New Fire TV Stick HD looks like a great travel companion

Amazon’s got a new Fire TV dongle that looks great for travel. The latest Fire TV Stick HD is slim and lightweight, and unlike a lot of popular standalone streaming solutions, Amazon says it can be used without a wall adapter, pulling all the power it needs from a TV’s USB port.

In a blog post, Amazon says the new Fire TV Stick HD is its slimmest yet, about 30% thinner than the previous model released in 2024. It’s also compatible with Alexa Plus, Amazon’s AI-enabled voice assistant — a feature that had been exclusive to Amazon’s 4K Fire TV devices.

While any TV streamer with a USB connection can theoretically be powered by TV USB ports, most draw more power than TVs typically provide. The Chromecast with Google TV, for example, needs a 7.5W supply, where most TVs output 5W or less through their USB ports. Amazon doesn’t say specifically how much power the new Fire TV Stick HD draws, but given its framing around the new dongle, it can’t be much.

The option to use the streamer without having to plug it into the wall makes the Fire TV Stick HD sound like a great travel companion: stick it in the TV, connect to hotel Wi-Fi, and you’re ready to go. You can still plug the dongle into a wall adapter, too, in case that’s more convenient.

That the Fire TV Stick HD tops out at 1080p will mean it’s probably better suited as a secondary streaming option for most users, but given its focus on portability and bargain-bin $35 price tag, that’s not such a bad thing. Amazon says the streamer will be available for pre-order starting today (it’s not yet, as of publication), with units expected to ship before the end of the month.