Amazon announces the Fire TV Stick 4K Max, its most powerful streaming stick ever

Amazon today announced the latest addition to its ever-growing range of streaming devices, the Fire TV Stick 4K Max. As the name suggests, this model is essentially an upgrade on the Fire TV Stick 4K, with several new and improved features that come together to form what Amazon is calling its “best streaming stick yet”.

Like the Fire TV Stick 4K before it, the 4K Max supports 4K UHD, HDR and HDR10+ streaming, as well as enhanced audio with Dolby Atmos support. Amazon says that the 4K Max is 40% more powerful than its predecessor, making it the most formidable TV streaming stick the e-commerce giant has made to date. To achieve this, a number of key hardware changes have been made.

First up is the new quad-core 1.8GHz processor with 2GB of RAM. Executing a slightly faster clock speed than the 1.7GHz CPU that powers the standard Fire TV Stick 4K, this upgrade is said to speed up app loading times and make navigation through the Fire TV OS feel more fluid.

Another standout from the announcement is the confirmation that the Fire TV Stick 4K Max will be the first of Amazon’s media streamers to support Wi-Fi 6. Using the latest Mediatek MT7921LS Wi-Fi 6 chipset, the 4K Max is apparently able to achieve smoother 4K playback when multiple Wi-Fi 6-connected devices are in use.

We were already happy with the Alexa Voice Remote that was included with the Fire TV Stick 4K – we found it much easier than navigating through the menus, and the addition of volume and power controls for your TV was a nice touch – but the 4K Max has seen improvement in this area too. As well as the aforementioned ease-of-use features, the 4K Max’s Voice Remote also houses four preset buttons for instant access to popular streaming services.

Which exact services are included tends to vary by region, but the model shown in the announcement features launch buttons for Prime Video, Netflix, Disney Plus and Amazon Music.

In line with other Fire TV Sticks that include benefits for people who own multiple Amazon devices, the Fire TV Stick 4K can take advantage of Alexa Home Theatre. This feature allows you to connect your streaming stick to compatible devices, such as the 4th Gen Echo speaker, for more immersive sound, including multichannel Dolby audio formats. the 4K Max is also Amazon’s first streaming stick to offer Live View Picture-in-Picture, which can display footage from your security camera or Ring video doorbell right to your TV, without interrupting your viewing.

Amazon is asking £55 for the Fire TV Stick 4K Max – £5 more than the launch price of the Fire TV Stick 4K – and preorders are live right now. The device will then begin shipping out to customers on 7th October. We’ll have a full review of the Fire TV Stick 4K Max closer to the release date, but in the meantime, you can find out more details from Amazon on the official Fire TV Stick 4K Max page.