Amazon raises Echo, Fire TV, Kindle prices by up to 60%
▼ Summary
– Amazon raised prices on Echos, Kindles, Fire TVs, and Eeros by up to 60%, citing significant increases in memory and storage component costs.
– The Echo Dot smart speaker increased from $49.99 to $79.99, the largest jump among the cheapest products.
– The Fire TV Stick 4K Max rose by over 40% to $84.99, and the base Kindle now costs $149.99, a nearly 37% increase.
– The flagship Echo Dot Max smart speaker went from $99.99 to $119.99.
– Apple also increased the price of its comparable HomePod Mini to $129 from $99.99 this summer.
Amazon has quietly implemented substantial price hikes across its hardware lineup, with some devices now costing up to 60 percent more. The company attributes the increases to “significant increases in memory and storage component costs,” according to a statement provided to Fortune.
The most dramatic jumps hit Amazon’s budget-friendly offerings. The Echo Dot smart speaker surged from $49.99 to $79.99, a 60 percent increase that makes the entry-level device considerably less accessible. Similarly, the Fire TV Stick 4K Max climbed over 40 percent to $84.99, while the base model Kindle now carries a $149.99 price tag, representing a nearly 37 percent jump from its previous cost.
Even Amazon’s premium devices weren’t spared. The flagship Echo Dot Max smart speaker, which debuted last year, rose from $99.99 to $119.99. This move mirrors a broader industry trend, as Apple also increased the price of its comparable HomePod Mini this summer, bumping it to $129 from $99.99.
The price adjustments affect Amazon’s entire ecosystem, including Eeros and Fire TV products, making this one of the company’s most sweeping hardware price changes in recent memory. For consumers eyeing Amazon devices, the new pricing represents a significant shift in the value proposition these products once offered.
(Source: The Verge)
