Amazon’s ‘All-new Fire TV Stick with Alexa Voice Remote’ has finally been released in the UK, offering a performance boost and some fresh new features compared with the existing Fire TV Stick. So what’s the difference between this new media streamer and Amazon’s old Fire TV Stick, as well as the Fire TV streamer, and should you upgrade?
Amazon’s Fire TV Stick first emerged earlier in 2016, offering much of the same features of the standard Amazon Fire TV media streamer but with stripped-back specs and a more compact design.
Fast forward to 2017 and Amazon has just released its All-new Fire TV Stick in the UK. This once again plugs straight into your TV’s HDMI port for a clean, tidy experience, but now the Fire TV Stick boasts a snazzy updated remote control that supports Alexa voice control (just like the full-priced Fire TV).
Here’s how the All-new Amazon Fire TV Stick compares with the original streaming stick, as well as the Fire TV box. And check out our Stick Wars feature to see how the Fire TV Stick compares with the Roku Stick and Google’s Chromecast
All-new Fire TV Stick with Alexa Remote vs old Fire TV Stick vs Fire TV: Specs at a glance
| Device | Fire TV Stick 2017 | Fire TV Stick 2016 | Fire TV |
|---|---|---|---|
| Size | 86x30x13mm | 85x25x12mm | 115x115x18mm |
| Weight | 32g | 25g | 270g |
| Processor | MediaTek 1.3GHz quad-core | Broadcom Capri dual-core | MediaTek 2GHz quad-core |
| Memory | 1GB | 1GB | 2GB |
| Storage | 8GB | 8GB | 8GB |
| Alexa voice control? | Yes, via remote | No, standard voice control only | No, standard voice control only |
| Video output | 720p and 1080p up to 60FPS | 720p and 1080p up to 60FPS | 720p/1080p up to 60FPS, 4K up to 30FPS |
| UK price | £39.99 | £34.99 | £79.99 |
All-new Fire TV Stick 2017 with Alexa Remote vs Fire TV Stick 2016 vs Fire TV: What’s the difference?
The All-new Fire TV Stick 2017 boasts a couple of improvements compared with the 2016 model when it comes to the internals.
For a start, the 2017 model of Amazon’s streamer should boast a performance boost thanks to the new MediaTek quad-core processor, although the Fire TV Stick still comes packing just 1GB of memory like the old version. However, the standard Fire TV is still the best perfomer here, capable of running pretty much any Android games going. The Fire TV Stick is best for playing casual titles or sticking with the media streaming.
Video output remains the same with the new 2017 Fire TV Stick model. You can once again stream video to your telly at 720p or 1080p resolution, up to 60 Frames-Per-Second. If you want full 4K visuals from the likes of Netflix, you’ll have to upgrade to the full-sized Fire TV.
However, the 2017 Fire TV Stick does now come with the same remote control as the standard Fire TV, which in the new Stick supports Amazon’s Alexa voice control. This is the same super-smart voice assistant found in the Amazon Echo, which allows you to quickly switch to your favourite apps, connect to your other smart home devices and so on. You can even order pizza, just by issuing commands to your TV.
Don’t go rushing to buy the new Stick just for Alexa, however, if you already own a Fire streamer. Amazon just announced that its next Fire TV software update will bring Alexa to all Fire TV devices in the UK. That includes existing Fire TV streamers and Fire TV Sticks. This basically upgrades every existing Fire TV Voice Remote to an Alexa Voice Remote, so you’ll get smarter searches and responses to your voice commands.
Don’t already have a voice remote? No worries. You can use the updated Fire TV app for iOS or Android devices to access Alexa instead. Just download the app onto your phone and use that instead of your standard Fire remote control.
Thanks to that update, all previous Fire TV streamers will also now rock the same super-cool cinematic interface as the All-new Fire TV Stick.
Check out Amazon’s new Fire TV Stick webpage for more info.
All-new Fire TV Stick with Alexa Voice Remote: UK price and release date
Amazon has now released the 2017 Fire TV Stick with Alexa support here in the UK. You can pick it up direct from Amazon or also via Dixons Carphone, John Lewis, Argos, Tesco and Maplin.
The All-new Fire TV Stick with Alexa Voice Remote costs £39.99.
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