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Amazon has hiked prices across its Fire TV Sticks in the UK.
These small plug-and-play streaming devices have always been an affordable way to add thousands of streaming services, games, and apps to any television by plugging them into the HDMI port. But Fire TV Sticks are now a little less affordable, with price rises of up to £30 on these bestselling streamers.
These hikes are due to the global memory chip shortage, driven largely by the massive demand from artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure consuming vast quantities of the same components found in your everyday gadgets.
For instance, Roku's own streaming sticks recently underwent an increase. Apple's iPad and Apple TV 4K set-top box haven't been immune from these price hikes either.
While Amazon's price hikes might seem pretty steep, they're actually on par with Roku's new costs — where they've raised their devices by as much as 50%. And compared to other streamers out there, the Fire TV Stick could still be one of the most wallet-friendly choices. Apple's streamers start from £199, and Google's streamer starts from £99.
An Amazon spokesperson told GB News: “The consumer electronics industry is facing significant increases in memory and storage component costs. After absorbing these increases for as long as we could, we recently adjusted pricing across our product lines.
"Our approach has always been to offer great products at accessible prices, and that commitment hasn't changed.”
The hikes are set to take effect on Amazon on September 3, according to Cordbusters. However, there is a way to add these streaming sticks to your basket for a fraction of the new price now.
Avoid the price hike and secure 72% off a Fire TV Stick for a VERY limited time
You can save up to 72% on the Fire TV Stick 4K Max when you trade in your old device. The 4K Max has support for the latest Wi-Fi 6E wireless standard, 40% more processing power than the standard Fire TV Stick 4K, and twice as much storage, too. Like the standard Fire TV 4K, that processing grunt means it's able to stream the latest blockbuster console games from Xbox Game Pass — with nothing but a wireless controller paired over Bluetooth, to recreate an Xbox-like experience.
With Amazon's latest promotion, you can also get the Fire TV Stick HD for as low as £19.19 — was £59.99, the Fire TV Stick 4K Select for £21.52 — was £64.99, and the Fire TV Stick 4K Plus for £29.59 — was £79.99.
To soften the blow, the company has launched a limited-time sale alongside the increases across its entire range. For instance, the Fire TV Stick 4K Max is currently discounted to £47.99, representing 52% off its new price.
Plus, you can get a further 20% off the price and trade in one of your Fire TV Sticks that could be lying around the house.
If Amazon keeps to its usual promotion pattern, there could be other sales similar to this one throughout the year. However, the sale prices may not be as low as this time around given the price hikes.
And these aren't the only popular devices expected to be hit by the hikes, either.
Amazon has raised prices across its entire range of Echo smart speakers, Kindle e-readers, and Eero Wi-Fi systems by as much as 60% in the US.
The company's most affordable products bore the brunt of the increases.
For instance, the Echo Dot smart speaker suffered the steepest rise, climbing from $49.99 to $79.99. Amazon's entry-level 16GB Kindle surged nearly 37% to $149.99.
Elsewhere, the Kindle Paperwhite climbed $40 to $199.99, and the Eero Pro 7 three-pack now commands $799.99 — a full $100 more than before.
These same devices are expected to undergo the same increase in the UK soon, but there is no set date yet. The new UK prices also haven't been confirmed yet, but they're likely to follow the same percentage increase as the US.
Ring cameras, video doorbells, and the higher-end Echo Studio — priced at $219.99 — were the only Amazon hardware lines to escape unscathed.
