Amazon unveils a new Fire TV Stick 4K and a remote you can navigate by feel

With the new launch, Amazon is simplifying its Fire TV Stick lineup to three distinct models. Amazon unveils a new Fire TV Stick 4K and a remote you can navigate by feel. Amazon launches faster Fire TV Stick 4K with a smarter remote.

The company has also unveiled a redesigned Fire TV Remote with differently shaped, indented buttons, making it easier to find key controls by touch without looking down. Amazon launched a new Fire TV Stick 4K alongside a redesigned Fire TV Remote, promising a speed boost and a new way to navigate the interface. The company is also making its Fire TV Stick lineup easier to choose from by simplifying the model lineup.

Amazon says the new Fire TV Stick 4K is 20-40% faster from powering on to starting content than a similarly priced 4K streaming stick from another leading brand. Apps apparently launch more than 35% faster, while content starts playing nearly 20% faster.

It will cost just $30 during the Prime Day deals event next week, and retail for $60 otherwise. Entertainment TV & Movies Amazon unveils a thinner and faster Fire TV Stick 4K, plus a new remote It will cost just $30 during the Prime Day deals event next week, and retail for $60 otherwise.

" The company also redesigned its remote control and updated its interface and companion app to better integrate and feature Alexa+. And while it did roll out a new Fire TV Stick model today, Amazon is streamlining the Fire TV Stick lineup, doing away with the "Select" and "Plus" labels that previously distinguished its multiple 4K dongles.

According to the company, the new Fire TV Stick 4K is fast. It’s not only faster than older models, but about 20 to 40 percent "faster than a similarly priced 4K stick from another leading brand." Specifically, Amazon says its newest dongle "turns on faster, apps launch over 35 percent faster, and content starts playing nearly 20 percent faster." The company also said it tested the Fire TV Stick 4K "against the built-in experience of three 4K smart TVs from top-selling brands." It checked to see how quickly the three most popular apps on the Fire TV platform would respond on all these devices, and says it found that on average, the "Fire TV Stick 4K played content faster than all three of the TVs we tested." We haven’t seen the testing methodology ourselves, and can’t vouch for the claims.

Amazon did provide the following video showing the speed comparison it described. Speed aside, the new Fire TV Stick 4K is slimmer than older models, featuring a design similar to the HD model launched in April.

It’s also capable of drawing power directly from your TV set’s USB port with the included cable, so you don’t need to deal with long wires or unsightly cords just to reach a distance power outlet.