If you've got an older TV that could use a brain transplant, Amazon's new Fire TV Stick HD is a cheap way to make it smart. At $34.99, the updated streaming stick is faster, slimmer, and, for the first time, brings Alexa+ to the entry-level offering.
Alexa+, Amazon's generative AI-powered assistant, goes beyond basic voice search, letting you have a conversation about what to watch, ask questions about the actors on screen, or tell it to skip to a specific scene in a Prime Video film. You can also control compatible smart home devices, so you can dim the lights without reaching for your phone. Full Alexa+ access is included free with an Amazon Prime membership. Non-Prime customers can subscribe for $19.99 per month.
Amazon is also finally offering USB power on a Fire TV Stick with what they are calling Direct Power. You plug the stick into your TV's HDMI port, connect the included USB-C-to-USB-A cable to a USB port on the TV, and you're done. No hunting for an open outlet behind the entertainment center, no extra cable snaking down the wall.
Earlier Fire TV Sticks could technically pull power from a TV's USB port, but they weren't optimized for it, and Amazon didn't officially support the setup. This time, the device is designed around it from the ground up, and it will alert you on screen if your TV's USB port isn't delivering enough power. Of course Roku has had USB power on its streaming sticks for years, so this is Amazon playing catch-up. If your TV doesn't have a USB port, or the port can't supply enough power, you'll need to supply your own USB-C cable and power adapter (5W or greater should work, though Amazon didn't specify a spec in its release).
The new stick is about 30% narrower than the previous Fire TV Stick HD, making it Amazon's slimmest streaming device to date. That smaller footprint means the stick fits more easily into crowded HDMI ports where other plugs and cables are already competing for space.
Beyond the design changes, the new stick is faster than the last-gen HD model. Amazon says it boots and opens apps more than 30% quicker. Wireless connectivity is boosted to Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.3, up from Wi-Fi 5 and Bluetooth 5.0 on its predecessor.
I have one gripe about the Fire TV Stick HD. At $34.99, even with Alexa+ and all the design improvements, I would have liked to see Amazon push to 4K. The Fire TV Stick 4K Plus costs $49.99, just $15 more, and gets you 4K Ultra HD, Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos. That's a narrow gap, and anyone with a 4K TV should spend the extra money without hesitation.
If you're upgrading an older 1080p set or you want a dead-simple streaming stick to throw in a bag, the Fire TV Stick HD fills that role well, and the Direct Power feature alone makes it a meaningful upgrade over the model it replaces.
The Fire TV Stick HD is available for preorder now on Amazon and ships April 29.
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[Image credit: Amazon]
