As anticipated, Amazon has unveiled a pair of brand-new Fire TV Sticks at its major device event held on September 20th 2023. These newcomers consist of the 2nd-gen Fire TV Stick 4K, replacing the 2018 model, and the 2nd-gen Fire TV Stick 4K Max, which supersedes the 2021 iteration. Both devices have seen enhancements in performance and Wi-Fi capabilities compared to their predecessors, although some of these improvements are exclusive to the new 4K Max model.
Commencing with the 2nd-gen Fire TV Stick 4K, it now boasts a revamped MediaTek MT8696D quad-core 1.7GHz CPU and an IMG PowerVR GE9215 650MHz GPU, a variant of the SoC in the existing Fire TV Stick 4K Max. Although the clock speed remains the same as the 1st-gen model it replaces, Amazon asserts that the new hardware delivers an “almost” 30% boost in performance over the outgoing Fire TV Stick 4K. Additionally, there’s now 2GB of LPDDR4 RAM, a marked improvement over the 1.5GB in the previous Fire TV Stick 4K. Another noteworthy enhancement is the inclusion of 802.11ax Wi-Fi 6, a substantial upgrade over the old model’s 802.11ac Wi-Fi 5.
Regrettably, the upgrades stop short when it comes to internal storage, as the new Fire TV Stick 4K still retains the 8GB capacity, consistent with all prior Firestick models. This is a missed opportunity on Amazon’s part, as insufficient storage space has been a persistent concern for Fire TV users. The new Fire TV Stick 4K, however, retains all the same video capabilities as the original model, including 4K @ 60fps video playback and support for top-tier HDR formats like Dolby Vision, HDR10+, HDR10, and HLG. An expected yet welcome addition is support for AV1 video decoding, a feature lacking in the previous model.
Shifting our focus to the new 2nd-gen Fire TV Stick 4K Max, it packs a MediaTek MT8696T quad-core 2GHz CPU, a performance upgrade over the already robust MediaTek MT8696 quad-core 1.8GHz CPU in the existing Fire TV Stick 4K Max, along with an IMG PowerVR GE9215 850 MHz GPU. As anticipated, this new model stands as the most powerful Fire TV Stick ever released. The new 4K Max also boasts an improvement in Wi-Fi, transitioning from Wi-Fi 6 in the old model to Wi-Fi 6E in the new device, while memory remains the same at 2GB of LPDDR4 RAM.
Thankfully, Amazon has avoided the same internal storage oversight with the new Fire TV Stick 4K Max that was evident in the regular Fire TV Stick 4K. The 4K Max has doubled its internal storage to 16GB, matching the 3rd-gen Fire TV Cube, and making them the only Fire TV models with more than 8GB of storage. Like the Fire TV Stick 4K, the 4K Max supports all the top 4K video formats and HDR versions.
Fire TV Ambient Experience – Customizable Alexa Widgets
Another exclusive feature of the Fire TV Stick 4K Max is the Fire TV Ambient Experience. This feature essentially transforms your TV into a giant Echo Show by displaying photos, art, and widgets such as weather, calendar, news, notes, and more. The Fire TV Stick 4K Max is the first standalone Fire TV model to incorporate the Fire TV Ambient Experience, which had previously been exclusive to Fire TV Smart TVs.
Both of these new 4K-capable Fire TV Sticks will come preloaded with Fire OS 8, which is built on Android 11. These new Firesticks will mark the first Fire TV models to run the new operating system. The outgoing Fire TV Stick 4K runs Fire OS 6, based on Android 7.1, while the outgoing Fire TV Stick 4K Max runs Fire OS 7, based on Android 9. Interestingly, Amazon has opted to bundle the larger “enhanced” Fire TV Alexa remote with the Fire TV Stick 4K Max, while the standard Fire TV Alexa remote comes with the Fire TV Stick 4K. The larger remote was included with the new Fire TV Cube last year. The enhanced remote features all the same capabilities as the standard remote but adds channel up/down buttons, a settings button, and a recent button that displays a list of recently opened apps and content.
Both devices are available for pre-order now and are set to be released on September 27. The 2nd-gen Fire TV Stick 4K retains its predecessor’s price tag at $49.99, while the new 2nd-gen Fire TV Stick 4K Max is priced at $59.99, representing a $5 increase from the outgoing model. Both devices are available for pre-order now and are set to be released on September 27.
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