Amazon unveiled its first smart TVs on Thursday. The tech giant is selling the Amazon Fire TV 4-Series starting at $369.99, and the Amazon Fire TV Omni Series starting at $409.99. Both are available next month on Amazon and at Best Buy.
Amazon previously sold streaming sticks and partnered with TV makers such as Toshiba on TVs that featured embedded Fire TV and Alexa experiences, but this is the first time Amazon is selling its own branded TVs.
The new TVs include the company’s Fire TV software and Alexa voice control that lets people change the channel, adjust volume, switch inputs, and more via voice. The Fire TV Omni Series also has new smart home control capabilities.
Selling its own TVs allows Amazon to better control the Alexa and Fire TV features, and also set its own price, CNBC noted. It’s also a strategic move against competitors such as Google and Roku in the race to own in-home entertainment.
Amazon also announced the new Fire TV Stick 4K Max, retailing at $54.99 in the U.S. Hailed as the company’s “best streaming stick yet,” it has 40% more power than the Fire TV Stick 4K, and supports WiFi 6.
