Amazon Simplifies Fire TV Stick Lineup With New $60 4K Model

Amazon has replaced three separate Fire TV Stick 4K models with a single $60 device that the company says is faster than a key rival, according to CNET's hands-on report. The new Fire TV Stick 4K merges the Fire TV Stick 4K Select and 4K Plus into one product and supports both HDR10 and Samsung's HDR10 Plus format.

Inside, the stick carries 8GB of internal storage, a quad-core 1.7 GHz processor, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.3, and Bluetooth Low Energy. Amazon claims it is 20 percent to 40 percent faster than the similarly priced Roku Streaming Stick Plus. CNET found the device felt more solid and premium than earlier Fire TV Sticks, and it can now draw power from a TV's USB port rather than a wall outlet.

The included remote has been redesigned. The prominent blue Alexa button is gone, replaced by a bright red home button, with the microphone moved to the upper right corner. Amazon also said a premium remote with backlighting and a "find my remote" feature is coming in 2027. The stick is built to work with Alexa Plus, and Amazon representatives demonstrated a forthcoming feature that can ingest a "10 best movies about..." article into the Fire TV app and automatically add the listed titles to a watch-next list.

In CNET's early testing, setup and navigation felt familiar, though the reviewer did not notice dramatic speed improvements out of the box, noting performance may improve as the device learns user habits.

For buyers, the clearest change is a simpler range. The $60 Fire TV Stick 4K should serve most households, while the $85 4K Max remains for those who want Dolby Vision, Dolby Atmos, or Alexa Home Theater support for add-on speakers. The new stick is available now at an introductory price of $30, which CNET expects to run through Amazon Prime Big Deal Days next week.

What this means for audiences and platforms is mostly about consolidation. A single mainstream 4K stick reduces the number of price and feature tiers shoppers must weigh, and the shift away from a dedicated blue Alexa button suggests voice control is being folded more deeply into the device's overall interface rather than treated as a standalone selling point. The article-ingestion demo points to a broader trend: streaming hardware makers are experimenting with ways to turn written recommendations into watchlists, which could shape how content discovery works on televisions. Amazon has not said whether the feature will work with arbitrary sites or how it will handle paywalled or subscription services, so those details remain unresolved. The 2027 premium remote also signals Amazon intends to keep selling accessories alongside the simplified core lineup.

CNET's hands-on is an early look, not a full review. The speed comparisons come from Amazon, and the review unit was new, so long-term performance, app compatibility, and the article-to-watchlist feature have not been independently verified. The report does not address availability outside the United States, whether the older 4K Select and 4K Plus remain on sale, or how the new stick handles non-HDR10 formats beyond its stated support.