Amazon Fire TV 4K televisions to launch in a challenge to Android TV and Roku

Until now, Amazon has confined its Fire TV devices to its own set-top boxes or Fire TV Sticks, but today the company announced a more direct challenge to smart TVs that use Android TV and Roku. As part of CES 2017, it was announced that Seiki, Westinghouse and Element will launch 4K televisions that will have the Amazon Fire TV OS inside.

The Fire TV OS itself is a fork of Android, so it’s kind of ironic that it will now compete directly with Android TV devices made by Sony, Sharp, Phillips and others. In addition to the televisions, the new Amazon Fire TV-based displays will come with a voice remote that can connect to Amazon’s Alexa digital assistant. It can be used to launch Fire TV apps, search for content, play music, and even control smart home devices.

All of the TVs will have 3840 x 2160 resolutions and will be able to support streaming videos at up to 2160p. They will come in sizes of 43-inches, 50-inches, 55-inches and 65-inches. The TVs are scheduled to go on sale sometime later this year, and yes, Amazon will be one of the retailers that will be offering them to consumers. Pricing for the new TVs has not yet been announced.