New Amazon Fire TV Stick HD Runs Off Your TV’s USB Port

The new Fire TV Stick HD ditches the traditional power adapter and runs off your TV’s USB port. Amazon’s slimmest streaming device is about 30% narrower than the previous HD model, and it doesn’t need a wall outlet to work. That makes it the first Fire TV stick you can set up without hunting for a wall outlet. Just plug it into your TV’s HDMI and USB ports and you’re streaming.

Price: $34.99
Where to Buy: Amazon

It’s a meaningful update to Amazon’s entry-level streamer, and the changes go beyond just the form factor. Faster performance, Wi-Fi 6 support, Alexa+, and a refreshed interface all come along for the ride.

Preorders open today at $34.99 in the U.S., with the device shipping to customers starting April 29.

A Slimmer Build With Real Speed Gains

Amazon redesigned the Fire TV Stick HD to be smaller in both volume and width compared to previous generations. The result is a stick that fits more neatly behind a TV without requiring a separate power adapter.

According to Amazon, the new model is more than 30% faster on average than the last-generation HD stick. It turns on and opens apps more quickly. Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.3 round out the connectivity upgrades, helping ensure a stronger, more reliable connection.

Fire TV Stick HD Goes USB-Powered by Design

The most practical change is what Amazon calls Direct Power. The Fire TV Stick HD can draw power directly from a TV’s USB port using the included cable, eliminating the need for a separate wall adapter entirely. If a TV doesn’t have a USB port or the included cable gets left behind, the device can always be powered with a USB-C cable and a wall adapter, so there’s a built-in fallback either way.

This makes the device a genuine travel companion. It’s small enough to fit easily into a carry-on bag or pocket, and the lack of an adapter turns setup into a quick process: plug it into the HDMI port, connect the cable to the USB port, and you’re streaming.

Alexa+ and a Redesigned Interface

The software side of the update carries just as much weight. Amazon has built Alexa+ into the Fire TV Stick HD for customers in the U.S., Canada, and the UK, bringing its AI-powered assistant to the streaming experience. A redesigned Fire TV user interface comes with it, organized around categories for movies, TV shows, live content, sports, and news, all aimed at helping users get to what they want to watch faster.

Amazon describes Alexa+ as a more conversational assistant that provides smarter, more personalized recommendations through natural dialogue. You can ask Alexa+ to help find your next binge-worthy series, learn more about an actor on screen, or control connected smart home devices like dimming the lights. A standout addition is the ability to describe a scene you want to watch and have Fire TV skip straight to that moment in the film on Prime Video.

Alexa+ is included with a Prime membership or available through the Alexa+ Standard plan. In Japan, the new Fire TV experience will launch with an exclusive anime hub that surfaces anime movies and shows from across all available apps and services.

Adaptive Display Is Coming

Amazon also previewed a new accessibility feature called Adaptive Display, arriving on the Fire TV Stick HD in the coming months. When activated, it enlarges text and menus while proportionally scaling content artwork, creating a more balanced browsing experience for customers who need larger on-screen elements. Multiple size options will let users customize how everything appears on screen.

It’s the latest in a line of Fire TV accessibility features that already includes Dialogue Boost, Audio Descriptions, and High Contrast Text.

New Fire TV Stick HD: Price, Preorder, and Availability

The Fire TV Stick HD is available for preorder starting today at $34.99 in the U.S. Shipments begin by the end of April in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, the UK, Japan, Australia, and New Zealand. Customers in Germany, France, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, Belgium, Poland, and Sweden can visit their local Amazon pages to sign up for availability notifications.

Price: $34.99
Where to Buy: Amazon

Fire TV is the world’s most popular streaming media player family, according to Amazon. The company also partners with Hisense, Panasonic, TCL, Toshiba, and Xiaomi for TVs with the Fire TV experience built in. Customers have purchased tens of millions of those sets, according to Amazon. But for anyone with an older HD set that could use a streaming upgrade without the hassle of a new television, this stick is designed to be the entry point.