Amazon Fire TV (2nd Gen) vs Amazon Fire TV (3rd Gen)

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Fire TV (2nd Gen) compared with Fire TV (3rd Gen)

	AmazonFire TV (2nd Gen)	AmazonFire TV (3rd Gen)
Overview
Released
Released	October 2015	October 2017
Video and audio
Resolution
Resolution	4K	4K
HDR
HDR	None	HDR10 (better)
Dolby Atmos
Dolby Atmos	–	Yes
Video
Video	HEVC and H.264 decoding up to 3840 × 2160 at 30 fps; HEVC Main 10 input but 8-bit output; VP9 up to YouTube 4K; HDCP 2.2	HEVC up to 3840 × 2160 at 60 fps, 35 Mbps, Main 10 Profile Level 5.1; H.264 up to 4K 30 fps or 1080p 60 fps; VP9 up to 4K 60 fps; HDCP 2.2
HDR
HDR	HDR output is not supported, according to Amazon’s developer specifications	–
Audio
Audio	Dolby Digital and Dolby Digital Plus input formats; surround audio via HDMI	Dolby Atmos via Dolby Digital Plus for supported titles and compatible equipment; Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital Plus, AAC, FLAC, MP3, Vorbis, PCM and Opus input formats
Performance
Software
Software	Fire OS	Fire OS
Storage
Storage	8 GB	8 GB
Chip details
Chip details	MediaTek 8173C; two Cortex-A72 cores up to 2 GHz and two Cortex-A53 cores up to 1.573 GHz; PowerVR Rogue GX6250 GPU; 32-bit applications	Amlogic S905Z; quad-core Cortex-A53 CPU up to 1.5 GHz; Mali-450 MP3 GPU; 32-bit applications
Memory
Memory	2 GB RAM	2 GB RAM
Storage
Storage	Internal storage includes operating software; microSD expansion supports up to 128 GB for downloaded apps and games	Internal capacity includes operating software
Software and services
Software and services	Fire OS 5 based on Android 5.1 (API level 22); build model AFTS. Amazon’s launch release confirms US shipping from 5 October 2015.	Fire OS 6 based on Android 7.1 (API level 25); build model AFTN; Amazon confirms US shipping from 25 October 2017
Connections
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi	Wi-Fi 5	Wi-Fi 5
Ethernet
Ethernet	Yes	No
Voice remote
Voice remote	Yes	Yes
Ports
Ports	HDMI, Ethernet, USB 2.0, microSD and power; no optical audio output. USB version and port list confirmed by AVForums’ exact-model inspection.	Pendant housing with attached HDMI lead and Micro-USB power input; separate Ethernet adapter optional, no built-in socket or microSD slot
Wi-Fi and Bluetooth
Wi-Fi and Bluetooth	Dual-band 802.11a/b/g/n/ac with 2 × 2 MIMO; Bluetooth 4.1 with BLE; Miracast supported	Dual-band 802.11a/b/g/n/ac with 2 × 2 MIMO; Bluetooth 4.2 with BLE; Miracast not supported according to Amazon’s developer specifications
Remote
Remote	Included microphone-equipped voice remote; Alexa functions varied by region, with AVForums reporting no Alexa assistant in the UK at its 2015 review	First-generation Alexa Voice Remote with microphone; no television volume controls. Hands-free control requires a linked compatible Echo; availability differed by region at launch.
Design
Type
Type	Box	Box
Power
Power	External power supply	External mains supply; cannot be powered from the television’s USB port according to Stuff’s exact-model inspection