Amazon Revamps Fire TV, Launches Its Own ‘Artline’ Televisions With Frames at CES

Amazon is rolling out a redesigned Fire TV experience that places greater emphasis on content while simplifying navigation and layout. The update marks the first major Fire TV user-experience overhaul in several years, according to the company, and arrives alongside a refreshed Fire TV mobile app and the debut of new premium televisions featuring colourful, customizable frames.

Amazon said the redesign was driven by the rapid growth of streaming content available on Fire TV. Today, users can access purchased and rented movies and TV shows, multiple streaming services, short-form video apps, live TV streams, podcasts, music, games, and more—all of which contributed to a more crowded interface over time.

A Simpler Fire TV Design

“As we brought that content forward, the [user interface] got a little cluttered — a lot of stuff and a lot of rows,” Fire TV Vice President Aidan Marcuss said in an interview with TechCrunch. “We know the data — there’s a lot of time spent searching. We know that it could just be easier.”

The updated interface introduces rounded corners, new gradients, consistent typography, and more spacing between elements to reduce visual clutter. Users can still scroll vertically through familiar content rows, but apps are now displayed in a wider horizontal row for easier access.

Image Credits: Amazon

Previously, Fire TV users could pin only six apps to the home screen—a frequent source of frustration. The redesign reduces app icon size, allowing up to 20 apps to appear in a scrollable row on the home screen.

At the top of the display, navigation is now grouped into clear categories such as Movies, TV, Live TV, Sports, and News, with a search button positioned to the left of the Home tab.

Image Credits: Amazon

Across these sections, Fire TV centralizes content users are already watching, along with titles available across their subscribed services. It also highlights discovery options, including recommended shows and movies (“For You”), free streaming content, trending titles, and subscription offerings users may want to explore. While the pages do not feature infinite scrolling, they are designed to showcase the depth of available content.

The Live TV tab aggregates live streams from supported services and includes broadcast or cable TV for subscribers. The Sports section highlights currently airing games and upcoming events.

Image Credits: Amazon

Additional features—such as Games, Art & Photos, the Appstore, Music Video & Audio, the universal watchlist (“My Stuff”), Settings, and more—are now accessed through a three-line hamburger menu.

To simplify access to frequently used controls, users can long-press the Home button to open a quick settings panel. From there, they can adjust display and audio settings, set sleep timers, enable accessibility features, manage smart home devices, boost dialogue audio, adjust brightness, or even view a Ring camera feed while watching TV.

Image Credits: Amazon

Amazon also said the redesigned interface includes rewritten code that improves performance. On some of its most popular devices, the company claims navigation is 20% to 30% faster for common actions.

AI Built In With Alexa+

The new Fire TV experience integrates Alexa+, Amazon’s AI-powered assistant, allowing users to search for content, ask questions, refine queries, and request follow-ups using natural language. Users can reference on-screen content with commands like “Tell me more about that one,” or ask more nuanced questions such as “find me more movies with the same look.”

Alexa+ will be available as a paid add-on after its early access phase and will also be included with an Amazon Prime subscription.

The Fire TV mobile app has also been updated to combine traditional remote controls with discovery tools. Amazon said the goal is to let users browse and select content on their phones, rather than relying on a single person to use the TV remote.

Image Credits: Amazon

The redesigned Fire TV interface and mobile app will begin rolling out in February on Fire TV Stick 4K Plus, Fire TV Stick 4K Max (2nd Gen), and Fire TV Omni Mini-LED Series devices in the U.S. Later this spring, the update will expand to additional devices and countries, including Fire TV Cube (3rd Gen), Fire TV 2-Series, Fire TV 4-Series, Fire TV Omni QLED Series, and partner TVs from Hisense, Panasonic, and TCL. The new interface will also be available at launch on Amazon’s upcoming Artline TVs.

Ember Artline TVs: Televisions That Look Like Art

Image Credits: Amazon

Amazon also introduced its new Ember Artline TVs, premium Fire TV models designed to blend into home décor. The televisions feature interchangeable frames and will be available in 55-inch and 65-inch sizes, starting at $899.

The Artline TVs offer 4K QLED displays with up to 450 nits of brightness, a thin one-and-a-half-inch profile, and a matte finish to reduce glare. They support Dolby Vision, HDR10+, and Wi-Fi 6.

The standout feature is the selection of 10 frame options, offered in various colours, textures, and styles to complement different interiors. Available finishes include Walnut, Ash, Teak, Black Oak, Matte White, Midnight Blue, Fig, Pale Gold, Graphite, and Silver.

These frames are designed to enhance Fire TV’s Ambient features, which display artwork when the TV is idle. Fire TV includes access to more than 2,000 free pieces of art, and users can also display personal photos from Amazon Photos. With Alexa+, users can request custom slideshows by saying, “Alexa, create a slideshow of our family trip to Colorado” or “Alexa, show photos from our wedding.”

Correction: Amazon previously shared an incorrect brightness figure. The Ember Artline TVs offer a maximum brightness of 450 nits.