Amazon is launching a brand new $35 Fireplace TV Stick HD with an up to date design

It wasn’t that way back that Amazon launched the Fire TV Stick 4K Select, its new entry-level 4K streaming stick. Now, the corporate already has one other brand-new Fireplace TV Stick coming quickly, nevertheless it won’t be completely what you are anticipating.

Amazon has announced that it is launching a brand new Fireplace TV Stick HD this April, a refreshed model of its entry-level 1080p streaming stick. In comparison with the last-gen Fireplace TV Stick HD, which got here out in October 2024, this new mannequin has been fully redesigned, with Amazon calling it its “slimmest streaming gadget” ever, with a discount in each width and quantity in comparison with Amazon’s different Fireplace TV Sticks.

Regardless of the dimensions change, the brand new Fireplace TV Stick HD does not appear to be missing in energy. Amazon says it is, on common, 30 p.c sooner than the last-gen HD stick. It additionally options Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.3, upgrades from the last-gen HD stick, which is provided with Wi-Fi 5 and Bluetooth 5.

The brand new Fireplace TV Stick HD is on the market for pre-order now and is ready to launch on April 29. It prices $35, the identical because the last-gen mannequin’s beginning worth. However that is not all there’s to find out about Amazon’s latest streaming stick.

The brand new Fireplace TV Stick HD has just a few different surprises

Certainly one of them will not be highly regarded

Credit score: Amazon

In addition to its new design and upgraded {hardware}, Amazon’s new Fireplace TV Stick HD has just a few different methods up its sleeve.

First, it ships with Amazon’s redesigned Fireplace TV interface, which rolled out again in February on the Fireplace TV Stick 4K Plus and 4K Max. It is a fairly main overhaul, each in the way it appears and the way it feels to make use of. The brand new residence display helps you to pin as much as 20 of your favourite apps, making issues much more customizable, and there are efficiency enhancements beneath the hood, too. Amazon says it “rebuilt the underlying code” to hurry issues up. It additionally comes with Alexa+, Amazon’s new AI-powered assistant.

One other fascinating change is that it does not want a wall plug just like the earlier mannequin. As an alternative, it may be powered immediately out of your TV’s USB port, which makes setup easier and rather more travel-friendly.

One change that is positive to ruffle some feathers is that the brand new Fireplace TV Stick HD runs Vega OS, Amazon’s new Linux-based working system, reasonably than Fireplace OS, which is Android-based. This implies you will not be capable of sideload apps on the brand new Fireplace TV Stick HD, in contrast to the earlier mannequin. Vega OS debuted with the brand new Fireplace TV Stick 4K Choose in October, and it appears an identical to Fireplace OS, with the important thing distinction being the power to sideload apps. In consequence, the one option to obtain apps on the brand new Fireplace TV Stick HD is thru Amazon’s official app retailer.

General, I am actually stunned Amazon selected to launch a brand new model of the Fireplace TV Stick HD reasonably than a 4K Max, which was final up to date in 2023. However with a brand new design and Vega Os, it is fairly doable this new HD stick is additional laying the groundwork for a brand new Fireplace TV Stick 4K Max that would launch later this yr. To be clear, that is hypothesis on my half, and Amazon hasn’t introduced any of its future plans past the brand new HD stick.

The brand new Fireplace TV Stick HD is now available for pre-order for $35 and launches April 29 in Canada, Mexico, the US, the UK, Japan, Australia, and New Zealand. Amazon says it can even be out there in Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, and Spain sooner or later.