final price, and whether Matter shows up before it ships.
• The other Alexa-branded devices Amazon has teased.