Almost two years ago, Amazon refreshed its Fire TV device lineup to include its Alexa voice assistant, later updating older models with the feature. In order to use it, you need a Voice Remote (seen above), and the user has to hold down the microphone button to talk.
But according to a new report from AFTV News, that"s no longer going to be the case when the company releases its new model later this year. The device in the image above that looks like a cross between a Fire TV and an Echo Dot is just that, and it will include far-field voice technology so you can call to it from across the room, similar to how Amazon"s lineup of Echo devices work.
Amazon"s flagship Fire TV is a bit overdue for a refresh. While it supports 4K streaming like any set-top box that"s worth your time, it"s nearly two years old now.
The other device pictured is a new mid-range model that"s coming, which will sit in-between the Fire TV Stick and the Fire TV; in other words, the Stick will continue to be sold at its lower price point. Similar to Google"s Chromecast, it will hang from your TV via the attached HDMI cable, but it will support streaming 4K at 60fps, something that the Fire TV Stick doesn"t do.
The new mid-ranger will include a 1.5GHz quad-core CPU and Mali-450 MP GPU, along with 2GB RAM. According to the report, the mid-range dongle will be announced later on this month and released in October, with the new flagship coming at a later date.