# Amazon Nova 2.5 Sonic speech model now generally available

> Amazon announced Nova 2.5 Sonic, a speech‑to‑speech model that lowers latency and improves reasoning for real‑time voice agents.

Oossa · 2026-10-06 · https://oossa.com/en/amazon-nova-2-5-sonic-speech-model-now-generally-available

Amazon announced the general availability of Nova 2.5 Sonic on October 5, 2026. The model is a speech‑to‑speech engine designed for real‑time voice agents. It adds better reasoning, follows multi‑step instructions, and calls external tools more accurately. The new version also reduces the time between a user speaking and the agent responding, making conversations feel faster.

## What the upgrade adds

Nova 2.5 Sonic can keep track of context across longer dialogs and handle tasks like checking an order, verifying return eligibility, and starting a return without leaving the conversation. It works in seven languages, supports both voice and text in the same session, and can handle up to 256,000 tokens of context. Developers can pair it with Strands Bidi Agents, which are also generally available, to build production voice agents with only a few lines of code.

## Availability and pricing

The model is offered through Amazon Bedrock in four AWS regions: US East (N. Virginia), US West (Oregon), Europe (Stockholm), and Asia Pacific (Tokyo). Pricing is the same as the previous Nova 2 Sonic model.

## The facts

- The announcement was made on Mon Oct 05 2026.
- Nova 2.5 Sonic is a speech‑to‑speech model for real‑time voice agents.
- It supports seven languages and a 256K token context window.
- The model is available in Bedrock in US East (N. Virginia), US West (Oregon), Europe (Stockholm) and Asia Pacific (Tokyo).
- Pricing matches that of the earlier Nova 2 Sonic model.

## Why it matters

For developers building voice assistants, the lower latency and stronger reasoning mean customers will experience faster, more natural conversations. Businesses can automate more complex tasks—like checking orders and processing returns—without human hand‑offs. Users will notice quicker responses but the exact cost impact depends on their usage patterns.

## Sources & references

1. [Announcing Amazon Nova 2.5 Sonic with improved reasoning for voice agents](https://aws.amazon.com/about-aws/whats-new/2026/10/amazon-nova-2.5-sonic/) – AWS, 2026-10-05

Last updated: 2026-10-06