Many companies have been busy with announcements at IFA 2019, and Amazon is no exception. The firm had a ton of Fire TV news to share today, with a special focus on European customers, though there were news for those in the United States as well.
For starters, there's the new Fire TV Cube, a significant upgrade from last year's debut model. The new model has a hexa-core processor that allows it to play content at up to 4K resolution at 60 frames per second. It also features local voice control, so it can process audio commands on-device rather than connecting to the internet, making voice navigation up to four times faster. The Fire TV Cube is available for pre-order right now for $119/€119/£109.90, and will begin shipping on October 10 in the U.S., Canada, UK, and Germany. It'll begin shipping in Japan on November 5.
Another notable announcement is the first-ever Fire TV edition of a soundbar. Specifically, it's Anker's Nebula Soundbar, and the Fire TV edition will support the features you'd expect, such as Alexa voice controls, 4K resolution, and Dolby Vision passthrough. The Nebula Soundbar Fire TV Edition will begin shipping in November in the U.S., Canada, UK, and Germany. It's available for pre-order for $229.99/€209.99/£179.99.
Amazon also announced, in conjunction with Best Buy, that it will launch the first Fire TV Edition of a 65-inch Toshiba Smart TV. The TV will have 4K resolution and it's set to be available in October in the United States.
Shifting gears towards Europe, Amazon announced that it's bringing some of its existing devices, like the Fire TV Stick, Fire TV Stick 4K, and Alexa Voice Remote in Italy, France, and Spain starting today. For a limited time, customers can get €15 off any of the devices. That means the Fire TV Stick can be had for €24,99, the Fire TV Stick 4K for €44,99, and the Alexa Voice Remote for just €14,99.
Amazon also announced that it's working with TV manufacturers in Europe to release new Fire TV Editions TVs in the region. In Germany and Austria, customers can expect 11 new Fire TV Edition TVs from Grundig starting this fall, including the world's first to have support for far-field Alexa voice commands. Amazon is also working with IMTRON to release more Fire TV Edition TVs in Germany and Austria next year. As for the UK, Dixon's Carphone will help Amazon bring Fire TV Edition televisions from JVC to the market still in 2019.
Amazon has also rolled out software updates to Fire TV devices in France, Italy, and Spain, introducing a new "cinematic" interface and voice controls. Users will now also be able to pair Fire TV devices with Amazon Echo speakers for far-field voice controls.
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