Amazon’s loves its streaming gadgets, having launched them in all different sizes and form factors, but the company’s Fire TV had been lagging behind Google’s newest Chromecast models for some time now. That changes today with the announcement of an all-new Fire TV, capable of both 4K streaming and support for HDR content.
The new, diamond-shaped dongle — that’s right, it’s no longer a set-top box — boasts a 1.5 GHz quad-core processor and is capable of 4K resolutions at up to 60 frames per second. Along with HDR, the device also supports Dolby Atmos, and its Alexa-enabled voice remote will let it perform all the fancy tricks of its bigger brothers. For ultimate convenience, Alexa will also be able to change channels for you, rather than forcing you to flip through like some kind of caveman.
The 4K Fire TV will feature apps from all the major players, including Netflix, Hulu, HBO, NBC, Showtime, and CBS. It’ll also work with TV streaming services PlayStation Vue and Dish Network.
Overall, the new Fire TV is essentially Amazon’s answer to the Chromecast Ultra. Both devices boast 4K and HDR, and both let you stream pretty much anything you can imagine to any device with an HDMI port. On top of that, Amazon even matched the price of the Chromecast Ultra with its new streaming dongle, which will launch at $69. Pre-orders are expected to go up shortly.
This seems to match up pretty well with earlier leaks regarding Amazon’s new TV gadget lineup, though we’ve still seen nothing of the mythical Fire TV device that doubles as an Alexa speaker.
