In the market for a new streaming stick or smart television? Amazon’s latest Fire TV offerings may fit the bill perfectly. Here’s a closer look.
Just in time for the holiday shopping season, Amazon has unveiled three new entries in its Fire TV lineup — including the Fire TV Stick 4K Max and the company’s first series of in-house televisions. As streaming services continue to rise in popularity, smart TV gadgets do too. Google has its Chromecast devices, Apple has the Apple TV, and Roku continues to do its own thing.
Since the first Fire TV launched in April 2014, Amazon’s also been a major player in this space. It’s released numerous hardware iterations over the years, has experimented with new form factors, and has placed a heavy emphasis on affordability. And, because it’s Amazon, the Fire TV platform offers the tightest possible integration with Alexa.
On September 9, 2021, Amazon took the wraps off the Fire TV Stick 4K Max. Not only does it have the clunkiest name for any Fire TV gadget, but Amazon’s also touting the 4K Max as its “most powerful 4K streaming stick” to date. The Fire TV Stick 4K Max is 40 percent more powerful than the regular Fire TV Stick 4K thanks to an upgraded quad-core processor and 2GB of RAM. It’s also the first “streaming media device” with Wi-Fi 6 support, ensuring the fastest and most reliable Wi-Fi speeds possible. Outside of that, the Fire TV Stick 4K Max has all of the usual features someone would expect. There’s 4K UHD streaming, HDR 10/HDR10+, Dolby Vision/Dolby Atmos, and an included voice remote.
Introducing Fire TV 4-Series & Fire TV Omni Series
The other major announcement is that Amazon is now making its own TVs. For some time now, people have been able to buy Fire TV built-in televisions from the likes of Insignia, Toshiba, and others. Now, Amazon’s taking matters into its own hands with two in-house television lineups: Fire TV 4-Series and Fire TV Omni Series. Fire TV 4-Series is marketed as Amazon’s lower-end television offering. It comes in three sizes (43-inch, 50-inch, and 55-inch), supports 4K UHD playback, and has both HDR10 and HLG content standards. The Fire TV operating system is built right in, and it includes an Alexa voice remote for easy access to the assistant at any time.
Stepping up to the Fire TV Omni Series, this is where Amazon gets to flex its muscles a bit more. Omni Series is available in a wide array of sizes, including a 43-inch model, 50-inch, 55-inch, 65-inch, and 75-inch. All sizes come with 4K resolution, HDR10, and HLG. If folks step up to the 65 or 75-inch model, they’re treated to a “slim bezel that blends seamlessly into your home.” Perhaps more important, those two sizes also feature Dolby Vision for enhanced colors on select titles. The Omni Series televisions come with the same Alexa voice remote, but on top of that, they also support hands-free Alexa for even more convenient commands. Additionally, these TVs come with two-way video calling. Just plug in a webcam and answer calls from either Alexa Calling or Zoom.
While it remains to be seen how all of this fares in the real world, it certainly sounds like Amazon’s got a strong lineup on its hands. The Fire TV Stick 4K Max is available for $54.99, with sales opening on October 7. The Fire TV 4-Series and Fire TV Omni Series both launch on October 27, with prices starting at $379 and $410, respectively. Pre-orders are open now for everything.
Source: Amazon
VoiceOver On iPhone, iPad & Mac: How To Enable And Why It’s Useful
Apple Hid An AR Easter Egg In Its September Event Invite, And Here It Is