Amazon is overhauling its Fire TV with a cleaner interface, faster performance, and a range of new features aimed at making content easier to find and enjoy.
Alongside the software update, the company is launching the Amazon Ember Artline, a television designed to double as a piece of art.
The Fire TV redesign focuses on simplicity. Rounded corners, expanded spacing, consistent fonts, and gradient accents make navigation more intuitive, while the home screen now supports 20 app slots instead of six.
Navigation categories, including Movies, TV, Live TV, Sports, and News, are more prominent, and a search button sits to the left of the Home tab.
Users can still scroll vertically to access favourite rows, but horizontal scrolling now allows faster access to apps and content.
“As we brought that content forward, the [user interface] got a little cluttered, a lot of stuff and a lot of rows,” said Fire TV VP Aidan Marcuss in an interview with TechCrunch. “We know the data, there’s a lot of time spent searching. We…know that it could just be easier.”
The update also brings speed improvements. Amazon says the new interface is 20–30% faster on popular devices, thanks to rewritten code.
A long-press on the Home button opens a shortcut panel for audio, display, sleep timer, accessibility, smart home devices, and even Ring camera feeds, reducing the need to dig through menus.
Alexa+ is fully integrated, letting users make requests in natural language. You can ask it to find shows, explore specific actors or directors, or even generate art displays from Amazon Photos.
“Our mission at Fire TV is getting customers to what they want to watch, fast. We know that can be hard with so much content to choose from,” the company said. Alexa+ will be included with a Prime subscription or available as a paid add-on once early access ends.
The Fire TV app for mobile devices has been redesigned too. Users can browse content, manage watchlists, and stream titles directly to their TV. The goal is to let everyone in the household participate in content discovery, not just the person holding the remote.
The Ember Artline takes Amazon’s vision a step further. Available in 55- and 65-inch versions starting at $899, these 4K QLED TVs support Dolby Vision, HDR10+, and Wi-Fi 6.
They are just 1.5 inches thick and feature a matte screen to reduce glare. Ten magnetic frame options, including Walnut, Ash, Teak, Matte White, and Midnight Blue, allow the TV to blend seamlessly with room décor.
The Ember Artline is designed for Amazon’s Ambient features, which display over 2,000 pieces of included art or personal photos when the TV isn’t in use.
Alexa+ can generate slideshows from personal collections with commands like, “Alexa, create a slideshow of our family trip to Colorado.”
Far-field microphones and Omnisense technology adjust the display automatically based on room activity.
Amazon plans to roll out the Fire TV redesign and updated app in February on the Fire TV Stick 4K Plus, Fire TV Stick 4K Max (2nd Gen), and Fire TV Omni Mini-LED Series in the U.S.
Other devices and countries will follow later in spring, including the Fire TV Cube (3rd Gen), Fire TV 2- and 4-Series, Omni QLED Series, and partner TVs from Hisense, Panasonic, TCL, and others.
The Ember Artline will launch simultaneously in the U.S., Canada, Germany, and the UK.
Amazon has sold over 300 million Fire TV devices to date and appears intent on keeping the platform both visually appealing and easier to use.
