Amazon.com announced a new generation of its Fire TV Cube as well as new Fire TV smart TVs. The TVs will be distributed in Europe for the first time, in partnership with local retailers and manufacturers. Amazon said its Fire TV devices already have more than 37 million active users worldwide, and the company claims it is the top streaming media player range in the US, UK, Germany, Japan and India.
The new Fire TV Cube is available for the same price (USD 120) while adding a faster processor and new features such as far-field voice for improved Alexa commands. The media player runs a hexa-core processor, offering more than twice the power of the first generation Fire TV Cube launched last year, and supports Dolby Vision and Atmos, 4K Ultra HD at up to 60 fps and HDR 10+. The new Local Voice Control uses on-device processing to execute common voice commands over Alexa faster.
The device is available now to pre-order, in the US, Canada, UK, Germany and Japan. It will start shipping from 10 October.
In addition, Amazon is expanding its Fire smart TVs beyond North America, to its UK and German sites. In the UK, a TV made by JVC with the built-in Fire TV software will start at GBP 349 and be sold at Currys PC World and from Currys PC World as a third-party seller on Amazon.co.uk. No shipping date was given yet. In addition to Amazon Prime, it offers access to standard free-to-air TV and other apps such as Netflix, ITV Hub, All 4 and My 5.
The Grundig OLED Fire TV edition for the German market is the first Fire TV OLED model. It is available to pre-order on Amazon.de in 55- and 65-inch models, starting at EUR 1,200 without Alexa far-field and EUR 1,300 with the voice control system. The Grundig Vision 7 starts at EUR 350 and is available in 43, 49, 55 or 65-inch versions with the Alexa voice remote, and the Grundig Vision 7 is available for EUR 240 in 32, 40 and 43-inch models.
The TVs will ship from late October or November, depending on the model. They include Alexa integration with live TV as well as options to subscribe to Prime Video Channels such as Eurosport Player, MGM or Starzplay. Films and TV series are available through the apps of Netflix, Prime Video, ARD, ZDF, ProSieben, DAZN and other providers.
Amazonalso plans to develop Fire TVs with Imtron, a company of MediaMarktSaturn Retail Group managing the private-label products of the retailer. The first models under the private label ok. will be available next year in Germany and Austria.
In addition, Amazon presented a new Fire TV with Toshiba. The first model with the manufacturer launched in June, and Amazon and Best Buy are now adding the 65-inch Toshiba – Fire TV Edition smart TV with Dolby Vision, which will be available for customers in the US next month for USD 599.
The first soundbar for Fire TVs will also be available from November, for USD 230. Developed with Anker Innovations the Nebula Soundbar features support for 4K Ultra HD, a unified smart TV user interface, near-field Alexa voice control and Dolby Vision pass through. It's launching in the US, Canada, the UK and Germany.
