Amazon’s Fire TV Stick (3rd gen) gets a new name and a price cut

Amazon’s Fire TV Stick is arguably among the best streaming devices you can get today. The lineup is available in multiple options, ranging from the $30 Fire TV Stick Lite to the more premium Fire TV Stick 4K Max, which was refreshed last September. Amazon is now back with another Fire TV Stick product, though it’s not exactly new.

The retail and streaming hardware giant announced the launch of the Fire TV Stick HD just before the weekend, featuring a 1.7 GHz eight-core processor and support for Full HD and HDR content. While this may seem like a brand-new streaming stick at first glance, a closer look at the hardware suggests it’s a rebranded version of the 3rd gen Fire TV Stick, as Engadget points out. Interestingly, though, this new Fire TV Stick HD is cheaper than the model it’s replacing, with a price tag of $35 compared to $40.

An old wine in a new bottle

Amazon’s product page for the older Fire TV Stick (3rd gen) has a banner mentioning the “newer” version, which redirects to the freshly updated Fire TV Stick HD listing. “With this update, every streaming device in the Fire TV family now includes a remote that enables you to seamlessly control the entire entertainment experience across your TV, soundbar, and receiver,” Amazon said in the announcement.

As you would expect, the Fire TV Stick HD can do the same things that the Fire TV Stick (3rd gen) could, including the ability to control select smart home devices, stream millions of movies and TV shows from practically every app you can name, provided you have a subscription available.

It will be interesting to see how this launch will impact the Fire TV Stick Lite, which is still available for $30. But if you’re someone looking to get a Fire TV Stick and don’t particularly require the bells and whistles of the Fire TV Stick 4K Max, it will be hard to look past the updated Fire TV Stick HD, which is only $5 more than the Fire TV Stick Lite. For that price, you also get a better Alexa Voice Remote, as the Alexa Voice Remote Lite bundled with the Fire TV Stick Lite lacks television controls.

You can check out the freshly updated Fire TV Stick HD here. If it’s possible to stretch your budget by another $15, the Fire TV Stick 4K is an excellent option, too, given the upgrades it carries.

Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K (2nd Gen, 2023)

The Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K delivers exceptional performance, excellent HDR and surround codec support, and plenty of apps and games to choose from.