Skip to main content

Digital Trends may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site. Why trust us?

Amazon’s new Fire TV with Alexa does everything Apple TV doesn’t

Some companies like to spend months building hype for even the smallest updates to their hardware. Then there’s Amazon. As the tech community continues to investigate the new Apple TV 4K, Amazon officially announced its newest Amazon Fire TV device at a private press event in Seattle today. The new Fire TV model will support 4K resolution at at 60fps and high dynamic range (HDR) via HDR10, and comes at a very affordable $70 price point.

The new model will be a square, Chromecast-like dongle that connects to a TV with a fixed HDMI cable. In terms of market, the dongle will be aimed at those who want an Ultra HD and High Dynamic Range-capable upgrade from the affordable Fire TV Stick.  In addition to excellent picture, the new device will support Dolby Atmos, making theater-quality sound more accessible than ever.

The support for Dolby Atmos is one claim Amazon’s Fire TV can make which the Apple TV 4K can not. The new Fire TV will also not attempt to force standard dynamic range (SDR) content to 4K HDR TVs in HDR mode, an issue which has riled up more than a few reviewers already.

The new model packs a serious punch in the hardware department considering its small size, featuring a 1.5GHz quad-core CPU and a Mali-450 GPU, and offer 2GB of RAM, as well as 8GB of internal storage — better specs than the current Fire TV Stick, but still considerably less powerful than the latest Fire TV box.

Just like we’ve seen on previous Amazon Fire TV products, the new device will be able to power on any TV that supports the current HDMI-CEC standard. More exciting, though, is that the newest Fire TV model will feature more Alexa integrations than ever, allowing users to request individual TV channels like the Food Network, and playback content from Hulu, Netflix, Amazon Prime, all with simple voice commands. For example, saying “Alexa, play Bosch,” would result in the Fire TV launching Amazon’s original series featuring Titus Welliver.

The new Fire TV device is currently available for pre-order on Amazon’s website, and will ship later this year, according to the company. Though $70 will get you a standalone model, Amazon will also offer a bundle which includes the new Fire TV and an Echo Dot (to enable far-field voice commands with no button pressing necessary) for $80.

Amazon Fire TV with Alexa
Image used with permission by copyright holder

It’s worth noting that the new Fire TV device came among a number of other interesting new product announcements at the press event, including Alexa integration with upcoming BMW vehicles, two new Echo speaker models, and a brand new clock-like Alexa device that’s aimed for the bedside table. Each product took clear aim at competitors in the marketplace, with the company even going so far as to discount the price of 4K content on its website — a clear shot back at a similar move by Apple to provide free 4K upgrades of films customers had already purchased on its online store, iTunes.

One thing we didn’t hear announced from the tech company was a rumored cube-shaped Fire TV  device that could replace the second-generation Fire TV box — a device that has been unavailable for sale on cube-shaped Fire TV  for some time.

Update: Clarified that the Fire TV currently supports HDR via HDR10, but not Dolby Vision.

cube-shaped Fire TV

Editors' Recommendations

Parker Hall
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Parker Hall is a writer and musician from Portland, OR. He is a graduate of the Oberlin Conservatory of Music in Oberlin…
Amazon’s new Echo Pop brings Alexa for $40; Echo Show 5 gets a revamp
Amazon Echo Pop in four colors.

In addition to new Echo Buds, Amazon today also announced new entries in the speaker and display categories, with the Echo Pop, a new Echo Show 5, and a new Echo Show 5 Kids.
“Customers around the world love Alexa as their trusted, personal AI — they’ve now purchased well over half a billion Alexa-enabled devices, and use of Alexa increased 35% last year,” Rohit Prasad, senior vice president and head scientist for Alexa, said in a press release. “These new devices give customers more options and more utility at an incredible value. And as with every Echo we’ve shipped, these devices will only continue to get better as we add even more generative AI-powered experiences for Alexa throughout the year.”

The Echo Pop looks like someone shaved the top off an Echo Dot, and the price is appropriately shaved as well. It's $10 less expensive than the Echo Dot, landing at $40 ... a pop. The front-facing speaker is directional, so maybe don't expect it to fill a room. But Amazon still says it has "full" sound. It also has support for Amazon's Eero mesh router network built in, with an Echo Pop able to extend a network up to another 1,000 square feet. The Echo Pop is available in Lavender Bloom, Midnight Teal, Charcoal, and Glacier White.

Read more
Amazon’s new $50 Echo Buds take aim at Apple’s AirPods
Amazon's new Echo Buds for 2023.

Amazon is back with a new set of Echo Buds. Though they bear the same name as the first- and second-gen Echo Buds, these new Echo Buds offer an entirely different, semi-in-ear, stem-based design that has more in common with Apple's second-gen AirPods than it does with Amazon's previous designs. The latest Echo Buds are also surprisingly affordable at just $50.

While the decision to keep the name the same may be confusing, the decision to create a set of wireless earbuds with a semi-in-ear shape makes a lot of sense. Fully in-ear buds like the second-gen Echo Buds, the AirPods Pro, and Sony's WF-1000XM4, provide distinct advantages for sound quality and they also set the stage for active noise canceling (ANC). However, lots of people find these earbuds uncomfortable to wear. The silicone tips increase the sensation of having an object wedged in your ear, and some folks complain of a sucking feeling, especially when ANC is turned on.

Read more
Amazon Fire TV Channels brings even more free TV to the platform
Amazon Fire TV Channels.

Amazon today announced Fire TV Channels, which brings even more free ad-supported TV — otherwise known as FAST — to the Amazon Fire TV operating system.

The gist is simple: You'll see even more free video promoted to you on the Amazon Fire TV home screen from the various sources within the FAST universe. That means in addition to all the content currently available on Amazon Freevee (formerly known as IMDB TV), there will be video from the NHL, Xbox, and TMZ. There will be a new travel category, too, and Conde Nast and the PGA are teed up next.

Read more