A device that is very likely a new Amazon Fire TV Stick 2 has just received FCC approval. As with all Amazon hardware, the FCC filing is done using a shell company, but there are clear indicators that this is undoubtedly an Amazon device. The product carries FCC ID 2AE6S-0948, model number LY73PR, and is described as an “HDMI Digital Media Receiver.” It is very likely a new Fire TV Stick, and not a new Fire TV, because of the long rectangular shape, a USB cable being used to power the device, and the mention of an HDMI extender being used during testing. A confidentiality request is keeping the most revealing documents offline, but the available documents tell us the new Fire TV Stick 2 will have dual-band 802.11ac WiFi capabilities, which is a bump up from the existing models 802.11n WiFi radio.
It does not appear the new Fire TV Stick will have 4K capabilities, but it’s not out of the question. I’m basing this on the fact that a 1920×1200 monitor and 720p MPEG4 video was used during testing. Usually, a 4K monitor is used to test 4K capable devices, which is what was the case with the Fire TV 2’s FCC filing.
Another interesting tidbit of information from the FCC documents is the use of a Bluetooth game controller during testing. The current Fire TV Game Controller uses WiFi-direct instead of Bluetooth, so it seems likely that a new game controller will also be released. The FCC documents do not mention the model number of the game controller, which is usually an indication that it was provided with the device being tested. In contrast, Bluetooth headphones were also used to test the Fire TV Stick 2, but the model number of a Sony headset is listed.
The FCC documents do not mention a microSD card, so it does not seem like the Fire TV Stick 2 will inherit the Fire TV 2’s expandable storage, but again, it isn’t out of the question. If a microSD card slot is present in a device, it’s usually, but not always, mentioned in the FCC documents.
When the Fire TV 2 first appeared in the FCC, it was announced by Amazon about a week later. That doesn’t mean the same timeline will be followed this year, but I’d say it’s likely we’ll see the introduction of a Fire TV Stick 2 later this month.
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You da man Elias! Always come through with this stuff, which is why I visit this site with OCD-like frequency.
Wifi AC is a good start. Likely day 1 purchase for me.
Still hoping for a firetv 3. Even though I don’t really need it haha.
Can’t wait!!! Hopefully in time for the holidays :)
Honestly, I don’t really care if it is missing 4k. I have one 4k tv, and have a really hard time telling the difference between 1080p and 4k. And from what I have read, many people do. I think for 4k to really matter, you need like a 65-70″ tv, and to sit up close.
4K can look better on smaller screens too but it all comes down to how far you are from the screen and most people’s setups see them sitting too far back for the size of the screen they have to really notice a difference from 4K. It’s more the other improvements that have come with 4K such as HDR that really make a difference in noticeable quality even if you are sitting too far away
My prediction for next Fire Stick is:
No change in RAM of 1G (512MB system, 512MB video)
No change in Storage of 8G (4.5 GB available for internal storage)
No change in 1080p maximum resolution (1920×1080-60Hz) – HDMI 1.4
Changes in network – Bluetooth to 4.1 (BTLE, HID, HFP, SPP Profiles)
Changes in network – Wifi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (2.4 GHz & 5.0 GHz dual band)
Improved WiFi antenna for better coverage and pickup of preferred network
Possibly shipped with 5.2.1.1_user_551203220
CPU – Quad Core ARM Cortex A9 up to 1.6 GHz (Architecture – Harvard)
GPU – ARM Mali-T628
or
CPU – Dual Core ARM Cortex A9 up to 1.2 GHz (Architecture – Harvard)
GPU – VideoCore IV BCM28155
or
CPU – Quad Core ARM Cortex A7 up to 1.3 GHz (Architecture – Harvard)
GPU – VideoCore IV BCM23550
AKA STU That’s great deal of great information that what’s I was looking for for this Firer Stick TV. For the $39.95 price does that come with more channels for free, I already got an computer with NetFlix. Will it be worth the price of buying it with the computer I already have!
The firestick uses a lot of mgbites data, the cable companies are going to start charging customers that go over on there limit,amazon has not commented on this problem yet.
IDK why 4k would be desired. 4k over wifi? Anyone with a 4k tv can invest in a slightly nicer box.
You do mean a Firestick ‘3’, yes? Because there are already 2 iterations of the stick that have been produced already.
v2 is the same as v1 in terms of the hardware in the Stick. It just got a software update that enabled some new features and shipped with a voice remote. So this would be the true 2nd gen Fire TV Stick.