New Amazon Fire TV Stick adds 4K, Dolby Vision, Dolby Atmos and HDR10+

Amazon has given its Fire TV platform its now traditional yearly refresh with a new streaming Stick that brings 4K playback to the slim-line product for the first time, plus Dolby Atmos, Dolby Vision and HDR10+ support. The new Fire TV Stick 4K is available from pre-order today (it's due to ship on November 14) with a price tag of £50.

Previously, Amazon's bulkier Fire TV player (£70) was the company's only 4K HDR and Dolby Atmos option. 'We’ve listened to our customers and pushed to deliver the complete 4K solution they are looking for, all within a compact stick form factor,' claims Eric Saarnio, Head of Amazon Devices, Europe.

Key to the new streamer's range of talents (including its multi-format HDR support) is a quad-core 1.7GHz processor which Amazon rates as 80 per cent more powerful than the one employed by the previous Fire TV Stick, and revised Wi-Fi antenna technology. The result is the 'most powerful 4K stick' on the market, promising improved loading times, slicker UI navigation and 'brilliant picture quality.'

And the Fire TV Stick 4K becomes the first streaming device available with both Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos support. Coupled with HDR10+ compatibility, it therefore appears to have all next-gen content bases covered. Amazon's Fire TV platform has a natural focus on its Prime Video service (which streams in both Dolby Vision and HDR10+), but also offers Netlflix, BBC iPlayer, ITV Player and others amongst its plethora of VOD options. The company claims 1000s of 4K, Dolby Vision and HDR10+ titles are available to its users.

Other content options include music streaming via Amazon Music, TuneIn and Spotify, and web browsing through Firefox and Silk browsers.

The Stick will be bundled with an upgrade on Amazon's Alexa Voice Remote. As usual, this allows Fire TV users to get chatty with their hardware, using voice commands to search for content. Now, though, the handset will provide control (via physical power, volume and mute buttons) over 'compatible' TVs, AV receivers and soundbars. Amazon is also making it available as a standalone purchase for those seeking to replace the remote on their existing Fire TV device – pricing is £30 with shipment date again around November 14.

The Stick can also pair with an Amazon Echo device for hands-free voice control, and Amazon will sell a bundle deal of a Fire TV Stick 4K and Echo Dot for £80, saving £20 off the individual product price.

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