The new Amazon Fire TV Stick (2016) will get three MAJOR updates

The key (they say) is to strengthen when you’re on top. That’s exactly what Amazon is doing with the new Fire TV Stick in 2016.

Already a popular choice for customers looking to make their dumb TVs smart, the new Amazon Fire Stick will get three significant hardware upgrades in the last part of 2016. First is a new quad-core processor to give the stick a much-needed speed boost; second is faster, 802.11ac Wi-Fi, which should ensure faster, more reliable streaming (as long as you have a compatible router – such as the BT Smart Hub) and a remote with built-in Alexa voice control.

The 2016 Fire TV Stick will still cost £35 in the UK, which is an interesting move from Amazon – a voice-control remote used to cost users an extra £10.

Fire TV Stick

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Not that I am complaining. The upgrade to a quad-core device with a voice-control remote as standard puts the Fire Stick in the same class as the Apple TV and that’s important for Amazon.

I have the original Fire TV Stick and Apple TV set up in my house, and despite the slightly laggy performance issues of the Fire TV Stick (and lack of voice control), I find myself reaching for the Amazon remote far more than I do the Apple TV remote. The reason? Content is king, and the Amazon Fire TV Stick has a better selection of apps for UK users.

If the new Fire TV Stick 2016 delivers what its specs suggest it can, Apple TV could well be outmanoeuvred by a device a quarter the price.