It’s official, Amazon has officially launched two new Fire TV devices: all-new Fire TV Stick and Fire TV Stick Lite.
The all-new Fire TV Stick ($39.99) is 50% more powerful than the previous edition and uses 50% less energy. While it doesn’t support 4K, it will support 1080p at 60fps, HDR, and Dolby Atmos audio. It adds a dual-band, dual-antenna wifi supports 5 GHz networks for more stable streaming.
The Fire TV Stick Lite ($29.99), Amazon claims is the most powerful streaming device under $30. Fire TV Stick Lite is 50% more powerful than the previous-generation Fire TV Stick.
The biggest difference from the Fire TV Stick and Fire TV Stick Lite is that it comes with Alexa Voice Remote Lite, which doesn’t let you control power and volume on the TV.
Amazon first launched the Fire TV Stick back in 2014. Unlike the Fire TV Stick 4K—which came in 2018—the Fire TV Stick supported HD resolution, while the former offers 4K with HDR video and Dolby Atmos audio. The Fire TV Stick was updated in 2019 to offer Alexa voice remote with power and volume button, same as the Fire Stick 4K.
Both devices will become available on September 30th, but are available for pre-order.
The big news for all Fire TV users though is that Amazon will be updating the interface to all Fire TV devices later this year, starting with all-new Fire TV Stick and Fire TV Stick Lite.
Fire TV’s most significant experience update is redesigned to offer a more intuitive, simple, and customized experience. The Main Menu is at the center of your screen and makes it easy to find what you’re looking for. You can now jump into your favorite streaming service directly, or scroll over supported apps to quickly peek at what’s inside and begin playback. A brand-new Find experience makes it easier than ever to discover great movies, TV shows, and more, with browsing capabilities that allow for broad and specific searches based on genre (e.g. comedies, action), helpful categories (e.g. free, sports, Live TV), and more.
With user profiles, Fire TV now delivers a personalized experience for up to six members of a household, providing individual content recommendations, viewing history, watch lists, preferred settings, and more. Changing user profiles is simple by saying, “Alexa, switch to my profile.” After initial setup, Alexa will automatically recognize the voice and switch to your profile.
Alexa is getting smarter every day, and the redesigned Fire TV experience features a dedicated Alexa Explore destination, which displays popular Alexa features and helps you discover new recipes, view stocks, and more. You can also see and control connected smart devices in your home and multi-task while viewing a picture-in-picture feed of your Ring security camera. With the new Fire TV experience, Fire TV Cube can be used for video calling with Alexa. Connect a compatible Logitech webcam to stay in touch with friends and family on the biggest screen in your home. Alexa video calling will be available later this year, while other services like Zoom will be added over time.