Amazon is testing a significant change to its Echo smart speaker and display lineup, with some customers seeing the products rebranded as Alexa devices. The Verge has obtained images of Amazon.com landing pages displaying the Echo Show 5 smart display as the Alexa Show 5, along with new branding for an Alexa Show 15, Alexa Show 10, Alexa Show 8, and Alexa Spot.

The discovery was made after a reader tipped off The Verge about the rebranded Echo Show 5 page on Amazon.com. Upon further investigation, The Verge was able to recreate the finding on one account, but not on others. This suggests that the rebranding is part of a limited experiment, rather than a widespread rollout.

When contacted about the potential change, Amazon spokesperson Lauren Raemhild downplayed the significance of the experiment, stating that the company is simply trying to better understand how customers search for Echo devices. However, the move could be seen as a way to leverage the popularity of the Alexa voice assistant, which has become synonymous with Amazon's smart speakers and displays.

Since the launch of the first Echo smart speaker in 2014, Amazon has consistently branded its smart speakers and displays as Echo devices, with Alexa serving as the onboard voice assistant. Despite this, many users have taken to referring to the devices as "Alexa speakers," given the central role of the voice assistant in controlling the devices.

The rebranding experiment comes as Amazon prepares to launch Alexa Plus, a revamped generative AI-powered version of the voice assistant. It's possible that Amazon is considering rebranding its hardware to align with the new Alexa Plus branding, although this is purely speculative at this point.

As of Thursday, March 27th, all mentions of Alexa Shows have been removed from the pages where they were initially found, suggesting that the experiment has been paused or discontinued. However, the potential remains for Amazon to revisit the rebranding effort in the future, potentially signaling a shift in its product naming strategy.

The implications of such a move would be significant, as it would represent a major departure from Amazon's established branding strategy. It would also raise questions about the future of the Echo brand, which has become closely associated with Amazon's smart home offerings.

For now, Amazon's customers will have to wait and see whether the Alexa rebranding experiment will lead to a more permanent change. One thing is clear, however: Amazon is continuing to explore new ways to leverage the popularity of its Alexa voice assistant, and the potential benefits of rebranding its hardware to align with this popular brand.