Topics Latest AI Amazon Apps Biotech & Health Climate Cloud Computing Commerce Crypto Enterprise EVs Fintech Fundraising Gadgets Gaming Google Government & Policy Hardware Instagram Layoffs Media & Entertainment Meta Microsoft Privacy Robotics Security Social Space Startups TikTok Transportation Venture Latest AI Amazon Apps Biotech & Health Climate Cloud Computing Commerce Crypto Enterprise EVs Fintech Fundraising Gadgets Gaming Google Government & Policy Hardware Instagram Layoffs Media & Entertainment Meta Microsoft Privacy Robotics Security Social Space Startups TikTok Transportation Venture More from TechCrunch Staff Events Startup Battlefield StrictlyVC Newsletters Podcasts Videos Partner Content TechCrunch Brand Studio Contact Us As part of its fall hardware refresh, Amazon on Wednesday introduced the next version of its Fire TV Stick 4K, which is now slimmer, faster, and can be directly charged via a TV’s USB port.But the real news is that the device comes with an actually good remote control.No more blue Alexa button, a home button you can feel in the dark, a button for adding favorites, and a new shape that makes it more comfortable to hold in the hand.
It may seem funny that a remote control is the best part about the new streamer, which Amazon claims is 20% to 40% faster than leading competitors.But true TV connoisseurs know that a bad remote can ruin what would otherwise be a great watching experience.Amazon’s older voice remote wasn’t terrible, but it had plenty of room for improvement.
The new one features a different shape and curvature that make it easy to hold and point at the TV.Its buttons and layout have also been redesigned with an eye towards how people often use their remote controls: in a dark room.If you’ve spent any time with remote controls, you know that you can sometimes struggle to find and mash the right button when you can’t see the device well, especially if the icons on the buttons don’t make much sense.
That was the case with the older remote, which featured a prominent, blue Alexa voice button at the top center.That button has now been replaced with a more subtle black microphone button at the top right, which also has a slight dish at the top, so you can find it by feel.The new remote’s home button can also be found with touch only, as it has a metallic finish (and an orangeish-reddish hue) that makes it feel distinct.
The power button at the top left is recessed, which helps you avoid accidentally turning off the device, and the D-pad is flatter, which makes it easier to roll your thumb around.Lastly, the center of the D-pad now has a more tactile click.And, in response to user feedback, there’s finally a favorites button you can program to launch a preferred app or even enable an oft-used option, like toggling Closed Captions or Dialog Boost.
The new remote control will come with the Fire TV Stick 4K, but is also being sold separately for those who just want an upgrade.The 4K Stick itself has 8GB of internal storage, a quad-core 1.7 GHz processor, and support for Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.3, and Bluetooth Low Energy.It also supports HDR10, HDR10+, HLG, H.265, H.264, VP9, and AV1 video formats, and can output at 2160p, 1080p, and 720p resolutions at up to 60 frames per second.
The 4K Stick joins the full lineup, which also includes an HD Stick, a 4K “Max” Stick (faster, more storage), and the Fire TV Cube.The Fire TV 4K Stick is priced at $59.99, but will launch at a discounted price of $29.99.It’s initially available in the U.S., Canada, Japan, Mexico, United Kingdom, Ireland, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, Australia and New Zealand.
The remote will ship in late October, and costs $14.99 in the U.S.Topics Amazon Fire TV, Gadgets, Hardware, Media & Entertainment, tv When you purchase through links in our articles, we may earn a small commission.This doesn’t affect our editorial independence.
Sarah Perez Consumer News Editor Sarah has worked as a reporter for TechCrunch since August 2011.She joined the company after having previously spent over three years at ReadWriteWeb.Prior to her work as a reporter, Sarah worked in I.T.
across a number of industries, including banking, retail and software. You can contact or verify outreach from Sarah by emailing [email protected] or via encrypted message at sarahperez.01 on Signal.View Bio X LinkedIn Facebook Instagram youTube Mastodon Threads Bluesky TechCrunchStaffContact UsAdvertiseSite Map Terms of ServicePrivacy PolicyRSS Terms of UseCode of Conduct OpenAIHugging FaceFlockStartup BattlefieldDisrupt 2026Tech LayoffsChatGPT TechCrunchStaffContact UsAdvertiseSite MapTerms of ServicePrivacy PolicyRSS Terms of UseCode of ConductOpenAIHugging FaceFlockStartup BattlefieldDisrupt 2026Tech LayoffsChatGPT
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