Amazon has been slowly releasing its latest string of hardware over the past year. And the newest to join the tech giant’s roster is the Fire TV Stick 4K, which Amazon says will deliver “crisp 4K resolution and a fast experience”.
The US-based brand claims that after pitting the new stick against similarly priced 4K models from other brands, the streaming device played content nearly 20 per cent faster than the rest. We have not made the comparison ourselves yet (you will have to wait for our full review). But if Amazon’s new device is as fast as the company claims, then it would certainly be a welcome addition to the streaming family.
As well as offering the expected 4K resolution, the stick also supports 1080p and 720p at up to 60 frames per second. It comes with 8 GB internal storage, a quad-core 1.7 GHz processor, and support for Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.3.
Like the rest of Amazon’s remaining streaming sticks (the Fire TV Stick 4K Plus and Fire TV Stick 4K Select are being culled from the range), the newest entry is built with Amazon’s Vega operating system and comes with Alexa+ out of the box. There’s no Dolby Vision or Dolby Atmos support, however.
The new Fire TV Stick 4K also sports a slimmer design, which should make it even easier to carry around when on the move.
Also new is the remote control, which Amazon says is “designed with more tactile controls so it would be easier to hold and navigate key buttons”. Gone is the rounded remote top with the rather clunky blue Alexa button; in is a more premium-looking flat-top and a weighted bottom to help you tell which end to point at the TV more immediately.
The home button now sports a metal orange design to make it easy to find, and there’s a customisable star button that you can set up so that it goes straight to your favourite app, or to toggle settings.
Amazon also says a Fire TV Remote Plus is coming early next year, with an aluminium body, backlit buttons and a built-in “Alexa, find my remote” feature. That will replace the Alexa Voice Remote Pro.
So how much will it set you back? Well, this is where things get interesting. The Fire TV Stick 4K costs £70 / $60. Right now and during Prime Day, you can get it for the discounted price of £33 / $30, which is much more palatable.
When we reviewed its Award-winning step-up sibling, though, the Fire TV Stick 4K Max cost £70 / $60 / AU$120. But the price of this Award-winning streaming stick has now gone up to £100 / $85 without Prime deals or limited discounts.
Considering the 4K Max model offers Dolby Vision and Atmos support where the new Fire TV Stick 4K does not, it seems that Amazon’s entire streaming-stick range is having a price hike. We are yet to test the new streaming device but, unless you manage to snag it at a discounted price, its full-fat cost is a hard pill to swallow.
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