Amazon launches faster 4K Fire TV Stick with an all-new remote

[Shawn Knight]

In a nutshell: Amazon has launched a new and improved version of its Fire TV Stick 4K featuring a slimmer form factor and speedier performance. The goal, Amazon says, is to get customers to content faster than ever – or at least, faster than competing devices.

The new Fire TV Stick 4K is powered by a quad-core 1.7GHz processor alongside 8GB of internal storage. The media streamer supports Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.3, and Bluetooth LE wireless, as well as HDR10+, HLG, H.265, H.264, VP9, and AV1 video formats.

Amazon's latest runs the Vega operating system, and ships with Alexa+ and the newest Fire TV experience out of the box. The new streaming stick leverages Direct Power, which draws power from a TV's USB port to cut down on cable clutter for a cleaner install.

It's also faster. According to Amazon, it can get viewers to content 20-40% faster than a similarly priced stick from a leading brand (likely Roku). In testing, it also bested built-in experiences from three 4K smart TVs.

The new streaming stick also comes with a refreshed Fire TV remote with more tactile controls. It features an asymmetric shape – a flat top with a curved, weighted bottom – that makes it easier to determine orientation without looking.

Other oft-used buttons feature unique surfaces and shapes, again – to make it easier to determine what buttons you are pushing through sheer muscle memory. There's even a customizable button that can be mapped to launch your favorite app or toggle frequently used features like closed captioning or the screen magnifier.

Amazon's Fire TV Stick 4K is available now in several markets including the US, Canada, Mexico, Australia, and the UK, priced at $60, with more countries to come. Better yet, those in the US can grab it for just $30 (introductory coupon available now) and during the Prime Big deals event early next month.

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Amazon launches faster 4K Fire TV Stick with an all-new remote

 

[Win7user]

No thanks.

 

[Skully]

Did they redesign the Fire TV GUI? It just has way too much crap on it for my taste. The only thing I liked about Fire Sticks was being able to side load apps.

 

[BlackyNoir]

Can we break out of it, and install whatever OS we want?

Otherwise, that's going to be a hard pass.

 

[Kashim]

I own multiple Fire TV sticks and I have to say overall they're basically trash. They all have slow, sub 2GHz processors, 1-2GB RAM max depending on which version you get, and only 8GB of storage (there's a super expensive version that comes with 16GB storage), no microSD slot and no USB slot to expand storage. You're stuck with Amazon's OS and if you try to replace the default launcher Amazon goes out of their way to disable it with every forced update. If you like ultra-cluttered interfaces where you're constantly bombarded with ads and attempts to get you to sign up for various services then this device is for you. Otherwise avoid it like the plague.

 

[yRaz]

I remember when fire TV was awesome, we've come a long way since then....

 

[XP Jay]

This the the second new Firestick that doesn't allow sideloading apps. All previous versions before the newest 2 allowed this. So no Kodi for example. Surprised this wasn't mentioned.
They are really cheap right now. Maybe that's why?

 

[Kashim]

This the the second new Firestick that doesn't allow sideloading apps. All previous versions before the newest 2 allowed this. So no Kodi for example. Surprised this wasn't mentioned.
They are really cheap right now. Maybe that's why?

The new cheaper Firesticks run Vega OS which blocks sideloading entirely. Most of the older and higher end models run Fire OS which allows sideloading, but they may switch those to Vega OS too in the future. Of course Amazon insists sideloading was disabled for security reasons *roll eyes* when in fact it's to stop people from using these sticks for piracy and illegal streaming.

 

[maxxcool7421]

I own multiple Fire TV sticks and I have to say overall they're basically trash. They all have slow, sub 2GHz processors, 1-2GB RAM max depending on which version you get, and only 8GB of storage (there's a super expensive version that comes with 16GB storage), no microSD slot and no USB slot to expand storage. You're stuck with Amazon's OS and if you try to replace the default launcher Amazon goes out of their way to disable it with every forced update. If you like ultra-cluttered interfaces where you're constantly bombarded with ads and attempts to get you to sign up for various services then this device is for you. Otherwise avoid it like the plague.

so your saying they designed it perfectly for streaming ... the uh ... you know ... the whole reason they made it.

 

[Kashim]

so your saying they designed it perfectly for streaming ... the uh ... you know ... the whole reason they made it.

Maybe read my whole post. The problem with it isn't the streaming. Obviously Amazon only cares about streaming their own content on it and yes, it works "perfectly for streaming" as you put it. The problem is that the interface is so incredibly cluttered it will make you want to vomit. You can spend all day scrolling up, down, left, and right to see a never ending deluge of junk they want you to subscribe to or buy. If you like that, then yes by all means buy it.

 

[RaXelliX]

Can we break out of it, and install whatever OS we want?

Otherwise, that's going to be a hard pass.

Nope. Their new Vega OS blocks it.

I own multiple Fire TV sticks and I have to say overall they're basically trash. They all have slow, sub 2GHz processors, 1-2GB RAM max depending on which version you get, and only 8GB of storage (there's a super expensive version that comes with 16GB storage), no microSD slot and no USB slot to expand storage. You're stuck with Amazon's OS and if you try to replace the default launcher Amazon goes out of their way to disable it with every forced update. If you like ultra-cluttered interfaces where you're constantly bombarded with ads and attempts to get you to sign up for various services then this device is for you. Otherwise avoid it like the plague.

Then why do you own multiple of them?

Also the 16GB stick is not super expensive like you claim. I got mine for 80€ (4K Max 2nd Gen) which was cheaper than most alternatives. The alternatives were Roku which is even worse from what I've read (and not supported in my region) or being locked into Apple's ecosystem (talk about super expensive). The only super expensive one from Amazon's own lineup is the Cube version.

I got it only for one purpose. To watch F1 TV Premium on it since for some godforsaken reason F1 management has restricted 4K to hardware devices. Somehow other streaming providers can offer 4K via web browsers without dedicated hardware.

The new cheaper Firesticks run Vega OS which blocks sideloading entirely. Most of the older and higher end models run Fire OS which allows sideloading, but they may switch those to Vega OS too in the future. Of course Amazon insists sideloading was disabled for security reasons *roll eyes* when in fact it's to stop people from using these sticks for piracy and illegal streaming.

Yep I purposefully avoided Vega. Lets see on the forced update. So far they haven't done it and im not sure it's even possible since the hardware predates Vega.