If you’ve always wanted a more powerful streaming stick, you’re in luck – Amazon’s making one and it will be out before the holidays roll around.
The new device is called the Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Max and it’s bringing an improved quad-core 1.8GHz processor and 2GB of RAM to keep up with Amazon’s game streaming service, Amazon Luna. Those upgrades, according to Amazon, will make the 4K Max up to 40% more powerful than the previous model and will help apps start faster and make navigation more fluid.
In addition to the upgraded silicone, Amazon says that the Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Max is the first streaming stick to offer Wi-Fi 6 thanks to the latest Mediatek MT7921LS Wi-Fi 6 Chipset. That won’t make a difference to anyone who hasn’t purchased a cutting-edge router, but it’s a nice advantage for the folks who have.
Finally, Amazon says the Fire TV Stick 4K Max will be compatible with Alexa Home Theater, a new feature that will allow you to pair it with any compatible Alexa smart speakers you own for a surround sound experience.
The Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Max will be available for $55 / £55 / AU$99, with pre-orders now open and units set to ship from October 7 (October 8 in Australia) – which means it’s likely going to be a big seller for Black Friday and Cyber Monday.
Analysis: Will it be worth the upgrade?
For folks who are already using Wi-Fi 6 routers and have a crowded wireless network, the Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Max is promising a heck of a lot of speed. Add on the 40% extra processing power and it should be lightning fast.
All that said, there’s nothing new about it that an older Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K can’t do. They both support all the same video and audio formats like HDR, HDR10+ and Dolby Atmos, plus they both come with a voice remote.
For the tens of thousands of folks who bought a Fire TV Stick 4K during Amazon Prime Day this year, there doesn’t appear to be a great reason to jump on the bandwagon - unless you’re a prospective Amazon Luna subscriber looking for a little more stability.
If you’re in that camp, Amazon says it will be offering a bundle that combines the Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Max with an Amazon Luna Controller for $99, which is a decent deal even before any potential price drops that could happen during Black Friday or Cyber Monday.
The people who should really be looking intently at the Fire TV Stick 4K Max are folks with out-of-date streaming devices but own modern 4K TVs. If you’re going to upgrade this holiday season, you may as well upgrade to the latest and greatest… even if you might not be able to take full advantage of Wi-Fi 6 right away.
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