Amazon introduced a slimmer Fire TV Stick 4K that draws power from a TV USB port so a separate power adapter is not required and ships with a redesigned remote. The stick has 8 GB of storage, a quad core 1.7 GHz processor, supports Wi Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.3 and Bluetooth Low Energy, and decodes AV1, HDR10, HDR10+, HLG, H.265, H.264 and VP9 up to 2160p at 60 fps. Amazon says the new model boots and runs faster than before, claiming it is 20 to 40 percent faster than leading competitors. The redesigned remote drops the prominent blue Alexa button for a subtler microphone control, adds a tactile home button and a programmable favorites button, and Amazon will sell the remote separately for $14.99 with shipments starting in late October. The Fire TV Stick 4K’s MSRP is $59.99 and it will launch at a discounted price of $29.99; initial availability includes the U.S., Canada, Japan, Mexico, the U.K., Ireland, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, Australia and New Zealand. Amazon also plans an Alexa Plus hub and related Fire TV interface updates rolling out in November to bring more personalized prompts and media recommendations to Fire TV users.
