Amazon’s New Fire TV Stick HD is 30% Slimmer and Supports Alexa+

Amazon unveiled today a new Fire TV Stick HD streaming stick that’s 30% slimmer than the previous model and also supports the company’s next-gen Alexa+ assistant out of the box. The new device can also be powered through a TV’s USB port, eliminating the need for a separate power adapter.

This new Fire TV Stick HD is Amazon’s “slimmest streaming device—both smaller in volume and width than previous models,” the company said today. It’s also more than 30% faster, and it supports faster wireless connections via Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.3.

The redesigned Fire TV experience that Amazon launched earlier this year added dedicated homes for each content type, and it also increased the number of apps that can be pinned on the home screen from 6 to 20. On the Fire TV Stick and other Fire TV devices that support Alexa+, the new assistant can help users find content to watch, jump straight to a specific scene, provide stats on live sports games, and more. Alexa+ can also surface photos stored on Amazon’s cloud, create AI-generated screensavers, and manage smart home devices.

In the coming months, the new Amazon Fire TV HD Stick will also add support for a new Adaptive Display feature that will make text and content easier to read and navigate. It will complete existing accessibility features on Fire TV devices, such as Dialogue Boost, Audio Descriptions, and High Contrast Text.

The latest Fire TV Stick is priced at $34.99 in the US, and it can be pre-ordered today. It will start shipping later this month in Canada, Mexico, the U.S., the UK, Japan, Australia, and New Zealand. It’s also coming soon to European markets, including Germany, France, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, Belgium, Poland, and Sweden.