Amazon Fire TV Stick launches in the UK for £35

Amazon Fire TV Stick follows in the footsteps of the Amazon Fire TV box, and brings access to streaming services such as BBC iPlayer, Netflix and Amazon's own Prime Instant Video subscription service, plus Spotify and TuneIn radio for music.

Much like the Google Chromecast, it simply connects to your TV via an HDMI port. Inside is a dual-core processor, 1GB RAM and 8GB of storage space. Amazon claims the Fire TV Stick has 50% more processing power and twice the memory of the Chromecast, which aims to make the Fire TV Stick a faster experience.

The dongle can deliver 1080p HD video plus Dolby Digital Plus surround sound and is capable of mirroring your phone or tablet screen, provided it's a Fire device or Miracast compatible.

You can also 'throw' any media from your Amazon tablet or phone to the Fire TV Stick to enjoy it on your big screen, with Amazon also suggesting the device will support "standards like DIAL so you can also fling services like Netflix from your Android phone or iPhone".

Amazon promises set-up will be a simple case of plug-and-play, after which you can control the Fire TV Stick using the supplied remote control or using a free app for Amazon, Android and iOS devices, which comes complete with voice control "that actually works".

The device will connect to Amazon's Cloud Drive storage solution, so you can access any photos, music or video stored in the cloud.

Amazon's Whispersync technology, as seen on Kindle devices, is also here, syncing your content across your Amazon devices, allowing you to pick-up where you left off with TV, movies and games if you switch from one device to another.

Fire TV Stick is available to pre-order from today and costs £35. If you're an Amazon Prime member you can buy the Fire TV Stick for only £19 for two days only, while new customers can sign up for an annual Amazon Prime membership (£79/year), order the Fire TV Stick for £19, and then receive a £12 discount, ensuring the dongle costs just £7.

The Fire TV Stick is due to ship to UK customers on 15th April. See full details on the Amazon Fire TV Stick on Amazon.

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Joe is the Content Director for What Hi-Fi? and Future’s Product Testing, having previously been the Global Editor-in-Chief of What Hi-Fi?. He has worked on What Hi-Fi? across the print magazine and website for almost 20 years, writing news, reviews and features on everything from turntables to TVs, headphones to hi-fi separates. He has covered product launch events across the world, from Apple to Technics, Sony and Samsung; reported from CES, the Bristol Show, and Munich High End for many years; and written for sites such as the BBC, Stuff and The Guardian. In his spare time, he enjoys expanding his vinyl collection and cycling (not at the same time).