Amazon has just come up with its own 4K enabled Fire TV, a move that is seen as squarely targeted at Apple that has only recently launched its own Apple TV 4K.
However, Amazon is playing the game in its own way to target Apple by pricing its Fire TV less than half of what the Apple TV 4K costs. The new Fire TV costs just $69.99 compared to the $179 that the Apple TV 4K is priced at. However, the price difference apart, there are several factors that makes the two set-top box offerings unique in their own rights.
For one, the Amazon Fire TV is a tiny device with a HDMI cable sticking out of it. That makes it more of a dongle that can be attached to the TV. It also comes coupled with the Alexa enabled voice controlled remote. However, the Fire TV is also compliant with Echo devices. So for those who already have the smart speaker system installed in their homes can also use the same to control the Fire TV.
In fact, the Fire TV can be connected to your existing grid of smart home devices, and all of those can be controlled via voice commands.
It’s like asking to play the music of your choice or to show the camera feed within or outside your home. Packing in a 1.5 GHz quad-core processor together with a 2 GB RAM and 8 GB of storage, Amazon is also claiming the new Fire TV to be 40 percent more powerful compared to the Fire TV Stick.
Other key features of the Fire TV are its ability to play videos at 60 frames per second besides also being HDR ready as well. However, the Fire TV supports HDR 10 and not Dolby Vision. That makes for a distinct set up compared to Apple TV 4K that is again Dolby Vision and HDR 10 compliant. However, while the Fire TV outputs Dolby Atmos, that same again is not available with Apple TV 4k.
As for the further reason to opt for the Amazon Fire TV, there is the more than 50,000 movies and TV shows available to watch. 4K rental prices have come down too while more shows are being added continuously.
The Fire TV is already on pre-order and shipping in the US starts October 25.
