Ring Chime Pro 2 leak suggests Alexa may be involved | CES 2020
A new leaked image suggests that Amazon is preparing an imminent follow up to the Ring Chime Pro – a WiFi extender that doubled up as a speaker to hear Ring doorbell sounds in larger houses.
Here is the image, shared on Twitter by technology writer Dave Zatz.
Speaking of CES, here's the Ring Chime Pro *2* — looks like it's got a full-on speaker and Alexa, maybe like an Echo Flex. pic.twitter.com/onVChand4N
— Dave Zatz (@davezatz) January 2, 2020
If the image is legitimate – and it’s worth noting that it looks to be a similar shape to the picture in an FCC filing for the new Chime Pro – then not only will it look more stylish than the current antenna-packed plug, but it looks like it’ll have a new trick up its sleeve. The light blue ring in the top right-hand corner of the cover looks like the calling card of Amazon’s Alexa virtual assistant.
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That may sound a little unnecessary. If you have an Echo Show, then Ring can livestream the doorbell, but with regular Echos the only integration is Alexa saying “someone is at the front door.”
But to look at it simply in terms of doorbell-related functionality is probably a misread: after all, Amazon seems pretty keen on getting multiple Alexa devices in every home. If the new Chime Pro can do everything the Echo can do with weaker sound quality, then it’s not a million miles away from the recently released Echo Flex, which can still answer questions and control smart home functionality.
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But obviously you’ll need a Ring doorbell to get the most out of it, and for what it’s worth we’ve been big fans of them at Trusted Reviews. As David wrote in his review for the Ring Video Doorbell 2: “the system works brilliantly. As someone who deals with couriers aplenty, being able to answer the door when I’m out and about, or even from the top floor of the house, proved a huge time-saver.
“Slight niggles with the size of the doorbell, the time for the app to connect and the landscape-only video mode aside, the Ring Video Doorbell 2 is a great convenience that makes your home safer.”
Hopefully the Chime Pro 2 will ensure smarthomes run even more smoothly in future.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
