It wasn’t that long ago that Amazon released the Fire TV Stick 4K Select, its new entry-level 4K streaming stick. Now, the company already has another brand-new Fire TV Stick coming soon, but it might not be entirely what you’re expecting.
Amazon has announced that it’s launching a new Fire TV Stick HD this April, a refreshed version of its entry-level 1080p streaming stick. Compared to the last-gen Fire TV Stick HD, which came out in October 2024, this new model has been completely redesigned, with Amazon calling it its “slimmest streaming device” ever, with a reduction in both width and volume compared to Amazon’s other Fire TV Sticks.
Despite the size change, the new Fire TV Stick HD doesn’t seem to be lacking in power. Amazon says it’s, on average, 30 percent faster than the last-gen HD stick. It also features Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.3, upgrades from the last-gen HD stick, which is equipped with Wi-Fi 5 and Bluetooth 5.
The new Fire TV Stick HD is available for pre-order now and is set to launch on April 29. It costs $35, the same as the last-gen model’s starting price. But that’s not all there is to know about Amazon’s newest streaming stick.
- Downloadable Apps
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Yes
- Resolution
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Full HD
- Connectivity
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HDMI
- RAM/storage
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8GB of storage
Amazon’s new Fire TV Stick HD for 1080p streaming features a slim design and improved performance.
The new Fire TV Stick HD has a few other surprises
One of them may not be very popular
Besides its new design and upgraded hardware, Amazon’s new Fire TV Stick HD has a few other tricks up its sleeve.
First, it ships with Amazon’s redesigned Fire TV interface, which rolled out back in February on the Fire TV Stick 4K Plus and 4K Max. It’s a pretty major overhaul, both in how it looks and how it feels to use. The new home screen lets you pin up to 20 of your favorite apps, making things a lot more customizable, and there are performance improvements under the hood, too. Amazon says it “rebuilt the underlying code” to speed things up. It also comes with Alexa+, Amazon’s new AI-powered assistant.
Another interesting change is that it doesn’t need a wall plug like the previous model. Instead, it can be powered directly from your TV’s USB port, which makes setup simpler and much more travel-friendly.
…the new Fire TV Stick HD is powered by Vega OS, Amazon’s new Linux-based operating system, rather than Fire OS, which is Android-based.
One change that’s sure to ruffle some feathers is that the new Fire TV Stick HD runs Vega OS, Amazon’s new Linux-based operating system, rather than Fire OS, which is Android-based. This means you won’t be able to sideload apps on the new Fire TV Stick HD, unlike the previous model. Vega OS debuted with the new Fire TV Stick 4K Select in October, and it looks identical to Fire OS, with the key difference being the ability to sideload apps. As a result, the only way to download apps on the new Fire TV Stick HD is through Amazon’s official app store.
Overall, I’m honestly surprised Amazon chose to release a new version of the Fire TV Stick HD rather than a 4K Max, which was last updated in 2023. But with a new design and Vega Os, it’s quite possible this new HD stick is further laying the groundwork for a new Fire TV Stick 4K Max that could launch later this year. To be clear, that’s speculation on my part, and Amazon hasn’t announced any of its future plans beyond the new HD stick.
The new Fire TV Stick HD is now available for pre-order for $35 and launches April 29 in Canada, Mexico, the US, the UK, Japan, Australia, and New Zealand. Amazon says it will also be available in Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, and Spain in the future.
