Amazon launches Echo Time, a camera-free Alexa+ alarm clock for the nightstand

A spherical clock with hundreds of faces

Amazon says Echo Time is designed for the nightstand, with a spherical body and a 3.2-inch circular touchscreen. The company stresses that the device has no camera. Users can personalize the on-screen information and pick from hundreds of clock faces, including analog designs, nature-inspired backdrops, seasonal themes and faces for favorite sports teams.

Amazon also lists characters from franchises such as Harry Potter, Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern and Powerpuff Girls. Faces can be changed by voice, for example by saying, "Alexa, change to a seasonal clock face."

Alexa+ handles the planning side. According to Amazon, a user can say they need to be ready by 8 a.m. and must not forget their lunch, and Alexa will set an alarm for the right time and queue a reminder. At bedtime, Alexa can play relaxing music from the user's preferred music service or set the room to a sleep-friendly temperature.

Sleep sensing wakes you in lighter sleep

Echo Time has earned the National Sleep Foundation's SleepMark, which Amazon describes as an award for sleep products that meet evidence-based sleep health standards.

An optional smart alarms feature does not wake the user at a fixed time. Instead, Alexa detects lighter sleep and wakes the user anywhere within 10 to 60 minutes of the set alarm. Amazon says this runs on Omnisense, its sensor fusion technology. Room temperature sensors and presence detection build a sleep routine, while ultrasound detects breathing and proximity, all without a wearable.

• Alarm tones are customizable, start quietly and build in energy with each snooze, up to four times.
• In the morning the display mimics a natural sunrise, brightening as the alarm approaches.
• In the evening it switches to night mode, showing only the time or the next alarm and reducing blue light.

On privacy, Amazon says sleep sensing is opt-in by default and can be switched on or off in the Alexa app's device settings, or by muting the microphones. The device also has visual indicators when Alexa is listening and a dedicated privacy button that turns the microphones off completely.

Kids version, pricing and availability

Amazon Kids Echo Time is a version made for children and is powered by Amazon Kids+. Kids can set their own alarms, check the weather before school, ask questions and change clock faces. Bedtime support comes through Sleep Studio, which Amazon says turns Echo Kids devices into a bedtime system with wind-down content from Calm, Headspace and Moshi. Parents can set sleep schedules in the Amazon Parent Dashboard so wind-down starts automatically, and older kids can say, "Alexa, play Sleep Studio."

Echo Time costs $199.99 and comes in Graphite, Glacier White and Coral Pink. A matching adjustable stand is sold separately for $39.99. Amazon Kids Echo Time comes in Galactic Grape and Cosmic Lime, starting at $209.99 with a one-year Kids+ subscription included.

Amazon notes that certain features require Alexa+, which is included with a Prime membership. For buyers, the launch gives Alexa a dedicated bedroom device that pairs a no-camera design with optional sleep tracking that does not need a wearable.