Amazon has just refreshed its line-up of non-4K media streaming sticks, with the new Fire TV Stick and Fire TV Stick Lite.
The new Fire TV Stick Lite is an HDMI stick, like its bigger siblings, that plugs straight into your TV, and takes power over USB. It brings Full HD 1080p streaming of movies and TV from Amazon's Fire TV platforms, which is one of the slicker smart platforms out there (though tend to favour Amazon's results in its search, perhaps unsurprisingly).
A new quad-core processor (that Amazon says is 50% more powerful than the previous Amazon Fire TV Stick) powers the experience, and promises to make it really smooth to navigate the menus – that's really the secret weapon at this price. If you have an older TV or one with a really basic smart platform, this gives you a big upgrade in how easy it is to live with.
There's HDR support, and it comes with an Alexa Voice Remote Lite for easy voice control. The Fire TV Stick Lite costs $29/£29/AU$59, and can be pre-ordered now for shipping next week.
The new Fire TV Stick costs $39/£39 – just a little more than the Lite version (and is not yet available in Australia). The differences a fairly subtle too, save for one major one. The smaller differences are that it supports video at Full HD 1080p at 60fps (though this won't make any difference for watching TV and movies) and that its remote has volume controls on it.
However, this Stick has Dolby Atmos support, which the Lite doesn't. If you have a Dolby Atmos compatible soundbar or sound system with your TV, that's a crucial difference.
Otherwise, like the Lite version, it's a slick, cheap, user-friendly streaming add-on, and is sure to land well in our list of the best media streamers.
The Amazon Fire Stick 4K remains unchanged, bringing Ultra HD support and generally more premium image format support.
Amazon has also unveiled the new Amazon Echo 2020, a new Amazon Echo Show 10 smart screen that follows you around the room, and new Ring security for the car.
