Amazon Gets Down to Basics With $49.99 Fire TV Stick

Amazon announced the global launch of the Fire TV Stick Basic Edition, a low-end model that’s now available in more than 100 countries and territories.

Selling for $49.99, the Basic edition comes with a quad-core processor, 1 GB of memory, 8GB of storage for apps and games, and integrated 802.11ac WiFi, HEVC, support for Dolby Audio surround sound, and streaming at up to 1080p resolution.

The device, which follows Amazon’s international launch of Prime Video last year, can be set to several supported default languages, including Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese, French, Italian, German and English.

While the Basic edition does come with a remote control, it does not support voice navigation. 

It arrives ahead of the holiday buying season, and gives Amazon a low-end, low-cost option as it grapples with rivals such as Roku, which recently introduced a baseline, HD-capable Roku Streaming Stick that fetches $49.99 (and supports voice navigation) and complements a higher-end 4K/HDR-capable model that goes for $69.99.

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