Amazon Launches New Fire TV Stick 4K With Redesigned Remote

Amazon is launching today a new Fire TV Stick 4K model that runs Vega OS and comes with a redesigned remote. The new Fire TV Stick 4K, which is priced at $59.99, also uses the same slimmer form factor that debuted on the new Fire TV Stick HD, and it’s also replacing the Fire TV Stick 4K Select and Fire TV Stick 4K Plus in the lineup.

“From powering on to streaming, the new 4K stick gets customers to content from nearly 20–40% faster than a similarly priced 4K stick from another leading brand—the Fire TV Stick 4K turns on faster, apps launch over 35% faster, and content starts playing nearly 20% faster,” Amazon said today.

The new Fire TV Stick 4K comes with a quad-core 1.7 GHz processor, 8GB of storage, and Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.3 support, though unlike the *84.99 Fire TV Stick 4K Max, it doesn’t support Dolby Vision HDR. However, it does support HDR10+ and AV1 video content formats. Amazon also said that its new Vega OS platform has welcomed over 2,000 new apps since last year, including “Spotify, Xbox, VLC, and a range of VPNs.”

The Fire TV remote that comes with Amazon’s slimmer Fire TV Stick 4K uses an asymmetric design with a flat top and curved bottom. The home button now features a metal surface, and Amazon also included a customizable star button, which used to be exclusive to its premium Alexa Remote Pro. The latter will be replaced next year by a new Fire TV Remote Plus, which will offer backlit buttons, a new aluminum body, and an Alexa-powered Find My Remote feature.

The Fire TV Stick 4K is launching today in the US, Canada, Japan, Mexico, the UK, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, and Australia. It will be discounted to just $29.99 in the US during Prime Big Deal Days on October 6-7. The new Fire TV Remote, which is included with the new Fire TV Stick 4K, is also available to purchase separately for $14.99. However, it won’t start shipping until late October.

Lastly, Amazon announced today that its Fire TV platform is getting a new Alexa+ hub with personalized suggestions in November. Later this year, the company will also bring its new Alexa+ assistant to its Fire TV mobile app, which will let users search for content in a conversational manner.