Amazon kicked off IFA 2019 in a big way, expanding its international Fire TV push with a new lineup of products, including its first OLED Fire TV Edition with far-field voice microphones built-in for hands-free Alexa control.
Amazon also unveiled its new Fire TV Soundbar (another company first) and a refreshed Fire TV Cube with Dolby Vision and HDR10+ support.
Covering more than 20 new products, the new range is only confirmed for European and US markets and there is currently no confirmation on local availability and pricing.
Built in collaboration with German manufacturer Grundig, the new OLED Fire TV Edition is available in two sizes (65 or 55 inches) and uses “last-generation” LG OLED panels with a wide colour gamut and support for HDR10 and Dolby Vision.
And for those worried due to recent privacy concerns relating to recording devices, Grundig will also be selling a version of the OLED TVs without the mics built-in.
Along with the OLED TV, Grundig will also release a number of low-end and mid-range smart TVs, including its LCD Fire TV Edition range (11 products), as well as a range of JVC-branded Fire TV Edition 4K HDR TVs.
Amazon also announced a larger, 65-inch version of its first Dolby Vision-compatible 4K Fire TV Edition with Toshiba.
“We’re thrilled to introduce innovative Fire TV Edition smart TVs and the first-ever Fire TV Edition soundbar from global brands that customers know and love,” said Marc Whitten, vice-president of Amazon Fire TV.
“We can’t wait for customers to experience these new devices with the Fire TV experience built-in.”
As for the new Fire TV Cube, it now comes packed with a six-core processor, which Amazon claims is twice as fast as its quad-core predecessor.
It supports 4K and Dolby Vision HDR content up to 60fps and also comes with far-field microphones for voice commands.
“We have continued to expand and advance the Fire TV Cube experience with dozens of new features including Multi-Room Music, Follow-Up Mode and Alexa Communications,” Whitten said.
“These key learnings carried over and guided the development of the second-generation Fire TV Cube, and we are excited to introduce this new-and-improved experience to customers around the world.”
Finally, Amazon has partnered up with Anker for the new Nebula Soundbar – Fire TV Edition, which is able to stream 4K Ultra HD video and provides the Fire TV software without the need for another box.
It will come bundled with an Alexa-enabled remote for voice commands.
Along with the new product range, Amazon also announced new industry partnerships which will help the company push its Fire TV range in additional international markets.
