Shortly after Roku unveiled its new streaming players, Amazon has announced that its new Fire TV Stick costs $40 and will start shipping on October 20. It features an Alexa-enabled remote, a quad-core processor and access to over 7000 apps.

Amazon Fire TV Stick with Alexa
Amazon calls its new Fire TV Stick the “only streaming media stick with a voice remote”. With the remote you can use Amazon’s Alexa system for universal search across 90 streaming services, including Netflix, HBO Now, Amazon Video, and Hulu.

Amazon says that more than 7000 apps are available through its Fire OS. That compares to around 6000 apps on tvOS on Apple TV (June 2016 data) and 3500 on Roku (September 2016 data). Google has not shared data on Android TV for some time.


- "We are proud that our customers have made Amazon Fire TV the #1 streaming media player in the US. With more than 120,000 reviews and a 4.2 star rating, they've also made the Fire TV Stick the most reviewed product ever on Amazon," said Marc Whitten, Vice President, Amazon Fire TV. "Today, we are excited to make it even better. The new Amazon Fire TV Stick has been completely redesigned with incredible performance, powerful voice search and the included Alexa-powered remote to deliver instant access to a vast selection of movies, TV shows, games and Alexa skills at just $39.99."

”Up to 30 percent faster”
The new Fire TV Stick has a quad-core-processor that is “up to 30 percent faster than the original”, and a voice remote that you can also use as a normal clicker. It supports up to 1080p HD streams (in H.264 and HEVC compression) and 802.11ac WiFi (with MIMO).

With a $40 price point, Amazon is taking on the Roku new Roku Express and Express+ streaming players that cost $30 and $40 dollars as well as Google’s Chromecast that is rumored to receive an update in October.


Amazon says that a new user interface will be introduced on its Fire TV products later this year via a software update.

The new Fire TV Stick with Alexa is available for pre-order now for $39.99 at amazon.com and will start shipping on October 20. Customers who activate the device by October 31 will receive 1 month of Sling TV, 2 months of Hulu, and $10 credit for Amazon Video.

 
 Specifications
  
 
 3.4" x 1.2" x 0.5" (85.9 mm x 30.0 mm x 12.6 mm) – weight: 32.0 g
 
 MediaTek Quad-core ARM 1.3 GHz - Mali450 MP4 - 8 GB storage - 1 GB RAM
 720p and 1080p up to 60fps
 
 Dual-band, dual-antenna Wi-Fi supports 2x2 MIMO 802.11a/b/g/n/ac
 
 Bluetooth 4.1
 
 
  Alexa Voice Remote (included) or free Fire TV Remote App (available for download on Fire, Android, and iOS)
  Optimized for Amazon Fire TV Game Controller and most games are compatible with other Bluetooth controllers
 
 
HDMI output, Micro USB for power only
 
 Dolby Audio, 5.1 surround sound, 2ch stereo, and HDMI audio pass through up to 7.1
 
 Video: H.264 1080p30H.265 1080p30, Audio: AAC-LC, HE-AACv1 (AAC+), HE-AACv2 (eAAC+), AC3 (Dolby Digital), eAC3 (Dolby Digital Plus), FLAC, MIDI, MP3, PCM/Wave, Vorbis, AMR-NB, AMR-WB
Photo: JPEG, PNG, GIF, BMP
 
 Included in the box: Fire TV Stick, Alexa Voice Remote, USB cable and power adapter, HDMI extender, 2 AAA batteries, Quick Start Guide