Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Announced Along With New Alexa Voice Remote

Amazon announced a bunch of new Echo devices just a couple of weeks ago, but the company isn’t done with launching new hardware. Amazon has revealed a new version of its Fire TV Stick, which is now capable of 4K streaming and HDR.

Amazon claims that the new Fire TV Stick 4K is 80 percent more powerful than its predecessor. It comes with a new quad-core 1.7GHz processor, which is capable of delivering faster streaming and load times. Not only can it stream 4K content, it also supports HDR content. The new streaming stick also supports Dolby Vision and HDR10+. These two HDR standards include support for dynamic metadata that provides more details in the darkest and brightest parts of an image.

Amazon is one of the few companies out there that is pushing for HDR 10+ content. All of its original shows and movies already support this HDR standard, as pointed out by The Verge. As for Dolby Vision, that HDR standard is available on Netflix, Vudu and Amazon Prime Video.

“We’ve listened to our customers and pushed to deliver the complete 4K solution they are looking for, all within a compact stick form factor,” Amazon Fire TV vice president Marc Whitten said. “Our new quad-core processor delivers a fast and fluid experience and support for Dolby Vision and HDR10+ provides an amazing picture.”

The new Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K can also be connected to Echo speakers, according to MacRumors. This allow users to control streaming content completely hands-free by only using voice commands on Alexa. As for audio, the new streaming stick supports Dolby Atmos, which will require a compatible home audio system.

“Together, Amazon and Dolby are making best-in-class imaging and audio experiences more accessible,” Dolby Labs senior vice president John Couling said. “Fire TV Stick 4K will allow more people to enjoy their favorite entertainment to the fullest extent, through Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos.”

The new Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K also ships alongside a new version of the Alexa Voice Remote. This time around, the remote comes with its own dedicated buttons for volume, mute and power. The new Alexa Voice Remote uses both Bluetooth and infrared technology to control TVs and other AV equipment. The remote will also allow users to call on the Alexa voice assistant by simply pressing down on the microphone button and give voice commands directly to the remote.

The Fire TV Stick 4K is available to pre-order now for just $49.99 and will start shipping on Oct. 31. Meanwhile, the new Alexa Voice Remote is also available to pre-order for $29.99 as a standalone product.