Amazon Refreshes the Fire TV Stick 4K With More Speed and a Better Remote
Amazon has introduced a new Fire TV Stick 4K as part of its fall hardware refresh. The model has a slimmer design, faster performance, and can run on power from a TV's USB port TechCrunch. The announcement was published on Sept. 30.
Amazon claims the stick is 20% to 40% faster than leading competitors. It has 8GB of internal storage and a quad-core 1.7 GHz processor, meaning four computing cores to handle apps and video decoding. For wireless, it uses Wi-Fi 6, plus Bluetooth 5.3 and Bluetooth Low Energy for remotes and accessories.
For video, the stick supports HDR10, HDR10+, HLG, H.265, H.264, VP9 and AV1. HDR, or high dynamic range, covers brighter highlights and wider color, while the others are compression formats that let high-resolution video stream with less data, with AV1 the most efficient of the group. It outputs at 2160p, 1080p and 720p at up to 60 frames per second. Amazon says the unit can be powered directly through a TV's USB port, so it does not need a separate wall outlet.
The remote is redesigned with different button shapes and spacing meant to be easier to find by touch in a dark room. The blue Alexa button is gone, replaced by a black microphone button at the top right. A programmable favorites button can open a preferred app or turn on options such as Closed Captions or Dialog Boost. The remote ships with the new Stick 4K and will also be sold separately.
Pricing is $59.99, with a launch price of $29.99. The standalone remote will ship in late October and costs $14.99 in the U.S. Initial availability covers the U.S., Canada, Japan, Mexico, United Kingdom, Ireland, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, Australia and New Zealand.
This follows earlier models. In October 2018, Amazon announced the Fire TV Stick 4K with the All-New Alexa Voice Remote with device control, including dedicated power, volume and mute buttons to control a TV, soundbar and other AV equipment Amazon. That bundle was offered for $49.99. Since then the software has changed. Amazon said its modernized and streamlined Fire TV interface, which began rolling out to customers in February 2026, is now available worldwide on all current-generation Fire TV Sticks and Ember smart TVs Amazon.
The broader context here is that streaming hardware has moved past resolution. 4K with full HDR and AV1 support is now expected, so differences come down to start-up time, app switching, power integration and whether the right button can be found without looking. I have watched my own household pause a show to hunt for captions in a dark room, so a single programmable key sounds small but addresses a real annoyance. In my view, that practical focus is encouraging, because the stick design works best when it hides behind the HDMI port and gets out of the way.
