What you need to know
- Amazon announced its new Fire TV Stick 4K Select, a streaming dongle that sports its new in-house VegaOS, which replaces Android.
- The 4K Select stick focuses on 4K TVs with “vibrant quality,” as well as a faster, lighter weight software for opening apps and streaming content.
- Amazon also announced two new Omni QLED TVs, a new 2-Series model, and a new 4-Series model, all of which can be pre-ordered today (Sep 30), including the 4K Select.
Amazon’s major announcement today (Sep 30) is all about moving its Fire TV product series into the next new thing, and that “new thing” is VegaOS.
Earlier this morning, Amazon announced via a press release that it’s launching a new Fire TV lineup—new Stick and TVs—as well as some upgraded Alexa Plus capabilities. Getting you started in all of this is Amazon’s new Fire TV Stick 4K Select. Its specifications state the new stick is focusing on 4K televisions with “vibrant quality” and HDR10 Plus support. Amazon states apps on the stick launch fast, but that performance boost reportedly comes from its new custom software, VegaOS.
VegaOS enters the Fire TV Stick 4K Select as the substitute for Android, as Amazon shifts away from it. This new OS is reportedly “responsive and highly efficient,” capable of streaming everything you’d want and supporting Xbox Gaming, Luna, and Alex Plus.
A post by AFTVNews went into a little more detail about the newest stick, stating that VegaOS makes the 4K Select much more lightweight (via 9to5Google). The 4K Select only has 1GB of RAM and reportedly “doesn’t have as much memory overhead” like the old Android-based stick.
The new Fire TV Stick 4K Select is now available for pre-order on Amazon, starting at $39.99.
Your new favorite spot in the house
Joining the 4K Select stick are two new Fire TV launches from Amazon: the Omni QLED Series and the 2-Series & 4-Series.
Starting with the former, the Omni QLED series is available in 50″ and 75″ options and are reportedly 60% brighter than the brand’s previous products. Lighter and darker tones should appear more vibrant and bold when watching your favorite shows and movies. Dolby Vision and HDR10 Plus Adaptive Technology are included in these two QLED series TV sizes, alongside a processor that’s 40% faster.
There are some smarts with this Omni QLED series, as Amazon states the TV can “adjust its colors” based on your lighting situation. Additionally, it can turn on when you enter the room (Omnisense Tech), and Alexa Plus is right there in the TV, ready for you to speak.
The Omni QLED series starts at $479.99.
For the 2-Series and 4-Series (32″ and 55″), Amazon says the former rocks HD quality, leaving 4K to the latter. Both models are a little faster than before, with the same Omnisense that you’d find on the Omni QLED series. These TVs begin at $159.99 for the 2-series, while the 4-series starts at $329.99.
Alexa Plus is here to stay
We first heard about Alexa Plus earlier this year, as Amazon was finally taking its AI a little more seriously, bringing about some necessary updates. Alexa Plus is featured across every new TV and the 4K Select stick announced by Amazon today. It states users can converse with the AI to get you into your content on Prime Video, Netflix, HBO Max, and more services.
However, Alexa Plus can do a little more, as users can ask the AI about specific actors seen in their show or movie, or learn about where the content was filmed. When it comes to gameday, Alexa Plus can give you score updates, player stats, and more across platforms that typically stream sports games. Amazon stresses the “natural” part of Alexa Plus, stating users can speak normally to the AI and find their personalized results rather quickly.
Other features on its newest TVs include a “pick up where you left off” row for content, more awareness about live sports/TV, a channel guide, and a wishlist for entertainment.
