As part of its fall hardware refresh, Amazon on Wednesday introduced the next version of its Fire TV Stick 4K, which is now slimmer and faster and can be charged directly via a TV’s USB port.
But the real news is that the device comes with an actually good remote control. No more blue Alexa button and a home button that you feel in the dark, a button to add favorites, and a new shape that makes it more comfortable to hold in your hand.
It may seem funny that a remote control is the best part about the new streamer, which Amazon claims is 20% to 40% faster than leading competitors. But true TV connoisseurs know that a bad remote can ruin what would otherwise be a great viewing experience. Amazon’s older voice remote wasn’t terrible, but it had a lot of room for improvement.
The new one has a different shape and curvature that makes it easy to hold and point at the TV. Its buttons and layout have also been redesigned with an eye to how people often use their remote: in a dark room.
If you’ve spent any time with remote controls, you know that you can sometimes struggle to find and press the right button if you can’t see the device well, especially if the icons on the buttons don’t make much sense.
That was the case with the older remote, which has a prominent, blue Alexa voice button in the top center. That button has now been replaced by a more subtle black microphone button on the top right, which also has a light plate on top so you can feel it.
The new remote’s home button can also only be found by touch, as it has a metallic finish (and an orange-red hue) that makes it feel distinct. The power button on the top left is hidden, which helps you to accidentally turn off the device, and the D-pad is flatter, which makes it easier to roll your thumb around. Finally, the center of the D-pad now has a more tactile click.
And, in response to user feedback, there is finally a Favorites button that you can program to launch a preferred app or even activate an often-used option, such as closing closings or switching dialog boost.
The new remote comes with the Fire TV Stick 4K but is also sold separately for those who just want an upgrade.
The 4K stick itself has 8GB of internal storage, a quad-core 1.7 GHz processor, and support for Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.3 and Bluetooth Low Energy. It also supports HDR10, HDR10+, HLG, H.265, H.264, VP9, and AV1 video formats, and can output at 2160p, 1080p, and 720p resolutions at up to 60 frames per second.
The 4K Stick joins the entire lineup, which also includes an HD Stick, a 4K “Max” Stick (faster, more storage), and the Fire TV Cube.
The Fire TV 4K Stick is priced at $59.99, but launches at a discounted price of $29.99. It is initially available in the United States, Canada, Japan, Mexico, United Kingdom, Ireland, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, Australia, and New Zealand.
The remote will ship at the end of October and costs $14.99 in the US
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