Which Amazon Fire Stick is the Newest? [May 2023]

Amazon’s foray into the big world of media streaming devices has generally been well-received. The accessible price of the Fire TV, along with Amazon’s ever-increasing content selection, has made it a trendy choice among cord-cutters. New iterations of the Fire TV, Fire TV Stick, and several other peripherals and devices are released every year. Trying to keep up can be no easy task.

If you’re in the market for a Fire TV Stick but don’t know where to start, here’s a breakdown of the latest Firestick versions.

A Brief History of Fire TV

The very first Fire TV was released in 2014. Apple TV and Roku were starting to see a lot of traction among early cord-cutters, and Amazon felt that they needed to join the party.

Like its competitors, the Fire TV Stick is a machine with relatively humble internals. It has some gaming capabilities and a controller accessory, but it isn’t meant to compete with gaming consoles.

The popularity of Fire TV rose quickly with the increase in the adoption of Amazon’s Prime Video service. Amazon didn’t dawdle, releasing the second-generation Fire TV the following year. The company improved just about everything, including the processor and chipset. Most importantly, the new Fire TV Stick supported 4K viewing.

The Newest Fire TV Stick in 2023

Over the years, Amazon has expanded its Fire TV lineup. Of course, the most popular option is the Fire Stick, but even that model has a couple of different iterations. There’s also a cube. In this section, we’ll review the most current models of the Fire TV Stick in 2023.

Amazon Fire Stick 4K Max

The newest, most feature-packed Firestick is the Fire TV Stick 4K Max, released October 7th, 2021. This model succeeds the Fire TV Stick 4K model, boasting the following new characteristics:

• It provides 40% more power and faster app launching with a 1.8 GHz CPU versus 1.7 GHz.
• You get an IMG PowerVR GE9215 750 MHz GPU versus IMG PowerVR GE8300 650 MHz for faster graphics rendering.
• Memory is increased from 1.5 GB to 2 GB to deliver smoother performance with fewer delays.
• It supports Wi-Fi 6 versus just accepting 802.11a/b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi networks with its MediaTek MT7921LS chipset for smoother/faster streaming when using a Wi-Fi 6-compatible router, often found in laptops and game consoles.
• You get full native support for USB OTG versus partial support when using memory cards, card reader hubs, peripherals, etc.
• It runs on Fire OS 7 versus Fire OS 6, delivering a new graphical user interface (GUI), tighter security controls, and support for more recent apps requiring specific application programming interface (API) calls.
• You get AV1 audio decoding versus VP9 for reduced bandwidth and storage space and higher compression without losing any quality.
• You get Live View Picture in Picture (PIP) on supported apps for viewing live security cameras and video doorbells while streaming your favorite content. You still receive the regular PIP features as well.

The Fire TV 4k Max remote is the same as the 4K model, but you see a difference in the user interface on your screen, delivering faster launching and app-switching.

Like its predecessor, the Fire TV Stick 4K Max remote comes with a power button and volume controls for your TV, plus it has four app buttons, and of course, it’s integrated with Alexa Voice.

The Alexa Voice function allows users to quickly search for content with the touch of the blue Alexa icon at the top of the remote.

This newest generation matches the 4K model with Dolby Atmos audio, 2160p, 1080p, and 4k HD video quality.

The price tag on the Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Max device is currently only $54.99 and supports most streaming applications and services. The older 4K model is currently only $34.99 on Amazon, but its original price was $49.99, making the Max version worthwhile for all the new enhancements it delivers.

What is the Latest Fire TV Cube?

The Fire TV Cube is similar to the Fire Stick only because it is a streaming device. Aside from that, the 3rd Generation Cube is the latest version, released in October of 2022.

If you’ve stumbled across this device while browsing Amazon, you’ve surely noticed that the device and the price tag are much larger than all other Fire TV devices. That’s because this isn’t just a streaming device. It’s also an Alexa device and command center for your entertainment devices. In other words, it’s a computer to some degree.

From your television to your soundbar, the 3rd generation of the Fire Cube adds Alexa’s functionality to many other devices. For example, if you’re still using a cable box, the Fire Cube will let you control what channels you’re watching and the volume with Alexa Voice.

The Fire TV Cube also supports 4K streaming, has Dolby Atmos Audio functionality, and holds 16 GB of storage compared to other Fire TV devices with 8 GB or less. Of course, you also get full Ethernet support. You can order the Fire TV Cube on Amazon right now for $139 unless you catch it on Prime Day or during holiday sales events.

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Wrapping Up

In closing, the Fire TV Stick 4K Max is the latest version of any Fire TV device, aside from actual TVs. On the other hand, the newest Fire TV Cube (2022, 3rd Gen.) does more and offers more (increased storage, other devices control, etc.), except the 4K Max has Wi-Fi 6 support and improved navigational speed. This model also upped the performance with its higher CPU and GPU hardware and RAM, making the slight cost difference worth every penny!