Let’s address the elephant in the room right away. Yes, you can still install Kodi on the new Amazon Fire TV Stick (2017). More good news: Amazon’s updated TV stick now comes with an Alexa voice-control remote, plus a quad-core processor as standard, so it’s a lot, lot faster than its predecessor.
The price increase, meanwhile, is very modest. Amazon is charging £39.99 for the updated Fire TV Stick, so you’re only paying an extra £5 for a much better device.
Nothing’s changed in terms of apps. This is purely a hardware update, so you’ll still be able to stream Netflix, Amazon Prime and scores of catch-up TV apps from this device. In short, there are only three differences you need to know about: 1. The Fire TV Stick is now really fast; 2. You can now use voice control to open apps and check Alexa-related information; and 3. The UI is a little different. We’ll come to that in a moment.
Amazon Fire TV Stick Review: Tl:dr
- Alexa voice-controlled remote
- Quad-core chipset (upgraded from dual-core)
- (Only) £5 more expensive than previous model
The new Amazon Fire TV Stick (2016/17) review: Specs
Fire TV Stick | Old | New |
Price | From £34.99 | £39.99 |
Processor | Dual-core | Quad-core |
Memory | 1GB | 1GB |
Storage | 8GB | 8GB |
Voice remote with Alexa support | £10 extra | Included |
Supported resolution | Up to 1080p | Up to 1080p |
Wi-Fi connectivity | Dual-band, dual-antenna 802.11n (MIMO) | Dual-band, dual-antenna 802.11ac (MIMO) |
As mentioned above, the new Fire TV Stick comes with an updated UI. It’s not a million miles away from its previous layout, but it’s definitely cleaner now. The biggest change you’ll notice here is that the top half of the screen is now a cinematic slider that suggests programmes to watch. After a few idle seconds, this transforms into a silent trailer. It’s all very slick.
New Amazon Fire TV Stick (2017): Design and remote
As you can see from the pictures, not a lot’s changed physically. Both the dongle and remote have increased in size, a bit, but that’s really not an issue. However, some R&D has evidently gone into updating the remote: its curved back now nestles nicely into your palm, with its minimalistic buttons sensibly spread out.
What’s Alexa like on the Fire TV Stick? Alexa integration adds massive potential to the Fire TV Stick. It means you can now use the voice remote to control smart devices in your house, check your diary, discover local restaurants, follow your sports team… the list goes on.
But, if like me, you’re not already 100% invested in Alexa, the learning curve can be a bit frustrating. Ask it “what’s the weather like today?” and you’ll get a quick response with a lovely graphic that displays the forecast. Ask “how long will it take me to get to work?” and you’ll get nothing. It’s a bit of a guessing game as to what questions it can answer. Still, since you now get the voice-controlled remote as standard, you’re future-proofed to a certain degree, even if your house isn’t.
New Amazon Fire TV Stick (2017): Apps
Amazon’s Appstore lets you add extra media services to the Fire TV Stick's home screen. A lot of big-name apps are available, including Spotify Connect, YouTube, Sky News and BBC Sport. There’s even a Netflix app, so if you’re a subscriber to Amazon’s rival streaming service, the Fire TV Stick can be your single point of access to both massive media libraries.
Alternatively, you can play your own content, using apps such as Plex; it’s good to see that the Plex for Fire TV app includes access to Plex Cloud Sync servers, which isn’t available on all platforms. DLNA and AirPlay streaming are supported too, using third-party apps such as AirPlay/DLNA Receiver; in practice, though, we hit problems trying to stream Full HD content from an iPhone over a wireless network, resulting in broken and distorted video.
You can also download games from the Appstore and play them using your remote, or invest in the optional Fire TV Game controller (Check out the Fire TV Game Controller on Amazon). The Fire TV Stick isn't as powerful as the Fire TV set-top box, but you can enjoy the sort of basic games you'd usually find on your smartphone.
And, of course, since file explorer apps are readily available, you can install your own third-party apps. Hence the popularity of Kodi on the Fire TV Stick, which opens up a huge new catalogue of content (not all of it strictly legal).
New Amazon Fire TV Stick (2017): Verdict
The first-generation Fire TV Stick was great, but lacking oomph. This new stick is more versatile, and thanks to its quad-core processor it’s super quick. Alexa is a great addition too, though not quite on the same level of intelligence as the Apple TV’s voice-control remote. The killer feature? At £39.99 it represents incredible value. Buy this device now.