(Image credit: Future)

Amazon has announced a new Fire TV Stick that will be the first to run on the company's own operating system, as previously rumoured.

The Fire TV Stick 4K Select is said to be the fastest in the range for under $40 / £50. And that's only possible because it runs Vega OS – the new software that Amazon's been working on for the last couple of years.

We're yet to see what that entails, and how good the app support is considering it's no longer based on Android, but it comes as a surprise that the tech giant has managed to turn around its own system so quickly.

Indeed, Vega OS will also be at the heart of new Echo devices.

Back to the Fire TV Stick 4K Select though, and the company claims its performance is beyond what you'd expect from a $39.99 / £49.99 device. We haven't yet seen it in operation ourselves, nor have we been treated to a list of specifications, but considering we didn't expect any new Fire TV devices during Amazon's fall hardware event, it's a welcome addition.

Amazon also announced that it is refreshing all of its Fire TV models, with new Fire TV 4 and Fire TV 2 Series sets starting at just $159.99 / £249.99. There's new Fire TV Omni QLED Series models, too, and they will all come "Alexa+" ready.

That means you'll be able to chat to your TV using Amazon's more advanced AI-powered assistant, even if the remote is across the room. And with Omnisense, your TV can even be set to come on automatically when you enter the room.

All of the new Fire TV products will be available to preorder in the US today, with preorders opening for the Fire TV 4K Select in the UK too (for shipping in October).

The Fire TV models will be coming later for UK customers.