Amazon unveils thinner, faster Fire TV Stick 4K, plus new remote
Amazon also introduced a new remote today, featuring a curved, weighted bottom with more buttons and touch controls. The top edge, which is the part where the power and microphone buttons are located, is flat and straight, while the bottom is rounded. This way you can quickly identify which side to point at your TV.
One of the most notable changes to the Fire TV remote’s buttons is the Home button, which now has a metal surface so you can tell where it is by touch alone. Other buttons, like power, microphone, and back, each have different shapes or indentations so you can feel them. Amazon is also offering a customizable Star Remote to the new Fire TV remote, a feature that was previously limited to the most premium controller. You can program this to do whatever you want, whether that’s launching your favorite app or, as Amazon says, “toggling settings like closed captions or screen magnifier.”
Like most smart TV or streamer remotes, the new version can also control your TV settings like volume or power. You can use it with all Amazon Ember TVs and Al Fire TV streaming media players released from 2019.
Amazon also promised a new Fire TV Remote Plus, saying it would arrive early next year. This more premium model will have an aluminum body and backlit buttons, and it will replace the Alexa Voice Remote Pro. It will also work with the company’s Find My Remote feature so you can ask your Echo speaker, Echo Show, or other Alexa device (including the app on your phone) to locate your remote and make it play a sound.
The Fire TV Stick 4K is available today in the United States, Canada, Japan, Mexico, United Kingdom, Ireland, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, Australia and New Zealand. It will cost $60, although during Prime Big Deal Days next week it will be available for $30. It will come with a Fire TV remote, also available on its own for $15. You can pre-order it now and Amazon says it will start shipping at the end of October in the US.
