Amazon's put out a new Fire TV Stick 4K. It went on sale on 30 September, and the most useful change is that it can run straight off your TV's USB port, so there's no power brick hiding behind the screen. It's also slimmer, it adds Wi-Fi 6, and Amazon says it's noticeably quicker than the stick it replaces.

Here it costs A$129, and it started shipping on 1 October through Amazon Australia and JB Hi-Fi, Digital Reviews Network reports. It comes with a redesigned remote, which you can also buy on its own.

What's new in the Fire TV Stick 4K

Amazon's announcement calls the new stick "the best balance of speed and value" in its range. The big physical change is something Amazon calls Direct Power. It lets you run the stick off the TV's USB port with the cable that comes in the box.

Photo: ubahnverleih / Wikimedia Commons (CC0)

That's a bigger deal than it sounds. Older sticks usually needed a wall adapter, which meant finding a spare power point behind the TV and hiding another cable. Amazon says that with Direct Power, "fewer cables are needed", which it says is "making it easier to tuck behind a TV or pack for travel." Amazon's own setup video, posted on its Fire TV channel on 30 September, goes through the power options, including what to do if your TV needs a different cable setup.

The stick has 8 GB of storage, a quad-core 1.7 GHz processor, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.3 and Bluetooth Low Energy. It plays 4K, 1080p and 720p video at up to 60 frames per second. Amazon lists support for HDR10, HDR10+ and HLG, plus the H.265, H.264, VP9 and AV1 video formats.

How much faster is it?

Amazon gets very specific about speed, and all of these numbers come from its own tests. It says the stick turns on faster than a similarly priced 4K stick from "another leading brand," that apps open more than 35 per cent faster, and that shows start playing nearly 20 per cent faster. Overall, it reckons you'll get about 20 to 40 per cent quicker from switching on to streaming.

Amazon also says it tested the stick against the built-in software on three 4K smart TVs from top-selling brands, using the three most popular apps on Fire TV, and its stick started playing faster than all three.

Again, those are Amazon's tests. It doesn't name the rival stick or the TVs, so treat the numbers as a rough guide, not an independent result.

The switch to Vega OS

If you already own a Fire TV, here's the change you need to know about. The new Fire TV Stick 4K runs Amazon's Vega operating system, not the Android-based Fire OS on older sticks.

XDA Developers reports that means you can't sideload Android apps on the new stick. If you've been installing apps from outside Amazon's store, that won't work here. XDA also points out that the Fire TV Stick 4K Max and Fire TV Cube are still on Fire OS.

Amazon says Vega's app library has grown a lot. Since its first Vega device last year, it says it's added more than 2,000 apps, including Spotify, Xbox, VLC and a bunch of VPNs. Amazon says Netflix, Disney+, YouTube, Prime Video, Instagram and other big apps are on there too.

The stick comes with Alexa+ and Amazon's redesigned Fire TV home screen built in. Amazon says Alexa+ is now on Fire TV in 11 countries and doesn't cost extra there. The Verge reports the software update also adds a dedicated Alexa+ hub and handles tricky requests for show and movie suggestions better. The Verge says a new Amazon Music app for Fire TV is due later this year.

A simpler line-up of sticks

Amazon's also trimming the number of sticks it sells. The range is now three sticks plus the Fire TV Cube:

  • Fire TV Stick HD, the cheapest, which came out earlier this year
  • Fire TV Stick 4K, the new one in the middle
  • Fire TV Stick 4K Max, for people who want Dolby Vision, Dolby Atmos and more storage

The Verge says the new stick replaces the earlier 4K "Select" and "Plus" sticks. Amazon says the older models will stay on sale while stocks last.

The new remote and Australian prices

The new Fire TV Remote has a lopsided shape, flat on top and curved and weighted underneath, so you can tell which way up it is without looking. Amazon says the home button gets pressed more than 100 million times a day across Fire TV devices, and now it's got its own metal surface. Other buttons are dipped or shaped so you can find them by feel.

It also gets a star button you can customise, which used to be kept for Amazon's premium remote. You can set it to open a favourite app or turn on things like closed captions or the Screen Magnifier. Amazon says it works with all Amazon Ember TVs and every Fire TV streaming player from 2019 on. Like earlier Fire TV remotes, it has its own power, volume and mute buttons for a compatible TV, soundbar or receiver.

In Australia the remote on its own is A$24.95 on pre-order and ships from 22 October, according to Digital Reviews Network, which published Amazon's local prices. In the US, the stick is US$59.99 and the remote US$14.99. Amazon's also selling the stick for US$29.99 in the US during its Prime Big Deal Days sale.

Australia got it in the first wave. Amazon says the stick started shipping in 11 countries at launch, including the US, the UK, Japan, Germany and Australia, with more to follow in late October.

A pricier Fire TV Remote Plus, with an aluminium body and backlit buttons, is due in early 2027. Amazon says it'll have a Find My Remote feature, so if you say "Alexa, find my remote", it plays a sound.

The stick came out the day before Amazon's redesigned Kindle range, and a few weeks after TV makers showed off new sets in Berlin, including Samsung's Micro RGB TVs at IFA.

If your TV has a spare USB port and you mostly watch the big streaming apps, the new stick tidies things up and should feel quicker. If you rely on sideloaded Android apps, the Fire TV Stick 4K Max on Fire OS is still the one to look at.